Living with Open Hands is an outward expression of the inner work of opening the Mind, Heart, and Will. This opening up requires open eyes and open ears that see and hear with the heart . . . a "Seeing" that goes beneath the surface . . . to the heart, the center, the silence. This inner work is then expressed outwardly by living with open hands; welcoming others and life, giving and receiving openly, living in peace and equality; living without appeal, unconditionally and without agenda.
Politics encompasses everything we do and say, everything we don’t do and say, and its impact on others. It’s impossible to be a-political. Our lives are a statement of our politics. And actions speak louder than words. Even if I were to become a hermit, which is tempting, that would be just as powerful a statement of my politics as running for office, or feeding the hungry.
Normally, politics is defined very narrowly in a modern sense of governance. Here, I’m looking at politics much more broadly and deeply; encompassing its roots and impact in the myriad of environments in which politics plays.
“When we forget that politics is about weaving a fabric of compassion and justice on which everyone can depend, the first to suffer are the most vulnerable among us — our children, the elderly, the mentally ill, the poor, and the homeless. As they suffer, so does the integrity of our democracy.” (Parker Palmer, Healing the Heart of Democracy)
There is some sort of politics going on all of the time in all of these settings: the home, the neighborhood, the community, the city, the country, etc. it is all of these combined collectively that are used to make up the politics of the polis or the macrocosm. In these settings, politics refers to the power structures and governance (from home to country), problem solving, conflict resolution, decision making, strategic planning (informally in small groups and formally in large organizations). Politics has to do with how we welcome or discriminate, include or exclude, listen or stereotype, accept or judge, and our openness or closedness to ourselves and to others, to difference and sameness. In every setting from home to country, we can sense the culture and feel the politics; whether it be nurturing or destructive, healthy or toxic.
I see the politics of the macrocosm as an expression and reflection of the politics of the microcosm. Macrocosm politics does not define microcosm politics. But microcosm politics DOES define macrocosm politics. For example, Donald Trump being president is not the cause of so much ugliness in America today, but is rather a reflection of who we already are and have become. It has been brought out in the open by this election. Now we can better see and know the powers and influences that are in the roots of we, the people… or at least some of the people. The bible refers to it as the principalities and powers that control and define this world.
The collective is a reflection of the individual.
The political is a reflection of the personal.
The integrity of an individual and a community
comes from this alignment.
That which we see outside of ourselves
is a reflection of that which is within.
This is true with perception.
I see you not as you are but
I see you as I am.
The morals and ethics in the home
Is what creates the collective morals and ethics of a culture.
A collective of racist individuals is bound
To result in a racist culture.
A collective of wise individuals is bound
To result in a wise culture.
When we call for change in the realm of power
We must first be the change in the individual realm,
BEWARE: we are all deceived to some extent; and we are all unaware of the extent and depth of our own conditioning
“This business of not drifting into extreme ideology is very, very important in life. If you want to end up wise, heavy ideology is very likely to prevent that outcome.” {Charlie Munger]
“You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.” (Jesus, Matthew 7:5)
There is a balance that we must strike between self-examination and self-esteem. Just because we feel good about ourselves, does not mean that our minds are not playing tricks on us.
Don't believe everything you think.
Don't believe everything you say.
Don't believe everything you hear.
Don't believe everything you read.
Like it or not, believe it or not, we have all been brainwashed since childhood by cultural conditioning through constant automatic downloading of external messages. Everywhere we turn, there are messages from media and marketing, politics and preaching, education, consumer society, and the powerful conformity of culture telling us
what to think,
how to think,
why to think,
what to value,
what to believe,
who’s right,
who’s wrong.
This conditioning is sustained by its own invisibility and familiarity.
"As long as I don't see my own thinking errors, then 'I'm right.'" (invisibility)
"As long as those around me think like me, then 'I'm right.'" (familiarity)
This is part of the lies we have been fed since childhood.
And now there are even more powerful lies being spread like a virus of the mind through social media and propaganda.
Social Conditioning: the process of training or accustoming a person or animal to behave in a certain way or to accept certain circumstances.
