A little lost comment, wandering alone and friendless

So, I read this great blog post on this great blog, and wrote a really over-long comment, and it won't let me post.

This happened to me last week, on the same blog.  I don't know if Rage Against the Minivan hates me, or if comments are supposed to be, you know, short (but there were other long ones on there, I swear!) or if this is just one of the little jokes my laptop likes to play.  Last year, when I was doing Weight Watchers, it wouldn't load their website.  It was freaky.  So I'm going with the "My laptop doesn't actually hate me, but it has kind of a mean sense of humor" theory. 

Here's my "comment."  Check her blog for the amazing post that unleashed my flood.

I was raised Episcopalean (but I think I just spelled it wrong), and didn't realize until my 30s that anyone would find "liberal Christian" some sort of oxymoron.  Sure, I knew there were more conservative denominations--"Footloose" indicated that Baptists were against dancing--but I thought those were just fringe extremists.  Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians (e.g. most of my church-going school friends) all seemed to support the same values my family had.  It was somewhat of a shock over the past 15 years to realize that WE are the outliers. 

I no longer attend church (which makes my comments irrelevant to some of you, I fear), but I feel strongly that the values I have--kindness, charity, sacrifice, love--are deeply rooted in the faith I was raised in.  "Love thy Lord God with all thy heart, and all thy soul, and all thy might.  This is the first, and greatest commandment, and the second is like unto it: Love thy neighbor as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law, and the prophets."  You follow the first commandment by following the second.  And that whole Good Samaritan parable?  It's not about naming hospitals.  It's about how your neighbor is EVERYONE, even the people you don't actually like.  Even the groups you disapprove of.  That's why being anti-immigrant, anti-gay, anti-people on welfare seems distinctly anti-Jesus to me.

That being said, the administrations of Reagan, Bush, and the other Bush did not ruin my life.  Some of the best times of my life occurred while they were in office.  I hope those who passionately oppose Obama have the same experience.

Because while politics are important, other things (family, work, learning, chocolate and red wine all come to mind) are far more important.