So who is my neighbor?
According to Jesus it is anyone in need. Remember the good Samaritan?
It disturbs me to see Christians use Patriotism and 'godliness' as a cloak for hatred.
So the shooter at Ft. Hood was a Muslim...so what? Are we to conclude that every Muslim in America is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to kill as many Americans as he or she possibly can? In the same way that we assume that every whack job 'Christian' who kills an abortion doctor is a good representation of Christianity? Or the 'Christians' who wish to exterminate all of African or Jewish descent?
Oh! But I remember now! Islam commands these Muslim haters to kill Christians!! That's right...
So what about the 'Christians' who have used the word of God to justify killing? Are there not passages in the Bible that seem to teach violence to unbelievers, like Deut. 13:15? Oh yeah, I forgot! Those are all taken out of context!! Silly me!
Okay, I think I'm done with the sarcasm...I think...
I was unfriended by someone on facebook who didn't like that my husband (using my account) called attention to the fact that even Muslims need Jesus. Big deal, no skin off my back...friends who can't take a little honest questioning of their position are not worth my regret.
It does worry me though that this seems to be the prevailing thought of most fundamental Christians. They don't want Muslims in America, but why? Could it be that they are afraid that God is not big enough to convert them? Or is it that they are being derelict in their duty to try and win these lost souls to Jesus Christ, because it is easier to spout hate and misinformation?
I am not a liberal who thinks there are many ways to heaven. There is one way, through the blood of Jesus Christ. If you reject God's provision then you go to hell. But does that mean that I should not have compassion on those who do not believe as I do? I think not!!! Does that mean that I should try to deny them the benefits and opportunities that should be available to every citizen of the United States of America? Seriously, I saw comments on a story about the Ft. Hood shooting that said that anyone who is a Muslim should not be allowed to be in the Armed Forces! Are you kidding me?! They are Americans!!!
I direct your attention to the Constitution...Article 6 section 3 "The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."
A person being elected for government office cannot be given a religious test and neither should someone entering the military. To do so would blatantly violate a Constitutional principle!
So Christian, when was the last time you passed out a gospel tract or witnessed to someone about the saving power of Jesus Christ? When was the last time you showed compassion to the unsaved so that they could see Jesus in you? Until you are diligent about the Father's business, you have no business complaining about the Muslims 'taking over'!!
Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Christian Political Action Committees
Are they really a good thing?
Why do Christians seem to want to use the government to promote religious views? There's the American Family Association, the Right to Life, and Christian Coalition of America, Moral Majority, and many others!
My main beef with the CPACs is that I do not believe that it is the government's responsibility to legislate a moral religious code.
Yes, I agree that homosexuality is immoral. I believe drug use is a bad idea. I believe pornography perverts what God intended to be a wonderful thing. I believe that alcohol is bad to drink. I believe that people should get married and then stay married instead of shacking up. I believe abortion is the most awful thing a person could do to the unborn.
But all of those things are my religious views. I believe those things because I believe in God and I believe the Bible is His word. They are, at their heart, religious views. I have no right to impose those views on others who do not hold the same.
The essence of Liberty is that every person, as long as the do not hurt another, should be allowed to live in the manner they desire. Whether I agree with it or not.
Think about history. The times of greatest Revival were when people were trying to separate the Church from government, not trying to join the two. The Reformation, the Great Awakening. The latter especially came about because of Baptists who believed that the government had no business involved in religion, hence the 1st Amendment! It was because of that Great Awakening that we had the liberty in America to worship as we chose. And now the Christian Right is trying to take it away!
Jefferson said that it didn't matter if a person worshipped one God or 100 as long as that person would faithfully obey and uphold the Constitution. How a person views the Constitution is a much better measure of how that person will be in a position of authority than how well they can spout Christian Right rhetoric. For example, I know that Obama will be a bad president simply because he does not believe the Constitution means what it says, or that it is even a good governing document. That's enough for me. His religious affiliation or social views are irrelevant. His position on the Constitution is enough to know that he will not govern well. Incidentally, there is a clause in the Constitution that says that no religious test would be given to those seeking public office. The Founders made it clear that one's religion should not be the defining characteristic of whether one was fit for public office.
