Posted on 04/30/2014 7:57:57 PM PDT by OneVike
Most people would agree that politics and religion are the two most likely topics that divide even the best of friends. Websters dictionary says that politics is the political opinions or sympathies of a person, while it says that religion is a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith. I don’t see the difference between the two.
When I watch elected officials on the floor of the US Senate or House, I am reminded of an old friend of mine who pastors a church in Columbus, Georgia. He will flail his arms all around as he preaches his views on the Holy Scriptures. If your in agreement with their opinion, you could easily get engrossed as you listen to them share their deep-seated and fervent beliefs in such an animated way.
During the election season, we watch with anticipation as our chosen candidates addresses the issues. Like a congregation sitting in the pews of a church, the crowds long to hear something that will touch the part of their soul that yearned for truth. These yearnings differ...
I am also fed up with the preachers who claim we should never mention politics in church during an election period. Year after year we see our rights as Christians in America being shredded from the constitution while those things the constitution never mentioned are approved by decree of activist judges who have been educated beyond their intelligence.
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When they mix, you get America in her greatness...
When they don’t, you get America in her defeat.
The seeds of the American revolution were planted on the colonial churches.
It has to be said about the Muslims, they likely laugh their asses off at Christians’ reluctance to wade into politicsas it pertains to faith. Islam fully embraces the fact that to get what it wants, it must be heavily politically involved, and as barbaric as the society it creates is, that is just the society Islam commands.
Christians should never fear the mix of religion and politics, for they are already entwined, yet in a state denied by liberals. Practically all of our laws are based on absolute morals which are religious in their foundation and justification. Ask a judge why rape is illegal and he will tell you that it is wrong. Ask him why it is wrong, he will struggle to give a coherent answer without referencing the divine.
Faith and politics are written into law as being intertwined.
The first amendment speaks to this.
Democrats and Communists want to eliminate organized religion because they see it as a threat to their power.
See the Soviet Union and their treatment of Orthodox Christians, Jews and all other religions.
The Christian Faith pits father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. If it’s family, it’s also politics, so don’t expect much peace except as pertains to the life of the world to come in Christ Jesus. “My kingdom is not of this world” are words spoken in truth by the Son of God. He has not changed.
Our Founding Fathers mixed Religion and Politics, I’d say that they had the mix right.
For believing Christians it is traditional America and freedom and limited government. For atheists and the weak of faith, and the anti-faith, it is liberalism and the resulting oppression and big government.
We are in agreement.
However, am I correct in that you agree with mixing the two or not Fester Chugabrew, Your comment seems to lead more away from participating?
I mean i agree about where our true kingdom is, but you never quite stated your stance.
Politics and ‘religion’ not only mix; they are just different phases of humanism.
Yeshua’s way to his narrow gate is in no way related to religion. He has called us to a life that rarely has room for politics, and searching for a reward in politics is a depressing exercise in futility.
We have work to do.
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>> “When they mix, you get America in her greatness...
When they don’t, you get America in her defeat.” <<
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At the founding they had politics and the word of God.
Now we have politics and the religion of humanism.
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Good points in both your comments e-s.
CS Lewis wrote this in The Screwtape letters.
…Whichever he adopts, your main task will be the same. Let him begin by treating the Patriotism or the Pacifism as a part of his religion. Then let him, under the influence of partisan spirit, come to regard it as the most important part. Then quietly and gradually nurse him on to the stage at which the religion becomes merely part of the “Cause,” in which Christianity is valued chiefly because of the excellent arguments it can produce in favour of the British war effort or of pacifism. The attitude which you want to guard against is that in which temporal affairs are treated primarily as material for obedience. Once you have made the World an end, and faith a means, you have almost won your man, and it makes very little difference what kind of worldly end he is pursuing. Provided that meetings, pamphlets, policies, movements, causes, and crusades, matter more to him than prayers and sacraments and charity, he is ours – and the more “religious” (on those terms), the more securely ours. I could show you a pretty cageful down here.
Your affectionate uncle
SCREWTAPE
”
Sadly I see a lot of it and with this last election saw many so called Christians throw their faith out the window for a percieved political win (Romney) and I was attacked almost incessantly for standing for my faith over politics.
While I am still a patriot and have not yet given up the fight, politics is not my religion and I find the closer I get to the Lord and the more involved I get in my ministry, the less I care about politics. This world is not my home.
Participation in Christ necessitates participation in political realm as well, because all things are under His hand. But do not be surprised when your neighbor believes it is incumbent upon all to part from personal wealth for the benefit of strangers. Politics and religion are mixed so deeply in our land that we tend to suffer for a short while. I don't know about you, but I see bad guys all over the place, yet each one perhaps scheduled for repentance and faith at the last hour, and thus being first instead of last.
I vote pro-life above all, because life is what God is all about, both temporal and eternal. I also live in the sure and certain hope that Christ was put to death for our transgressions and raised again for our justification, and therefore no matter how screwed up things may seem to be, the powers and principalities of this world are defeated already, so we can laugh them to scorn.
It is not possible to separate one’s faith from any aspect of his life, including his politics.
There’s a great book, “Original Intent” by David Barton.
I haven’t started reading it yet, but I’ve heard David speak several times and his conclusions from all the founding documents were that unless you had a credible relationship with God, you should not be allowed to hold any government office.
Neither should anyone be allowed to teach our children. I’m sure the unions will be thrilled with that one.
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