I posted Michael Moore’s piece, “For Those of You on Your Way to Church This Morning…” on my FB page as an example of his kind of twisted logic that I find patently offensive. A good friend of mine called me out on it, challenging me to explain why I disagree with Moore. (sigh) Why must I explain why I believe Michael Moore is a moron? Are not the two nouns synonymous?
First, I think Moore is a hypocritical opportunist.
He berates the rich, while raking in millions for his own film projects, and would shame the upper income earners in this country for not doing a better job of taking care of the poor.
Really, Michael?
How many soup kitchens have you funded with your spare change?
Moore's documentary films retain the title as highest-grossing movies of their genre; how much of that largess has he shared with his less-fortunate neighbors?
Moore is applauded by the same cinematic-elite crowd that recently petitioned for the release of child-rapist Roman Polanski.
Sorry, that’s not a crowd I choose to side with.
Second, I believe Moore to be a sanctimonious hypocrite by positing whether or not Capitalism might be a sin, and with logic cloaked in religiousity, asks, “Would Jesus be a capitalist?”
Indeed, He would.
In this morning’s post, Moore writes, “I have come to believe that there is no getting around the fact that capitalism is opposite everything that Jesus (and Moses and Mohammed and Buddha) taught. All the great religions are clear about one thing: It is evil to take the majority of the pie and leave what's left for everyone to fight over. Jesus said that the rich man would have a very hard time getting into heaven. He told us that we had to be our brother's and sister's keepers and that the riches that did exist were to be divided fairly. He said that if you failed to house the homeless and feed the hungry, you'd have a hard time finding the pin code to the pearly gates.”
Jesus also was very clear in pointing out it is expected of us to make a return in our dealings; that not all will profit equally; and that for those that choose to not handle wisely the things of this world, they will be taken from the foolish and given to the more successful stewards. Matthew 25:14-30 clearly illustrates this principle in the Parable of the Talents. I suggest you read it, learn it, live it.
Moore also blaspheme’s Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5) by snidely remarking about the Wall Street Crowd—“Blessed are the Wealthy?”—and criticizes the tax structure of this country. He mis-applies Jesus’ comment, “Blessed are the poor…” by leaving off the object of the beatitude, the “poor in spirit.”
Note, Jesus’ intended reward for this class of people—the poor in spirit—is an inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven. Pretty sure that one's going to trump anything Wall Street can generate.
Thirdly, Moore’s sarcasm and sacrilegious use of Jesus’ teachings about morality, civic duty, and the proofs He performed to demonstrate His authority is the ultimate, over-the-line insult. To spoof Jesus’ feeding of the mulitudes is to completely miss the point of that narrative. Anyone who would stoop this low to hawk a movie or book is utterly contemptible.
My personal revulsion with Michael Moore transcends the one-dimensional friction between Republicans and Democrats, Liberals and Conservatives. I think he is a fundamentally-flawed human being, willing to go to any lengths to self-promote his work.
Perhaps taking Matthew 5:5 to heart would be helpful: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” But knowing Moore's penchant for puffery, he'd probably produce a mockumentary about that, too.
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