Before you click on comments I have a couple of questions.
What is hurtful about this map?
What if it is an oppportunity?
I’m serious.
It’s a bad joke, ‘they’ are making fun of my country and my faith and who do ‘they’ think they are?
Or are ‘they’ making fun of themselves?
What if this is an opportunity?
Do others really see ‘us’ this way?
Do I care?
If I do, why?
What if this is an opportunity?
A chance to listen, talk, explain?
Do I know what I need to know?
I’d like you to know this map made national news tonight as a seque to promo an interview show.
Indiana Republican congressman Mark Souder will be on CTV’s Question Period Sunday night. Souder is chair of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources. He will talk about being an evangelical Christian, about decriminalizing marijauna possession and same sex marriage. He is not shy about speaking his mind.
“I believe there’ll be more searches at the border both coming and going from Canada, which hurts our trade,”
“Trade is the anchor of our relationship and our friendship and anything that shows that down, complicates that.”
More information is here.
Published 4 years ago
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Hi Bene Diction. Its Cap Flynn at Against All Flags. I see you linked to the Map of Jesusland
I just wanted to warn you that I’m taking a pretty tough position on the conservative Christian alliance that seems to have put Bush in the White House.
Just wanted to warn you so your readers aren’t offended. Its all politics, but you know how politics is.
Cheers
Hey Capt. Flynn.:^)
That’s fair. If god-bloggers and Christians can’t respect you and your opinion, you can remind them they are free to go elsewhere.
I’ll remind them of Col:4:6 on their way over - Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Blog on!
The map-maker doesn’t get Canadian politics. If they did, they would have annexed Alberta into Jesusland.
Truckloads of questions, Bene, few quick answers. The general take down here is that Canada’s more secular that the US, making them more compatable with the “Blue State” northeast and west coast that votes Democratic, when compared with the “Red State” ne Jesusland area that votes Republican.
I liked the old book “The Nine Nations of North America.” Distilling it into two is oversimplifying. I feel a post coming on.
I think the map was prompted by the threats of many of the now defeated candidates’ supporters - that if they lost they were going to move to Canada where their worldview was respected.
I think that the map reflects the (false?) dichotomy between certain faith based political values and certain social welfare values such as universal (government) health care, taxation as a means of involuntary wealth redistribution, governmental endorsement of sexual license, etc. I think that that map is an insult both to Canada and to the USA. It also misses the point that there was a large portion of the USA electorate who were truly disenfranchised - those of us who did not and do not support Mr. Bush on many of his policies (taxation, war, health care) but were also totally disgusted with Mr. Kerry’s kowtowing to the anti-family values of such groups as NARAL and Planned Parenthood (abortion on demand and sexual license lobbies) or to the homosexual marriage lobby. In the end, I voted for the candidate who least offended my conscience.
Please note that Canada in at least some of it’s provinces endorsed homosexual marriage long before the Massachussets court decision. There is also a continuing concern that some of the anti-hate speech legislation in your country might end up as a form of anti-Christian religious discrimination.
I am not endorsing the kind of flaming stereotyping that that map represents. I am simply trying to point out some of the possible sources for the thoughts and feelings behind it.
If only it were true. I think we have to wait a little “bit” before we see Jesusland - but that of course doesn’t mean we should try to accomplish the opposite down here while we’re waiting!
Errr, why do I always talk out of both sides of my mouth? “Jesus loves you” - there, I’ll leave it at that Bene.
I’ve seen that map elsewhere and it bugs me. The polarisation is not good for America, nor is the illusion that they can just relocate to a Democrat paradise in Canada. I don’t have any solutions, but I’m horrified at the vitriol spouted by both Republicans and Democrats against each other.
The map should also been seen in the context that Kerry won in places such as Dallas, Austin and El Paso in Texas, Denver, Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis, New Orleans, Little Rock, Albuquerue, Tucson, Kansas City, St. Louis, Des Moines, Miami, etc.
Joel is right on this… it is more an urban vs. suburban/rural split, than mid-west/central vs the coasts…
One man’s opinion: I think that map is such a inaccurate oversimplification of the election results as to be useless. It doesn’t take much browsing on the “right” side of the pundit-sphere to find that many of them are explicitly irreligious (For example, Instapundit.) I’m not offended; I just find it hard to believe someone could miss the mark by so much.
“If God is for us, who can be against us?” Proud resident of ‘Jesusland.’
Amen Mark and Roy Jacobsen.
The map certainly does oversimplify. I think the dynamic at play in the last election was very complicated. Different groups voted for different reasons, yet came together to re-elect the President. Some voted out of fear/loathing of homosexuality. Some voted out of patriotism. Some voted out of economic self-interest. Some were voting in favor of prayer in schools, using the word “God” in the Pledge… some were voting based on gun rights issues. Kerry supporters were an equally motley group.
The issues are complex, but we managed to oversimplify them when it came time to vote. Neither party owns morality. The issue is WHICH moral issues are more important to you? Those which concern sexuality? Sanctity of life (the unborn? victims of war? death penalty?) Poverty and hunger? Policies that promote inclusion, love and understanding?
There was too much name-calling and fear mongering on BOTH sides. Too little rational analysis of issues. Gross oversimplification, THAT is what the map reflects. Those who love Jesus and want to do His work had plenty of reasons to vote either way.