When Christians Are Attacked From The Inside And The Outside

This post was going to be limited to the attack on fellow Christians by a former president, but as I have pondered this, another assault on Christians from outside the faith has occurred and this is going to be a two-pronged post.
First, I would like to start off with the attack from within the faith from a former president known famously for lusting in his heart for other women.
That former president is one Jimmah Carter. Yeah, I know, JIMMY Carter, but I write as he has said it all these years.
This photo below has been floating around on Facebook and it is clearly a slam against Christians.

Now, I have two thoughts on this.
The first thought is that many Christians talk a good game, yet do not actually follow through on spreading the Gospel in any way. In and of itself, I would agree there are some that do not.
But let me extend this.
I think what the 39th president is referring to are the eeeeevvvvviiiiilllll, judgemental Christians.
You know the ones.
Like the Salvation Army and all the work they do in disaster situations. Like being the first relief for those in the after effect of Hurricane Katrina. Before the American Red Cross. Before anyone from the federal government. Must those bad Christians.
Or maybe the terrible folks from the Rev. Franklin Graham's Samaritan's Purse and all the work they are doing in Africa to help bring people up from abject poverty. Yeah, yeah. Has to be them.
If not, maybe the people at World Vision. I mean come on! These HAVE to be the evil ones, right?
Well, the second overriding point is no, not in the least.
For you see, Jimmah is saying nothing about these people and the millions that donate time and money. No, not at all. Read the quote again. See, to be a person that is a good Christian and has good Christian values, you HAVE to support high taxation and big government because THAT is the mark of  a good Christian. How much one renders onto Caesar instead of taking that money and helping the same people in the name of and the power of Jesus Christ.
So, let me ask all of those that agree with Jimmah, is it the only way that one can be a good Christian, to have real Christian values if they just pay as much in taxes that the government wants on the notion that it is all to help the poor?
Sorry Jimmah and all of you folks,  but it is NOT a Christian value to allow one's self to be taxed into oblivion. It is indeed a waste of money.
When Jesus commanded those who followed him to give all that they have if they had anything to the poor, he did not mean to give it to the government as the middle-men to dole it out as they see fit. See, I know that Jesus Christ would be happy to see his followers to be helping those less fortunate through their own churches. Their denominational bodies that are specific to helping those in need. And yes, to other groups like the Salvation Army, Samaritan's Purse and World Vision. And really, I just scracthed the surface in naming those Christian groups that do help those that are down and out for no reason at all or for a reason. See, they do not create a red-tape bureaucracy in helping people. What they do is help people in need and for many the services are life changing. Yes, some of those that they help have turned their life to Christ. Not because they were coerced, because they opened their minds, eyes and ears to the Gospel message.
FTR, I know this goes against the admonishment of Jesus Christ himself in the Gospel of Matthew, 6:1-4 and 5-8, but I have to let my readers know that Mrs. RVFTLC and I do practice what we believe. We of course give to our church financially. We are both on the board of the Transitional Housing ministry. It is, without a doubt, a thankless ministry to many because it is dealing mostly with men and women, fresh out of prison and dealing with drug, alcohol addiciton and mental illness. And we also support our outreach program to the poor in the city of El Monte, California.
So yeah, I do resent when Jimmah thinks that because we want to truly help people without the government somehow that is not Christian. It is not Christian to wrongly admonish people as Jimmah does.
Now on to the beating Christians are taking from the outside.
Recently the great baseball player, Stan Musial, died at the age on 92. Mr. Musial played his entire career for the St. Louis Cardinals. As an honor to Mr. Musial, the grounds crew etched a cross and Mr. Musial's number 6 on the back of the pitcher's mound at Busch Stadium, home of the Cardinals. Here it is.

Yes, plain as day. A Christian cross and the number 6.
Yet a supposed Cardinals fan decided that this display of honor for the devoutly Roman Catholic Mr. Musial was bad. Bad, I tell you. And guess what? Same "fan" not only did not like that cross, but said that the number 6 looked a lot like the Christian fish symbol, also known as icthys. Again, yes I see a cross. And a number 6. But no, I do not see a fish of any kind.
But that was enough for the general manager of the Cardinals, John Mozeliak, to direct the grounds crew, no more etchings on the pitcher's mound.
What a coward.
Mr Coward Mozeliak said this speaking to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch regarding the horror of a cross and a number being etched on the pitcher's mound:

“It’s just not club policy to be putting religious symbols on the playing field or throughout the ballpark. I didn’t ask for the reason behind it. I just asked for it to stop.”

Uh, maybe Mr. Coward Mozeliak should have asked why it was being done. It might have changed his mind and he may have had grounds to explain why it was OK for a time and eventually, with no fanfare, phased it out.
OK, so why I am harsh on this dude?
Read his quote again.
Well this link will take you to the St. Louis Cardinals website and. . .details on their recent celebration of. . .wait for it. . .CHRISTIAN DAY!
CHRISTIAN DAY?!
Oh, I think that I see something here.
When it involves Christians doling out cash to the Cardinals, well that is OK. But have some members of the grounds crew memorializing one of the great players in Cardinal history and well, one complaint and that has to stop.
So I thought, is Busch Stadium owned by the city of St. Louis.
Not at all. The Cardinals own the stadium, but did get some government money to construct the ball park.
So again, why did the general manager stop such a terrible memorial to Mr. Musial? Oh, a memorial that he claims he knew nothing about until he read about it in the Post-Dispatch newspaper?
First, he may not be directly lying on anything but I am certain that he knew about it long before an article in the local fish wrap. And the least he could have done is ask the grounds crew about it before making an arbitrary decision.
Remember, one person complained. Did the same person complain about Christian Day? I would like to know that one.
Yes, one person whinnying like a baby about having to be exposed to a cross and the number 6 ended a heartfelt memorial done by people just not all that sophisticated about how terrible the cross is to some people.
Yes, people are so gun shy to take on the heathens that they cave like a dropped accordion.
I would love to see the grounds crew defy Mr. Coward Mozeliak and continue to etch the cross and number 6 on the pitcher's mound. What would Mr. Coward Mozeliak do, fire them all? Where are those Christians that participated in Christian Day at Busch Stadium? Time for their voices to be heard on this.
When Christians attack fellow Christians on political grounds, it truly affects in the most negative way the work that Jesus himself commanded in Matthew 28:19:

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

And when people attack people who find a way to pay tribute to a player and yes, for his Christian faith, it should unite all Christians to the reality that people, they just do not like us.
We Christians, we need to be together more than we are.
Those that are not Christian, don't be afraid of our symbols that they are somehow going to harm you.