This became more and more clear to me as I began to notice that one of the best predictors of human values and beliefs, including politics, religion, prejudices, beauty, ugliness, righteousness, evil, and even “the other’s” worthiness of life or death is something as concrete, tangible, predictable as a person’s zip code. This is true all around the world. And yet we thoughtlessly proclaim our absolute truth and rightness while damning you and your absolute wrongness.
We are not born human. We are born as a label. We then spend the rest of our lives doing one of two things: confirming that label or becoming human.
If an ideology is solid and really meant for the common good, then why would there need to be such division? Divide and conquer can never be used for the common good. By nature it is meant only for a common few to dominate.
In this world, we all have some sort of heartbreak. Dashed dreams, broken relationships, ideals trashed, and all forms of dishonor and disrespect. Even though we live in perhaps one of the greatest countries on earth, we are more divided than ever. And it seems to me that we are bent on expanding that breach to an unrepairable level.
"In choosing democracy, we must exhibit tolerance for ideas with which we disagree. When we choose intolerance, we leave our democratic values behind, which is the real enemy of our Constitution. We must argue, debate and deliberate in good faith. And we must be willing to listen, learn and change our minds." (Intolerance, the real threat to our Democracy)
Democracy requires dissent. Without opposing sides, we cannot see a broader and deeper perspective so that better decisions can be made. The reason this is so true collectively is that it is also just as true individually. We must learn to see both sides, listen to both sides, and do our best to seek understanding; knowing that no one is better than another person and that sides are nothing more than the stories we allow in our heads. We all have reasons for thinking the way we do. Our values and beliefs are anchored deep in our soul, so much so that they become a part of us. Our values and beliefs become our identity, whether we realize it or not. That’s why when someone disagrees with us, it feels like a personal attack. Because, in a way it is.
And yet, knowing full well that we feel attacked when someone opposes us, we turn around and intentionally attack them back. No longer is it inadvertent or unconscious. Suddenly our emotions flare up and we go at it using our best tactics of war that we have. We all have a very extensive box of war tools that if we proceed without conscience or empathy, can do a lot of damage. We go into a mode of operation that embraces a language of war. Anytime we think we are right, we must make others wrong if they disagree. Anytime we use labels and call names, we demean the other person so that we can gain the advantage. Anytime we dominate the “other”, we have made them the enemy that we become hell bent on destroying.
to investigate all of the information that you share?
YOU ARE PROBABLY SPREADING MISINFORMATION. HERE'S HOW TO STOP.
It is our duty as citizens and good human beings to stop the spread of misinformation. Here are a few of my thoughts and the links below carry it further.
1. It is a good citizen's job to stop the spread of lies and misinformation
2. It is not our job to be a spreader of everything you like or react to. This gives me an image of a manure spreader on a farm. Not our job.
Stop spreading the stench of lies.
3. It is our job to use due diligence and INVESTIGATE each and every article or other meme that makes us feel good before sharing anything. Remember, propaganda is created to evoke an emotional reaction (fear, hate, rage, etc) in you and therefore makes you want to spread it, while screaming, "See? I told you!" This is also called the "Virus of the Mind" because of the way it spreads and destroys its hosts, very similar to cancer.
4. Investigate: the SOURCE. Check the URL to see what type of organization it came from. Following the URL back to the source is very easy. From there, check out everything about them with the following questions in mind:
5. Who is the AUTHOR? Is the author known for objective investigation and reporting?
6. What are the author's CREDENTIALS? Are they an expert in the area that that they are writing about? Or are they pretending to be an expert to get you riled up so you pass it on. There are a lot of know-it-alls out there. Beware!!!
7. What is the RELIABILITY level of the information coming from that source? Are the stories objective, accurate, and true? Or are they politically biased right from the start?
8. What is the BIAS and how extreme is it? Right or Left? Or extremist in either direction? Don't become an extremist. History should have taught us that lesson.
9. What is the main feeling that it PROMOTES? prejudice, hate, fear, rage? or does it come from a place of compassion for both sides? Democracy requires dissent. Disagreement is the life blood of any democracy.
10. Does it disparage freedom of expression or freedom of speech or the free press? Again, these are FOUNDATIONAL TO DEMOCRACY and NOT THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE.
SO ALL I AM SAYING IS: STOP AND THINK!!!