But this post isn't about Obama. It is about Christians using the government to spread the gospel.
How can Christians really think that making laws will make people turn to Christ? It won't. Just like having too many rules in a church as a condition of service (legalism) will eventually kill the church. It destroys liberty.
True revival starts with the individuals in the church, not through government intervention. If Christians honestly wish to see a return of the American people to a Biblical worldview, they must stop using the political podium as a bully pulpit. I am in no way suggesting that Christians stop preaching the word or passing out tracts or witnessing. I am saying that using politics to do so is wrong.
Christians need to stop thinking that the Republican party is the moral party. It is not, if the people involved at the top are any measure. Christians need to do their duty and vote, not for the religious candidate but for the Constitutional candidate.
Christians must, to some degree, separate their religion from their politics. Our religion ought to make us honest and trustworthy in our political dealings-in all our dealings with others. It ought to make us willing to do our duty, and not shirk it (that includes jury duty!!). It is our duty to be engaged in politics. To make an educated decision about who to vote for, not an emotional one. It is our duty to obey the law, and to oppose those laws that violate the ultimate authority of our land, the Constitution (not the Bible).
It seems that many Christians believe that the final civil authority in America is the Bible. Actually, that would be the Constitution! Yes, the Bible should be the final authority for Christians in their personal lives. It is not, however, our final civil authority. This is what makes it hard for Christians I think. I know it was for me. How can we 'advocate' homosexuality or abortion? Shouldn't we seek laws to curb such immoral behavior? NO! The proper place to rail against those things is in the pulpit at church, not the political podium. Those things are personal decisions and ought to be left to an individual's conscience. I hear you, But...but...its WRONG!!! And? So is divorce or lying or lust or... Do you, Christian, want to make divorce illegal? or adultery? or fornication? Those things were also punishable by death in the Old Testament.
Step back, take a breath, consider...why do Christians wish to make America a "Christian" nation? Even John Adams, likely the most pious Founder, signed a treaty that said we were not! (that was a treaty with Morocco) Why cannot they distinguish between a nation of Christians and a Christian nation. Do you, Christian, really want a theocracy? Really? Like Rome? Or any number of Muslim nations?
And which version of Christianity do you wish to impose? The Mennonite one? Where women have to wear a head covering and the same style of dress all the time. The Catholic one? Where one must confess one's sins to a priest. The Mormon one? Where drinking Coke was a sin. The Jehovah's Witness one? Where celebrating any holiday or birthday is forbidden. The Puritan one? Where neglecting to pay the preacher or not going to church on Sunday landed you in jail. You see the trouble one can get into?
Morality is for the individual to decide, that is called soul liberty. One can choose to believe or not. We should not use the government to decide which morality is right. The government already has its hands too much in our personal lives! And it has a hard enough time handling what it is supposed to!
Christians deprive themselves of some wonderful allies for Constitutional governance because they draw a line in the sand that says, "If you aren't a Christian, you cannot be a true American." I doubt Jefferson could stand up under the scrutiny of the Christian Right! And yet he was a great Patriot!
I'll end with a quote. Thomas Paine said, "He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself."
Why do Christians seem to want to use the government to promote religious views? There's the American Family Association, the Right to Life, and Christian Coalition of America, Moral Majority, and many others!
My main beef with the CPACs is that I do not believe that it is the government's responsibility to legislate a moral religious code.
Yes, I agree that homosexuality is immoral. I believe drug use is a bad idea. I believe pornography perverts what God intended to be a wonderful thing. I believe that alcohol is bad to drink. I believe that people should get married and then stay married instead of shacking up. I believe abortion is the most awful thing a person could do to the unborn.
But all of those things are my religious views. I believe those things because I believe in God and I believe the Bible is His word. They are, at their heart, religious views. I have no right to impose those views on others who do not hold the same.
The essence of Liberty is that every person, as long as the do not hurt another, should be allowed to live in the manner they desire. Whether I agree with it or not.
