Michael Moore on Christianity, Healthcare, Jesus, and Socialism
“Socialized medicine” has become demonized as a political term. How do you reclaim it as a viable political idea?
By just coming right out there and ridiculing their efforts, showing
them up for who they are, and then proudly claiming it. At one point
when I was making the movie, I was thinking of renaming it myself, from
“socialized medicine” to “Christianized medicine,” because that
essentially is what Jesus would do. He said, “When you get to the
Pearly Gates, we’re going to ask you a series of questions: When I was
hungry, did you feed me? When I was homeless, did you give me shelter?
When I was sick, did you take care of me?” As we are a “Christian
country,” as I often hear people say, maybe if we actually started
acting that way, we wouldn’t have to deal with terms like “socialized
medicine.” It would just be the normal Christian thing to do.
Source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/320271_moore19.html
(by the way, go see “Sicko” by him… it talks about how the mess up
U.S. healthcare system really is…. I am not a big fan of Michael Moore,
but as a aspiring doctor, I agree with him on this one)
EDIT: I feel like I have to post a commentary on why I posted this article, to avoid misunderstanding….
Although throughout history, religion in the form of politics have
misuse the idea of faith (i.e. the crusades, the inquisitions,
genocides, the holocaust, Jihads from radical extremists, etc etc… no
major religion is innocent of wrongdoing on a mass scale) for
propaganda purposes, I believe faith should be on a personal level. It
is between you and God that you grow in faith and the manifestation of
that faith is in the good works you do for all mankind.
In
Christianity, we believe that God gives us the freedom to choose
whatever we believe in. However, there are personal consequences to
what we choose. In acting towards others, we must always respond with
love and compassion.
Although Michael Moore hates President (see
Fahrenheit 9/11, his other film), he doesn’t hate religion or
Christianity. He’s calling us to live up to the Christian traditions
this country is found upon (see the faith of our founding fathers) of
charity, love, and care for the human condition.
I personally don’t like Bush invading Iraq and Bush dragging the word
Christianity into it (Crusade part IV, anyone?). I feel I am
scrutinized by what Bush is doing because of my faith, much like how
the Muslim world has to answer questions for what Osama is doing. Yet,
I know my faith is personal and reflected by my own actions, and people
will see the difference between me and Bush by the love and care and
manifestation of my faith to others.
But back to healthcare, if
you read the article from my source link, Moore criticized the
commercial, capitalistic, and money hungry nature of our healthcare
system that even people WITH insurance have trouble paying for their
bills! I am with Moore in the sense that we need a revolution in
healthcare, by throwing away the private industry and having a
universal healthcare like Canada, Japan, most of Europe, and yes even
Cayman. Universal healthcare run by the government will insure everyone
and no one will ever have to suffer because of money.
Socialism or whatever, but countries with this health system like
Canada are the healthiest people in the world. Of course this is not
going to change much in the U.S. because businessmen are getting richer
and doctors enjoy their $100 to $300K salaries, so privatization will
always exist. But that is where charity and altruism comes in.
In
the end, Moore was criticizing Bush, the government, and our healthcare
system more than or even at all religion or Christian.
Though
Moore will never be Martin Luther King Jr., I remember King says that
he had a dream that “one day this nation will rise up and live out our
creed that all men are created equal”, and more or less this dream has
been reached. Moore is using the same strategy in calling the nation to
live out the creed of our nation in charity. And that is charity in
healthcare.
