The Religious Right - Part II
When the Christian majority takes over this country, there will be no satanic churches, no more free distribution of pornography, no more talk of rights for homosexuals. After the Christian majority takes control, pluralism will be seen as immoral and evil and the state will not permit anybody the right to practice evil.--Gary Potter, president of Catholics for Christian Political Action
The Old Testament contains about six hundred thirteen Mosaic laws. The teachers of the law added to these laws their own teachings and interpretations and compiled them into the Talmud. There were even a sect of Pharisees called "Bleeding Pharisees" who walked around with their eyes shut so that they would not look lustfully at a woman. Unfortunately they kept bumping into things and hurting themselves, hence the nickname. Legalism can lead to such rediculousness that it becomes simply unlivable.
It is also interesting to note that Jesus reserves His harshest criticism for the Pharisees, calling them hypocrites and nests of vipers, whose self-righteous regulations prevented people from coming to God. It is easy, therefore, to stamp the Religious Right as "bad" and move on. Things are, however, not as simple.
You see, I am not an American who happens to be a Christian. I am a Christian who happens to be an American. Allegience to God comes first, as Jesus Himself demonstrated, before anything else. What does this mean? Basically, that the fervent cries to keep religion out of politics is, quite simply, impossible for namely two reasons.
First: we are all influenced by what we believe, whether it be religious or secular. If "personal beliefs" are allowed no voice in governance then that should apply to any and all beliefs, religious or secular. Even a Christian-turned-Atheist is impacted by his or her Christian upbringing, as we see in figures such as Hume, Didero and Kant (although I don't think the last two would identify as atheists; Kant certainly believed in God). If no values are allowed entrance into the sphere of governance, well - I don't think we need to spend too much time dwelling on what this would look like. Suffice it to say that no nation can survive without the espousing of a moral law.
Second: Christians are called to be salt and light to the world by presenting the good news of Christ's death and resurrection. There is, I am certain, a way to "do" politics in a Christian fashion. Before anyone gets nervous or angry, please bear in mind that I am not saying Christians should legislate the observance of Biblical mandates on people to compell a Christian lifestyle or response. The Bible is all too clear on how God views worship of the lips and not the heart.
He hates it.
People see constitutions for Christian organizations that say things like "take over such-and-such a group for Christ," and then explode about how Christians are the secret menace to the United States with their secret Zionist agenda and anger towards GAP commercials in order to corner the market on outlet retail stores and make money to put Pat Robertson in office.
I suppose it is possible for such statements to be interpreted in such a way. Anyone to do so, whether liberal leftist or religious right-winger, would have to ignore what Christ said to Pilate: "My kingdom is not of this world else my servants would fight." There is no need to fight, with guns and blood and fists, on Earth for the kingdom of Heaven. Christians have enemies, but never in people. Paul writes that a Christian's enemies are the spiritual powers who oppose God Himself, who take hostage those who deny Christ.
Jesus did not pass legislation to save sinners. He died on a cross. This is how a Christian behaves Christianly in politics: by serving others first and foremost even at the expense of self-promotion and treating all people with the dignity due to them by being made in God's image. A Christian should remember the phrase civil servant and that the American democratic government is accountable to its people. A Christian should remember that while we are not a Christian nation, that no other worldview would have produced a nation like this one.
To the Religious Right: liberals and democrats are not your enemy. Satan is, along with the hypocrisy that insists on ferociously uprooting the evil in others while remaining blind to our own. We do not win the world for Christ by enforcing laws. We win things for Christ by, personally, worshipping and submitting ourselves to Him. As a commentator on my first post said, politics is the symptom and not the primary effect.
At the same time, I think the leftist needs to remember several things as well. First, that there is no nation that has ever survived without espousing a moral law. Second, that we cannot embrace all values and beliefs or we will ultimately end up strangling ourselves (which, I believe, shows in the fractured nature of the Democratic party). Third, that we should be very careful about ejecting the foundational Judeo-Christian values from our public works and offices which has given us the right to believe or disbelieve as we will because whatever takes its place will likely not afford us the same right.
