When I think of Republican these days, unfortunately they are undeniably attached to the "Christian Right". I have to ask myself who are the "Christian Right"? Are they the right wing of the Republican Party? No, they are something more than that. They are a group of Protestant "Christians", and I put Christian in parentheses for a reason, who believe that it is their mission on earth to impose their very strict and literal interpretations of the Bible on the entire population of America regardless of creed or faith.
First why the parentheses around "Christian"? One, they have decided that Jesus and his teachings are only apropos within one party, the Republican Party. There is no scripture or doctrinal foundation for that choice. Two they ignore the instructions within the Bible that specifically separate "Church and State" and instruct Christians that although "we are in this world, we are not of this world," They ignore the instructions in the Bible to Christians that, "ours is not the kingdom of this earth but ours is the kingdom of heaven." They ignore the instructions in the Bible to Christians to, "give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's."
It seems to me that following this line of doctrinal teaching that Jesus never intended his followers to forsake the spiritual life and kingdom and to obsess and involve oneself so deeply in the kingdom of earth that one cannot mention that earthly kingdom without inextricably linking this sect of Christ's followers. They show neither the love, the humility nor the meekness that Jesus preached about in his Sermon on the Mount. They chase after riches and seek to avoid every tax possible when they are rich in total denial of what Christ spoke about when referring to a rich man. "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven."
How many times in the Bible do we hear such pronouncements to , give all we have to the poor and follow him? And where does the money that they collect every Sunday in their overflowing collection plates go to? To the poor? To the poor in heart? No!! It invariably goes to the huge salaries that support the TV priests collecting moneys within their temples (the very same kind of "money changing" men that Jesus threw out of the temple shortly before his death on the cross). It goes towards building palatial temples to gather their followers within. It goes to finance television and radio programming and detestably commercial electronic billboards and the like.
So where do the poor, the poor of heart and the poor of spirit come in? Last place, it appears because God forbid that the pastor should not have an Armani suit and that they do not rule the nation and impose their concepts of Jesus upon those of us with simpler faith in the son of God. God forbid that we should not listen and obey every command that these commercially organized religious behemoths utter. God forbid that we should have a personal relationship with Jesus because we are supposed to first seek the guidance of the "Christian" Right!
Onward "Christian" soldiers is their cry. Where is it written that we should be warriors? Is this the reasoning behind the obstinate policies of Bush and McCain and their refusal to admit their error and get out of Iraq? Are those young men and women dying in Iraq the victims of these "Christian" soldiers who know better than all of us, God included? Please. I have a simple personal faith that God, be he or she Christian, Buddhist, Muslim or other; understands and watches as I search for meaning and direction daily within my own life. I believe that God is a forgiving and loving God but I also believe that God must be astounded at the misplaced political pronouncements and the totally wrong direction that leaders of the "Christian" Right would lead us. Thank God that he or she is patient and willing to forgive us and lead us back onto the "paths of righteousness".
One last thought. I guess now that McCain has nominated Sarah Palin, a "Christian" Right-winger to be vice-president, the "Christian" Right will adopt her as the new "Holy Mary"!
I apologize for my anger and ask you and God to forgive me and I should spend more of my time in spiritual undertakings rather than worrying about those who have abandoned them.
First why the parentheses around "Christian"? One, they have decided that Jesus and his teachings are only apropos within one party, the Republican Party. There is no scripture or doctrinal foundation for that choice. Two they ignore the instructions within the Bible that specifically separate "Church and State" and instruct Christians that although "we are in this world, we are not of this world," They ignore the instructions in the Bible to Christians that, "ours is not the kingdom of this earth but ours is the kingdom of heaven." They ignore the instructions in the Bible to Christians to, "give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's."
It seems to me that following this line of doctrinal teaching that Jesus never intended his followers to forsake the spiritual life and kingdom and to obsess and involve oneself so deeply in the kingdom of earth that one cannot mention that earthly kingdom without inextricably linking this sect of Christ's followers. They show neither the love, the humility nor the meekness that Jesus preached about in his Sermon on the Mount. They chase after riches and seek to avoid every tax possible when they are rich in total denial of what Christ spoke about when referring to a rich man. "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven."
How many times in the Bible do we hear such pronouncements to , give all we have to the poor and follow him? And where does the money that they collect every Sunday in their overflowing collection plates go to? To the poor? To the poor in heart? No!! It invariably goes to the huge salaries that support the TV priests collecting moneys within their temples (the very same kind of "money changing" men that Jesus threw out of the temple shortly before his death on the cross). It goes towards building palatial temples to gather their followers within. It goes to finance television and radio programming and detestably commercial electronic billboards and the like.
So where do the poor, the poor of heart and the poor of spirit come in? Last place, it appears because God forbid that the pastor should not have an Armani suit and that they do not rule the nation and impose their concepts of Jesus upon those of us with simpler faith in the son of God. God forbid that we should not listen and obey every command that these commercially organized religious behemoths utter. God forbid that we should have a personal relationship with Jesus because we are supposed to first seek the guidance of the "Christian" Right!
Onward "Christian" soldiers is their cry. Where is it written that we should be warriors? Is this the reasoning behind the obstinate policies of Bush and McCain and their refusal to admit their error and get out of Iraq? Are those young men and women dying in Iraq the victims of these "Christian" soldiers who know better than all of us, God included? Please. I have a simple personal faith that God, be he or she Christian, Buddhist, Muslim or other; understands and watches as I search for meaning and direction daily within my own life. I believe that God is a forgiving and loving God but I also believe that God must be astounded at the misplaced political pronouncements and the totally wrong direction that leaders of the "Christian" Right would lead us. Thank God that he or she is patient and willing to forgive us and lead us back onto the "paths of righteousness".
One last thought. I guess now that McCain has nominated Sarah Palin, a "Christian" Right-winger to be vice-president, the "Christian" Right will adopt her as the new "Holy Mary"!
I apologize for my anger and ask you and God to forgive me and I should spend more of my time in spiritual undertakings rather than worrying about those who have abandoned them.
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