Love God Only

I think there are many churches that tell their congregations how to vote. I went to a church with my daughter once and the entire Sunday School time was spent on politics and how and who to vote for. I was so disgusted by that and wanted to get up and leave but my daughter talked me into staying. I asked her, is this really why we came to church today to listen to this? I didn't go back to that church again.

What I find annoying about it is that it's so unnecessary.   If immigration is an issue, ministers can talk about it without endorsing one candidate or another:  They can talk about Israel in Egypt or Ruth in Moab.  They can talk about Joseph and Mary taking Jesus to Egypt.   Whatever the issues of the day are, they can preach about it from the religious angle and let the members of the congregation fill in things for themselves.   Give the people in the congregation credit for having some intelligence and let them figure out for themselves how to vote.   

Some people may think I'm a little nutty; but I often rate candidates based not on how they line up with my personal beliefs but rather on their honesty and consistency in applying the principles they say they have.  Someone who lies all the time isn't going to get my vote because I know I can't believe anything he says.  That's based on my religious belief in part and in common sense in part. 

Proverbs 26:28 A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.

Falwell Junior might do well to read Proverbs 26 and then give a sermon about the lying tongue and the flattering tongue without mentioning President Trump or any other politician. 

The  previous verse can be seen to apply to today's politics quite well.

27 Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.

Remember the people who cried about Hillary Clinton, "Lock her up"?  Flynn did, and he may avoid prison time;  but Cohen did, and it looks as if he will see some prison time. 

Heartsong -  ^

Ya. Nothing like being a captive audience for extra-curricular stuff being knocked onto one.


para  .    .    .    .

Yeah well, the things he was saying had the opposite effect on me. I had to go outside after that and get some air. Then I went back in after the main service had started. I couldn't wait till that was over so we could leave.

Let us be rational.
No one can address a group of people and please them all. In one case only someone can; if he repeats what all of his audience already know and believe

I am afraid that, as any ruling system in the world cannot survive without corruption of some sorts, formal religious systems (not necessarily Christian) cannot survive without serving, directly or indirectly, their high class (if they are not the high class in their society already).

So, for example, I would be real surprised if I hear, on TV, a local priest (of any sect) who doesn't discuss political matters while he talks about Jesus' Love

 

Heartsong -

Not just politics, I felt that way when the sermonizer out of the blue started talking about the big, bad antichrist coming our way soon. He had never said anything this way before about end of days and I'm thinking that he's been staying up much too late at night scouring the internet . That was about four year ago.


Ol' crabgrass para .    .    .    .

Yes not just politics. I've been to many different churches in my life. It's unbelievable the things I've seen and heard in some of those churches. It was a real learning experience and not in a good way. I guess I was naïve and too trusting for a long time. That was a mistake.

I still have faith and trust in the Most High God. It's not his fault that he's being so misrepresented.

Let us be rational.
No one can address a group of people and please them all. In one case only someone can; if he repeats what all of his audience already know and believe

You mean that someone will say what they think the people want to hear and for those who don't want to hear it then measures will be taken to, shall we say, persuade them.

I am afraid that, as any ruling system in the world cannot survive without corruption of some sorts, formal religious systems (not necessarily Christian) cannot survive without serving, directly or indirectly, their high class (if they are not the high class in their society already).

Well we live in an imperfect world that keeps getting worse. The things you mention certainly play a part in it; corruption, power grabbing, greed and lack of compassion for humanity and all life and no concern for taking care of the earth but instead doing things to cause destruction.

So, for example, I would be real surprised if I hear, on TV, a local priest (of any sect) who doesn't discuss political matters while he talks about Jesus' Love

That would be a big red flag for me.