Think about history. The times of greatest Revival were when people were trying to separate the Church from government, not trying to join the two. The Reformation, the Great Awakening. The latter especially came about because of Baptists who believed that the government had no business involved in religion, hence the 1st Amendment! It was because of that Great Awakening that we had the liberty in America to worship as we chose. And now the Christian Right is trying to take it away!
Jefferson said that it didn't matter if a person worshipped one God or 100 as long as that person would faithfully obey and uphold the Constitution. How a person views the Constitution is a much better measure of how that person will be in a position of authority than how well they can spout Christian Right rhetoric. For example, I know that Obama will be a bad president simply because he does not believe the Constitution means what it says, or that it is even a good governing document. That's enough for me. His religious affiliation or social views are irrelevant. His position on the Constitution is enough to know that he will not govern well. Incidentally, there is a clause in the Constitution that says that no religious test would be given to those seeking public office. The Founders made it clear that one's religion should not be the defining characteristic of whether one was fit for public office.
But this post isn't about Obama. It is about Christians using the government to spread the gospel.
How can Christians really think that making laws will make people turn to Christ? It won't. Just like having too many rules in a church as a condition of service (legalism) will eventually kill the church. It destroys liberty.
True revival starts with the individuals in the church, not through government intervention. If Christians honestly wish to see a return of the American people to a Biblical worldview, they must stop using the political podium as a bully pulpit. I am in no way suggesting that Christians stop preaching the word or passing out tracts or witnessing. I am saying that using politics to do so is wrong.
Christians need to stop thinking that the Republican party is the moral party. It is not, if the people involved at the top are any measure. Christians need to do their duty and vote, not for the religious candidate but for the Constitutional candidate.
Christians must, to some degree, separate their religion from their politics. Our religion ought to make us honest and trustworthy in our political dealings-in all our dealings with others. It ought to make us willing to do our duty, and not shirk it (that includes jury duty!!). It is our duty to be engaged in politics. To make an educated decision about who to vote for, not an emotional one. It is our duty to obey the law, and to oppose those laws that violate the ultimate authority of our land, the Constitution (not the Bible).
It seems that many Christians believe that the final civil authority in America is the Bible. Actually, that would be the Constitution! Yes, the Bible should be the final authority for Christians in their personal lives. It is not, however, our final civil authority. This is what makes it hard for Christians I think. I know it was for me. How can we 'advocate' homosexuality or abortion? Shouldn't we seek laws to curb such immoral behavior? NO! The proper place to rail against those things is in the pulpit at church, not the political podium. Those things are personal decisions and ought to be left to an individual's conscience. I hear you, But...but...its WRONG!!! And? So is divorce or lying or lust or... Do you, Christian, want to make divorce illegal? or adultery? or fornication? Those things were also punishable by death in the Old Testament.
Step back, take a breath, consider...why do Christians wish to make America a "Christian" nation? Even John Adams, likely the most pious Founder, signed a treaty that said we were not! (that was a treaty with Morocco) Why cannot they distinguish between a nation of Christians and a Christian nation. Do you, Christian, really want a theocracy? Really? Like Rome? Or any number of Muslim nations?
And which version of Christianity do you wish to impose? The Mennonite one? Where women have to wear a head covering and the same style of dress all the time. The Catholic one? Where one must confess one's sins to a priest. The Mormon one? Where drinking Coke was a sin. The Jehovah's Witness one? Where celebrating any holiday or birthday is forbidden. The Puritan one? Where neglecting to pay the preacher or not going to church on Sunday landed you in jail. You see the trouble one can get into?
Morality is for the individual to decide, that is called soul liberty. One can choose to believe or not. We should not use the government to decide which morality is right. The government already has its hands too much in our personal lives! And it has a hard enough time handling what it is supposed to!
Christians deprive themselves of some wonderful allies for Constitutional governance because they draw a line in the sand that says, "If you aren't a Christian, you cannot be a true American." I doubt Jefferson could stand up under the scrutiny of the Christian Right! And yet he was a great Patriot!
I'll end with a quote. Thomas Paine said, "He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself."
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