The Old Testament contains about six hundred thirteen Mosaic laws. The teachers of the law added to these laws their own teachings and interpretations and compiled them into the Talmud. There were even a sect of Pharisees called "Bleeding Pharisees" who walked around with their eyes shut so that they would not look lustfully at a woman. Unfortunately they kept bumping into things and hurting themselves, hence the nickname. Legalism can lead to such rediculousness that it becomes simply unlivable.
It is also interesting to note that Jesus reserves His harshest criticism for the Pharisees, calling them hypocrites and nests of vipers, whose self-righteous regulations prevented people from coming to God. It is easy, therefore, to stamp the Religious Right as "bad" and move on. Things are, however, not as simple.
You see, I am not an American who happens to be a Christian. I am a Christian who happens to be an American. Allegience to God comes first, as Jesus Himself demonstrated, before anything else. What does this mean? Basically, that the fervent cries to keep religion out of politics is, quite simply, impossible for namely two reasons.
First: we are all influenced by what we believe, whether it be religious or secular. If "personal beliefs" are allowed no voice in governance then that should apply to any and all beliefs, religious or secular. Even a Christian-turned-Atheist is impacted by his or her Christian upbringing, as we see in figures such as Hume, Didero and Kant (although I don't think the last two would identify as atheists; Kant certainly believed in God). If no values are allowed entrance into the sphere of governance, well - I don't think we need to spend too much time dwelling on what this would look like. Suffice it to say that no nation can survive without the espousing of a moral law.
Second: Christians are called to be salt and light to the world by presenting the good news of Christ's death and resurrection. There is, I am certain, a way to "do" politics in a Christian fashion. Before anyone gets nervous or angry, please bear in mind that I am not saying Christians should legislate the observance of Biblical mandates on people to compell a Christian lifestyle or response. The Bible is all too clear on how God views worship of the lips and not the heart.
He hates it.
People see constitutions for Christian organizations that say things like "take over such-and-such a group for Christ," and then explode about how Christians are the secret menace to the United States with their secret Zionist agenda and anger towards GAP commercials in order to corner the market on outlet retail stores and make money to put Pat Robertson in office.
I suppose it is possible for such statements to be interpreted in such a way. Anyone to do so, whether liberal leftist or religious right-winger, would have to ignore what Christ said to Pilate: "My kingdom is not of this world else my servants would fight." There is no need to fight, with guns and blood and fists, on Earth for the kingdom of Heaven. Christians have enemies, but never in people. Paul writes that a Christian's enemies are the spiritual powers who oppose God Himself, who take hostage those who deny Christ.
Jesus did not pass legislation to save sinners. He died on a cross. This is how a Christian behaves Christianly in politics: by serving others first and foremost even at the expense of self-promotion and treating all people with the dignity due to them by being made in God's image. A Christian should remember the phrase civil servant and that the American democratic government is accountable to its people. A Christian should remember that while we are not a Christian nation, that no other worldview would have produced a nation like this one.
To the Religious Right: liberals and democrats are not your enemy. Satan is, along with the hypocrisy that insists on ferociously uprooting the evil in others while remaining blind to our own. We do not win the world for Christ by enforcing laws. We win things for Christ by, personally, worshipping and submitting ourselves to Him. As a commentator on my first post said, politics is the symptom and not the primary effect.
At the same time, I think the leftist needs to remember several things as well. First, that there is no nation that has ever survived without espousing a moral law. Second, that we cannot embrace all values and beliefs or we will ultimately end up strangling ourselves (which, I believe, shows in the fractured nature of the Democratic party). Third, that we should be very careful about ejecting the foundational Judeo-Christian values from our public works and offices which has given us the right to believe or disbelieve as we will because whatever takes its place will likely not afford us the same right.
posted by Brian at 8:46 AM
1 Comments:
Interesting, B. Taken from a secular point of view, it almost could be taken that you're advocating for a secular implementation of a christian moral law. The idea of Christ's Kingdom being "Not of this world" yet no country surviving without a moral law would seem to invite the idea that because Christ has no interest in the political machinations of this Earth we must establish some bastardized Christian moral law to hold our society together. I, and I'm guessing you, would disagree with this, especially in light of Christians being called to be moral leaders in government. Yet how is one a moral leader without bringing religious morals to the table? I would argue along with you that it is impossible. Yet I teach without mentioning Christ; perhaps it is a similar struggle to be a Christian without appearing to be one.
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