Don’t jump on me to fast, read the rest of the post.
This really is a terrible question but I find that coming from a Christian viewpoint it seems many Christian people in the United States feel that if you are a Christian you have to be a republican. Personally the way I feel about politics I would come closer to asking are you a Christian or a politician? Now I am only joking. I know there are many politicians who are of the Christian faith, yet I know many use Christianity just to get more votes.
Truthfully being a Christian has nothing to do with a political party. Those of us who are followers of Christ live every day the same and our faith involves every aspect of living. Our faith in God is not a Sunday only thing. Many people seem to think they have a spiritual life on Sunday and a secular life the rest of the week. Yet the truth is we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and we walk with the Spirit of God each and every day. Everything we do can be considered spiritual because God is with us all the time.
We also seem to think we can use political power to force our Christian values on everyone. I for one do not believe we should or can legislate Christian values and morality on anyone. Only by the power of the Spirit within us can righteous living and loving others be possible.
I would love to see people stop bringing Christianity down to a political stance. Focus on Christ and loving others no matter which political party they endorse, if any.
Thank you. Mr Bonhoeffer has so many good points.
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“Therefore, spiritual love will prove successful insofar as it commends Christ to the other in all that it says and does. It will not seek to agitate another by exerting all too personal, direct influence or by crudely interfering in one’s life. It will not take pleasure in pious, emotional fervor and excitement. Rather, it will encounter the other with the clear word of God and be prepared to leave the other alone with this word for a long time. It will be willing to release others again so that Christ may deal with them.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer from Life Together
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Thanks Jack, good points. I appreciate your views.
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About using political position/power to force “Christian values” on non-Christians, I look to Revelation 22:11.
“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be justified still; and let the saint be sanctified still.” (Revelation 22:11 Jub)
Operative words above? “LET HIM BE” … it also impresses me that where the scriptures are mostly chronological, we have in Revelation 22 the final words of the Messiah before the Bible was sent off to the presses … so Rev. 22:11 is among the final instructions to His people on earth. LET HIM (them) BE.
There’s other places in scripture that convey a ‘mind your own business’ approach to others … when Peter demanded Jesus tell him how John would die, Jesus said “what’s it to you what I do with him? YOU FOLLOW ME!’.
Though it sounds ‘new age’, there’s quite a “live and let live” message to be found in scripture. It’s with that in mind, that if I were pressed to identify a political party that best reflected my faith, it would be LIBERTARIAN – in as much as their platform espouses individual / personal responsibility for individual / personal choices.
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Thank you jem. I appreciate you reading my articles.
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Well said! Thank you!
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