There is further irony in that people who claim the name of
Christ in their corporate designation, approach others in a way that does not
resemble that of Jesus in any way.
Throughout His entire life on earth, Christ was always confronted with
people caught in various conditions of sin – the woman at the well (multiple
sexual partners), the demonically possessed, the adulterous, the proud,
etc.. When confronted with these
‘sinners’ He never condemned them. He
did not sentence the guilty to the various punishments the ‘law’ demanded. He instead loved them, each one. He healed them from their various
problems. He forgave them ALL. And they left His presence praising God and
witnessing to everyone around them about their encounter with the Savior. Does this sound like a typical approach of
Republicans with those who do not agree with their ideas?
There was also a particular incident when Christ was tested
with a no-win scenario. Asked if He
supported paying an extremely unpopular tax rate to Caesar (a foreign invader),
or not? Christ pointed to the image of
Caesar on a coin, and directed us to “render unto Caesar the things that are
Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are Gods.” This statement implies more than just obeying
laws of the land, or prioritizing God’s requirements above those of the
world. It also makes clear a separation
of church and state. This separation was
part of our heritage in our constitution.
It was designed to keep a majority religious view from persecuting
minority opinions. Coming out of the dark
ages of more than 1200 years of inquisition, and persecution by the Roman
Catholic Church, and on the heals of persecution of the English Anglican church
inspiring the pilgrims to seek solace in this country. Our constitution was written to try to avoid
a repeat of religious overbearance. Yet
recent Republican activity would seek to enact laws that support a particular
moral viewpoint, even if it does not reflect a majority view. Going directly against the advice of Christ
to keep government separate from religion, Republicans march forward attempting
to outlaw behavior they see as non-Biblical such as support for Gay Rights.
God has always preserved the right of every intelligent
being to choose their own fates in the form of who they will serve – good or
evil. But understand the choice to serve
evil is protected by God with the same ferocity as the choice to choose
good. It is not God’s plan or His desire
that we choose against Him. But we are
FREE to make that choice. God does not
make or want robots. Why do the
Republicans? If the weight of your
arguments for making better choices are not enough to convince others, find
better arguments; don’t make restrictive laws to enforce your views. This is not the character or actions of God
or Christ. This is the approach and
government of Satan himself. He would be
more than happy to force you into his service.
He would gladly make laws restricting your beliefs, and governing your
behavior. God does not force belief or
obedience only Satan does.
Homosexuality was not what God planned for us. The Bible condemns this behavior just like it
does a wide variety of sexual immorality.
But that does not excuse humans to judge each other based on Biblical
guidelines. The Bible is not to be used
as a club to beat sinners into submission.
It is to be used as a light to lead people out of darkness and away from
pain. Can a homosexual attend church? I sure hope so, and I hope they feel
comfortable in my own. Can they be
saved? Yes. Just like me, a sinner with a different set
of issues I contend with everyday, they can be saved too. Can they preach, or give insights we can
learn from? Yes. Can they teach our children? Yes.
Does God condemn them? No more
than you or I. We ALL engage in behavior
that is less than ideal, we make mistakes, we embrace evil knowingly and
unknowingly. We do stupid things. And sometimes we find ourselves addicted to
the evil behavior we have embraced be that homosexuality, or gossip mongering,
or judging others, or being sexually promiscuous, or just refusing to give up
our pride. All sin brings pain. All can be forgiven. And we may all wrestle to make better choices
for our entire existence in this world.
Why is one sin so much worse than another?
The argument is not about what behavior is right or wrong,
it is about whether your version of what is truth should be mandated as my
own? Those Republicans who would feel so
good as to reverse roe vs. wade, block gay marriage, and enact / enforce Sunday
blue-laws – would they equally jump for joy if say a different form of religion
came into prominence with a differing set of agendas? What if conservative Muslims came into power
in this country and government. Would
those same Republicans who fight to enforce their own religious views on others
submit to a different majority view such as – Fridays off for worship, wearing
a birka for all women in public, and giving up all pork products in food of any
kind? There would be a rebellion in the
streets if American Muslims formed a voting block than influenced the laws of
the land to favor their own religious values.
Even though they may agree with overturning Roe, and banning Gay
marriage, these other restrictions would be considered “going too far”.
The reality is that Christians should avoid the idea of
enforcement and embrace the idea of tolerance when it comes to matters of
religion. The most valiant Christian
believer will defend the right of the Satanist to believe as he chooses. Religion can be bound by governmental laws
when the rights of others are violated through its practice. This means, it is not OK to kill, steal, rob,
rape, or in any other way, violate the rights of others based on religious
beliefs. But it should be equally
forbidden to make any laws restricting the rights of an individual when their
behavior does not impose on the rights of others. A woman should have the choice of what to do
with her body for her entire life.
People should be able to gather and worship whatever god they want, in
whatever fashion they believe, as long as it does not harm others. No-one should be forced to pray to any god,
in any public situation. The point is
no-one should be forced to accept the moral beliefs of another sect. Especially those in the minority. It is the rights of the minorities that are
the most precious to protect, and where genuine Christians must be vigilant.
So why couldn’t Jesus be a Republican if He just did not try
to enforce His views on others? Well I
guess you just have to take a look at the other things Republicans espouse …
1.) Against
Gun Control (Christ never advocated violence, or hunting, or relying on self
for protection)
2.) Against
Government Assistance for the Poor (Christ advocated giving ALL your
possessions up for the poor)
3.) Pro
Death Penalty (Christ died for our sins, so we would not have to, advocated
forgiveness)
4.) Pro
War (Christ advocated peace, said we should turn the other cheek, love our
enemies, pray for all)
5.) Pro
Business / Anti Environment (Christ said ‘love of money’ is the root of all
evil)
6.) Pro
Life / Anti Gay (Christ said “love each other” in this the world will know who
you belong too)
Christ never tried to govern His kingdom through fear. The good news of the gospel frees us from
fear. It gives us boldness to serve one
another. It allows us to love each
other, as we discover how much we are loved.
We are free to forgive each other as we realize how much we have been
forgiven. We are liberated from the pain
of making evil choices, and suffering from addictions based in evil, through
the power of our Lord. All these
fantastic gifts have been laid at our table by our Lord. And all we have to do is accept them. This is the compelling beauty of our
Lord. This alone is the reason to serve
Him. We need not ever sacrifice our
civil liberties to achieve an illusion of freedom or security in our evil
world. We can walk boldly through the
valley of the shadow of death because our Lord has defeated death itself. Our existence is not confined to the limits
of this world, but is guaranteed to continue in a paradise of self-sacrifice
that will last an eternity. These
reasons are compelling enough to serve God; they do not require legal
enforcement to be valid.
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