God is not spelled G.O.P. (or M.A.R.X.)
Speaking of banning the 10 Commandments...
Most of the folk who read this blog are theologically conservative, yet we are about 50/50 politically. Without getting too heated politically, I find it difficult to relate the faith with those outside the church who assume I am one 'party' or another. The media have made moral issues political ones, which does further damage in the proclamation of the gospel, i.e if you are pro-life, it is because you are a patriarchal Republican, etc.
With the 'religious right' getting all of the criticism, I know the 'religious left' and they are a brutal bunch.
I guess the question is, how does one approach the political and culture wars in light of the truths of the gospel?
Most of the folk who read this blog are theologically conservative, yet we are about 50/50 politically. Without getting too heated politically, I find it difficult to relate the faith with those outside the church who assume I am one 'party' or another. The media have made moral issues political ones, which does further damage in the proclamation of the gospel, i.e if you are pro-life, it is because you are a patriarchal Republican, etc.
With the 'religious right' getting all of the criticism, I know the 'religious left' and they are a brutal bunch.
I guess the question is, how does one approach the political and culture wars in light of the truths of the gospel?
posted by fatherneo at 4:26 PM
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12 Comments:
Watch the howls of protest, by the conservatives, if Bush does not nominate a strong anti-abortion candidate to the Supreme Court. In these turbulent waters, do you prefer to roe, or wade?
"I find it difficult to relate the faith with those outside the church who assume I am one 'party' or another."
You too huh? Yes, I find people tend to get very frustrated when you don't fit in the political box they want to put you in. For example, yes I am pro-life, but by that I mean I am pro ALL life, in the womb and outside of the womb...American and Iraqi... But I'm also very aware of the ways and means by which the issue is manipulated by ruthless people who couldn't care less about anyone else's life...inside or outside the womb. I'm concerned about quality of life issues as well, and barriers that prevent the individual from reaching the heighth of their potential. I am as concerned about children being fed as I am a woman on a feeding tube in Florida...So for me, being informed rather than indoctrinated is a big issue. The more informed people are, the harder they are to manipulate by either party. There are few things more sickening to me than seeing the views of well meaning people manipulated for a political end.
Padawan Nephew, I think it's time for you to post again!!!
He is afraid. Much fear in him. He's a DC sissy.
Political issues are worldview issues, I'm afraid. The gospel is for all, so a priest better keep his head and his congregation by maintaining a low political profile. But,....here it comes....I feel one particular political party is abandoning any role for a biblical worldview in political discourse. Therefore, those who try to toe the line in a conservative, biblical sense are considered religious "bigots" by this party. This party seems to follow all the popular secular issues slavishly, taking the secular worldview political position over traditional faith-based political positions. That party will not allow, so far, an observant Catholic or Evangelical Christian, to be submitted for judicial appointment because their views are too far out of the mainstream. That particular political party does stand for NO restrictions on the rights of the mother and NO rights for the pre-born. That party is supported heavily by the ACLU attacks on any public role for religious expression in the courthouse or in the schools. That party fauns on Hollywood, considering it mainstream. I'm not saying that there are not good, faithful and dear Christian brothers and sisters in this party, but they are not in the leadership in any way. If they confess to any pro-life position, they will find out how fast they are marginalized among their friends, even if they nuance their position to include Iraqi pro-life notions.
My high regard for this site disallows me from actually naming and condemning that particular political party, shaming it and its leadership. But, the name of that party rhymes with Hemmocat!
LOL...
I respectfully disagree, Morpheus, as I'm sure you know... I think you are painting the entire party with the same brush -- that being the most extreme views espoused by the most extreme members of the "Hemmocrats".
Most members of this party are much more moderate than how you have described them. I admit that at one time your description may have been much more accurate...but I don't think it reflects the party of today.
The most recent candidate for presidency of this party was a Catholic.
But honestly, I feel we are in error and missing the point if we make this, shall we say a "Red State/ Blue state issue." Both sides have used intense emotion, unfair generalizations, and just out and out lies in order to promote their real agenda...which I feel is to conserve their power at any cost.
To get sucked into anyone's rhetoric without investigating the facts is to be manipulated and misled.
When a party which claims to be pro-life deliberately writes legislation without an exception to save the life of the mother, knowing full well that the other party will not sign it when it is written that way...and then said party uses that information to slur the candidate as pro-abortion---I feel manipulated. I feel that getting the goods on an opposing candidate has become more important than the life the constituents elected said party to protect. I feel I am witnessing dirty politics at its very lowest level.
By the way, Illinois became the first state in the naiton to divest all funds from Sudan thanks to a bill written and sponsored by Illinois Sen. Jackie Collins. A devout Christian and Catholic who goes to our church. Is that leadership? I won't say what party she is, but it rhymes with Hemmocrat...ha ha ha.
I think political party affiliation has a lot to do with geography, ethnicity and such. I'm Irish Catholic Urban Democrat, born and raised. Right now I think so much of what is going on is about pro-abortion and GLBT issues, which I am not ambiguous about. I believe that the Enemy, yeah him, is stirring up a lot of smoke to divide Christians. Most of it is around issues that I am with Joe Lieberman on, but opposed to the "extreme elements" who seem to serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee. The reason that judges are such a hot spot is because, if they like a living constitution, they can legislate liberal reforms (i.e., abortion and gay rights currently). These reforms can't be done by legislative action because the votes aren't there.
So, we live in interesting times, don't we? I'm a liberal on humanitarian themes, forced to the right by tolerance issues which gross me out and abortion issues that repulse me, and in which I have some history. You are a liberal on the left, isolated by most of your party, though your "sub-group" used to own the Democrat party. I know, I'm the grandson of Big Tom Pendergast's right hand man from Kansas City who put Harry Truman in the White House. Weird times. If my grandfather or grandmother knew I voted Republican, they would roll over in their graves.
FN: The religious left is a brutal bunch?
Explain your meaning, please.
Am I a liberal now? ha ha. I doubt any label can fully encompass my political or religious beliefs... in fact I think labels are a large part of the problem as they allow us to disengage and summarily dismiss one another's opinion. But have you noticed how politicians seem to love labels? Once applied they can evoke a thousand horrors more effectively than the most underhanded smear campaign, and with so much less effort.
If you'll allow my paranoia to show through, I'll lay a lot of this labelling at the feet of the corporate takeover of what used to be a free republic.
It serves our corporate overlords well that we spend our time debating "little issues" like abortion or gay marriage while we miss that we've had a coup right here in the US because we've programmed by our TVs to go to work, go to Walmart, buy their Fords, have our little debates and keep their system afloat.
This has been a crazy conspiracy moment brought to you by Dan.
Fight the powers that be.
Andrew,
You said,
"By recognizing that your gospel is just the product of a culture and time in desparate need of a religion; that it is not some truth on which to base the faith of your life of the ideology of your policy."
Which culture and time? It seems that the gospel has transcended both. That rings of truth to me.
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