Ahh, dear JO... peace to you... and please forgive if I "offended" you
My dear Shelby...you have not offended me in the least. I did not speak off the cuff when I made the statements I made about Beck or Obama. Neither man is perfect, much less a saint. My words regarding Obama, if you go deep in your own heart and hear, ring true, my dear. (Listen.) I am not the one "judging" him. Note that I said "if I had to put money on what Obama is". I didn't say these words based on any sort of unfounded or prejudicial judgment from me. That's all I can tell you regarding that here.
I don't judge Beck either. But, you yourself admit that you do not listen to him. Perhaps you should try with a non-prejudicial heart. Don't let your ego get in the way. Are you listening to others who hate his message rather than hearing for yourself? Do you even know what his message is? Or, have you taken small sound bites here and there and formed an opinion based on less than accurate information? Are you listening with deaf ears? Let me correct your "pecking order" if I may for the U.S. Marine slogan....it always puts God first.....always.
To call someone a hypocrit based on your own understanding is pretty weighty (to use your own words, dear Shelby). Had you said to me that your words sound hypocritical, perhaps the slap would have been less injurious, but the personal name-calling and attack tells me you have done this from a human perspective based on ego, rather than from a more enlightened place. We are all imperfect, however, and make errors in judgment. Now, I have another thought and I respectfully ask you to set aside your personal ego and go to that place of which you know I'm talking about and take this with you.
I have struggled with, meditated and prayed about, the balance between mercy and severity. I have asked the questions about when, how, and to whom love should be directed. I have dwelled on Jesus' words to love your enemies and to turn the other cheek, etc. And here is what I have been given. Love (real love) is a balance between the two. Too much mercy, anarchy rules, fear sets in and creates a fertile place for evil to grow. It must be balanced by justice which involves discipline and sacrifice at times. However, too much severity, oppression sets in and it hinders our freedoms, and causes stagnation. Love is neither. It is the perfect balance between mercy and discipline/severity. Only when this balance is maintained will Perfect Love reign, so love (the perfect balance) must be directed to all....friend and foe alike.
God is this Perfect Love, the Perfect Balance between mercy and severity. When you lean too far one way or the other, love is distorted. So, to answer your question, dear Shelby, I stand with Love. I bid YOU peace, truly.