Politics Schmolitics!!! :: a political post turned biblical diatribe
I just read a great post by Brant Hansen over at Letters from Kamp Krusty. One comment on his entry by John Husband suggested that voting for a real Mormon is better than voting for a fake Christian. John goes on in his blog at disorganizedreligion.us to expound on this idea.
Interesting premise. I don't think i agree.
I support the separation of church and state. I've known plenty of "real" and "fake" Christians in my day (who decides who's relationship with God is real or fake? Me?) and the one thing they all share is that they share few, if any, common threads. We could probably come up with a basic statement about who Jesus is and the concept that he died so that we could live and I think most would sign on that line. Other than that, it's pretty much up for grabs.
The problem is that the Bible isn't the "instruction manual" it's been dubbed. It's more like a cross between a history book and a bunch of stories about people's lives.
"OH, so you think the Bible's just some book huh, you heretic!!"
Not so fast there, Slappy, i believe the Bible is the word of God and that ALL scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. That doesn't mean it's a 1 to 1 read.
People who simplistically claim that you just "Read the Bible and do what it says!," are at best missing the point, and at worst, completely unaware of some of the most important messages the Bible has for us.
The Bible likens a husband's love for his wife to Christ's love for the church. This seems to suggest that marriage is a great thing.
Then Paul tells us that remain single if possible, so that we can devote ourselves fully to the work of the Lord.
This is a great example of two opposing choices both being Godly for the right reasons.
Song of Solomon reads like a Danielle Steele novel, but is not meant be some sort of medieval Kama Sutra. It could be to give us a glimpse into what sexual intimacy can be. Maybe it's a sort of allegory to God's love and devotion to us. The point is that the "just read it and do what it says" argument falls apart quickly as soon as we switch on our brains.
Even in the big ten, "thou shalt not kill." It seems simple enough but then what about war? David was a great king and leader of armies and was also a man after God's own heart. (Acts 13:22)
Anywho, the point is that politics can not be based on religion any more than the color of someone's skin. A person' (professed) religion can tell you little about that person.
Plus, it's not like our votes will count anyway, so what's the difference?
Interesting premise. I don't think i agree.
I support the separation of church and state. I've known plenty of "real" and "fake" Christians in my day (who decides who's relationship with God is real or fake? Me?) and the one thing they all share is that they share few, if any, common threads. We could probably come up with a basic statement about who Jesus is and the concept that he died so that we could live and I think most would sign on that line. Other than that, it's pretty much up for grabs.
The problem is that the Bible isn't the "instruction manual" it's been dubbed. It's more like a cross between a history book and a bunch of stories about people's lives.
"OH, so you think the Bible's just some book huh, you heretic!!"
Not so fast there, Slappy, i believe the Bible is the word of God and that ALL scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. That doesn't mean it's a 1 to 1 read.
People who simplistically claim that you just "Read the Bible and do what it says!," are at best missing the point, and at worst, completely unaware of some of the most important messages the Bible has for us.
The Bible likens a husband's love for his wife to Christ's love for the church. This seems to suggest that marriage is a great thing.
Then Paul tells us that remain single if possible, so that we can devote ourselves fully to the work of the Lord.
This is a great example of two opposing choices both being Godly for the right reasons.
Song of Solomon reads like a Danielle Steele novel, but is not meant be some sort of medieval Kama Sutra. It could be to give us a glimpse into what sexual intimacy can be. Maybe it's a sort of allegory to God's love and devotion to us. The point is that the "just read it and do what it says" argument falls apart quickly as soon as we switch on our brains.
Even in the big ten, "thou shalt not kill." It seems simple enough but then what about war? David was a great king and leader of armies and was also a man after God's own heart. (Acts 13:22)
Anywho, the point is that politics can not be based on religion any more than the color of someone's skin. A person' (professed) religion can tell you little about that person.
Plus, it's not like our votes will count anyway, so what's the difference?
haha, I love it...Biblical inspiration and political disenfranchisement in the same post.
ReplyDelete2 quick thoughts:
The Bible as an instruction manual metaphor may be overused but it is helpful for many people. I personally do believe that the Bible contains many "Just do what it says" V8 forehead slapper moments but also that to look at the Bible as COMPLETELY LITERAL or COMPLETELY ALLEGORICAL are both wrong. It's not either/or; it's both/and in my estimation. There's is a lot of ambiguity and a hell of lot of pretty straightforward stuff in there.
Second point, I actually really agreed with my Dad when he made a point in a talk yesterday where he said that Christians have become so political in the last 20-30 years and it hasn't really done much of any good. When we start judging someone's faith as true or fake as a indicator of how well they'll lead we're in trouble.
Oh, bonus point. I believe, that as a pastor, I should be against War. period. Any war, any time, anywhere. I'm not saying that war is completely unnecessary; I'll leave to the philosophers. If I was a general entrusted with defending a country, I might view it differently. I also do not view soldiers as any different than someone who has any other job that I might potentially have ethical concerns about (I won't go ahead and name any lest I offend any pharmaceutical reps or pay day loan officers) But as the church, I believe that we are to be for peace. Always for peace.