*** Check out this Chart on Media Bias and Reliability
Are American Christians required to feed the hungry?
Or are they exempt due to political beliefs?
I’ve heard of groups being exempt from certain requirements of society due to religious beliefs.
But as religion takes a turn into a fantasy world, it appears to me that the entitlement of American Christians has given them permission to disobey the bible because of their political beliefs. Let's count the ways they deviate from the teachings of Jesus and the Bible? In the name of politics?!?!?
Something I’ve wondered all of my life is why does the government have so many programs and spend so much money taking care of the needs of the poor? Over 40 years ago while I was in bible college, it dawned on me that the government is doing the work of the church. Wait! What? Oh yeah... If the church were doing the work of the church by taking care of the needs of the people in their community, there would be no hungry, homeless, or poor people; and no need for government programs. Even though this is the imperative of the early church that they took seriously as a measure of their own faith, the American Church has dropped the ball, often trading the work of the church for the work of politics, a venture not worthy of their name. Not only is this the right thing to do as a member of any religion and as an atheist, it is the right thing to do as fellow human beings.
When Christians did the “work of Christians” in the bible, “there was no needy among them”.
Acts 4:32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
While American Christians are making excuses, Christians throughout the world and throughout history have been feeding the hungry and caring for the poor and needy knowing it is the heart of being a Christian in so many ways. For example,
It is proof that their faith is not dead and that their love is real (a highly needed proof currently in America)
James 2:15-17 Suppose a brother or sister does not have any clothes or daily food and one of you tells them, “Go in peace! Stay warm and eat heartily.” If you do not provide for their bodily needs, what good does it do? In the same way, faith by itself, if it does not prove itself with actions, is dead.
1 John 3:17-18 Now, suppose a person has enough to live on and notices another believer in need. How can God’s love be in that person if he doesn’t bother to help the other believer? Dear children, we must show love through actions that are sincere, not through empty words.
James 2:26 A body that doesn’t breathe is dead. In the same way faith that does nothing is dead.
Proof of unconditional love toward your enemy and an act of peace
Proverbs 25:21 If your enemy hungers, give him food to eat; and if he thirsts, give him water to drink.
Romans 12:20 Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head.
Matthew 5:43-48 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (unconditional).
Proves and strengthens one’s relationship with God
Proverbs 14:31 Whoever oppresses the poor insults his maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors him.
Proverbs 21:13 Whoever shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will call and not be answered.
It is how Christians follow Jesus, his teachings, and his example. THIS IS THE “WORK OF THE CHURCH.”
Can the teachings and example of Jesus be any more clear?
Matthew 25:31-40 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you as a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
This is how the Christian’s light shines
Isaiah 58:10 If you give some of your own food to [feed] those who are hungry and to satisfy [the needs of] those who are humble, then your light will rise in the dark, and your darkness will become as bright as the noonday sun.
Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Isaiah 58:7 Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
Ezekiel 18:7 He is a merciful creditor, not keeping the items given as security by poor debtors. He does not rob the poor but instead gives food to the hungry and provides clothes for the needy.
Feeding the poor: a Christian mandate throughout the bible and throughout history
Psalms 146:7 - Which executeth justice for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners
Proverbs 22:9 - He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.
Psalms 82:3-4 - Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
Proverbs 28:27 - He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.
Isaiah 1: 13 It's useless to bring your offerings. I am disgusted with the smell of the incense you burn. I cannot stand your New Moon Festivals, your Sabbaths, and your religious gatherings; they are all corrupted by your sins. 14 I hate your New Moon Festivals and holy days; they are a burden that I am tired of bearing. 15 "When you lift your hands in prayer, I will not look at you. No matter how much you pray, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with blood. 16 Wash yourselves clean. Stop all this evil that I see you doing. Yes, stop doing evil 17 and learn to do right. See that justice is done - help those who are oppressed, give orphans their rights, and defend widows."
(Job 29:14) When Job confronts his accusers, he insists, “I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban. I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger”
God does not want hollow worship (Isaiah 58:6–10)
"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
"Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday."
Socialism: a pure evil and godless force that will destroy Capitalism?
OR
The Glue that Holds Capitalism Together?
Modern socialism is very different from historical socialism.
Modern socialism is not a matter of either / or.
Modern socialism is a matter of both / and. Democracy and Socialism.
Democratic Socialism does not equal communism; never has, never will.
Socialism is not a religion and so beliefs like “evil” and “godless” are nothing more than political propaganda.
The free market has no conscience and therefore cannot be trusted to solve issues that are in the public good.
Government regulation becomes the conscience that is lacking in the free market (socialism) because a democratic government answers directly to the people.
Social programs are relied upon to carry out what is needed for the public good.
For a century, America has had many well established social programs that work (socialism).
Socialism in moderation is the only way to a true democratic government of the people, for the people, and by the people.
It is impossible for capitalism and the free market to meet all of the needs of any society, unless
it decides it doesn’t need roads, fire departments, police departments, hospitals, healthcare, 5 day work week, child labor standard, overtime, public education, courts, postal service, churches, food pantries, Meals on Wheels, school lunches, and so much more.
We call ourselves capitalists because we first try to solve our problems through the innovation and entrepreneurship of our for-profit corporations and the free market system and when all else fails, we develop the social safety net systems that are able to solve the issues that the free market cannot solve. That is why America has such a well developed political and economic system; the best of capitalism and socialism. AND NOBODY is trying to end any of this. Don’t listen to misinformation. Capitalism will always continue as long as it is meeting the needs of society through the free market. Spewing fear that socialism will take over capitalism is just pure propaganda that makes no sense in the real world but becomes political capital and power, even though it is not true. People are solving problems for society in the best way possible and all the while making a profit with continuous improvement. Can’t beat that as long as it can make a profit. But we all know that this is not always possible for the things that involve the public good.
Socialism is not the enemy of capitalism in the way that it is used in America.
Socialism is an ally of capitalism, filling the gaps of social need that is required for a human and humane society, just like it has for 100 years.
The U.S. is a mixed economy, exhibiting characteristics of both capitalism and socialism.
Such a mixed economy embraces economic freedom when it comes to capital use, but it also allows for government intervention for the public good.
The U.S. government controls part of the economy with restriction and licensing requirements, which includes involvement in such areas as education, courts, roads, hospital care, and postal delivery.
The government’s role in a mixed economy can also include financial policies, such as monetary and fiscal policies.
I've been hearing a lot of misinformation about socialism. Not only has the word been perverted by politics, it has also been weaponized to attack fellow Americans and important causes. What's crazy about it is that these same people are preaching capitalism. But little do they know that social programs (socialism) are the glue that holds capitalism together.
Capitalism is required by law to make a profit for its shareholders. But what about the issues that are for the public good; making sure all people's needs are being cared for. When there can be no profit in meeting these needs, there is no option for a caring society except to meet those needs through social programs, unless, of course, this is being met by the true work of the church first. And we all know the answer to how American Christianity does that. So my answer is always, we are a democracy that is both
capitalism first for all the things that can be met by the free market and make a profit,
socialism for all of the rest of our needs for the public good like roads, hospitals, schools, healthcare for the elderly and the disabled, feeding the hungry through school lunch programs and Meals on Wheels and food pantry type programs and on and on.
It is only through this combination of capitalism and socialism that we can flourish as a government of the people, for the people, and by the people.
He who does not work, neither shall he eat
Recently I had a Christian tell me that socialism is not Christian because of the one verse in the bible that is misquoted without regard to the context in that society, in that church, in that book of the bible, and of the bible as a whole. I was taught since I was a child how important it is to NOT take things out of context, especially in the bible.
In wikipedia's article on "he who does not work shall not eat" (a common “Christian” criticism of socialism) quotes this bible verse as being used by capitalists, socialists, and communists:
“Frantic orthodoxy is never rooted in faith but in doubt. It is when we are unsure that we are doubly sure.” – Reinhold Niebuhr.
From my perspective, Evangelical Christianity has been sold out to power and politics, or maybe “souled out” is a better term. Hollowed out and empty also come to mind quite often.
What I see is a form of Christianity that has traded righteousness for power, character for politics, the hard, dirty work of compassion for the easy way, the essential issues at the core of Christianity for distraction issues that are nonessential, fringe, nonbiblical issues.
“How dismal it is to see present day Americans yearning for the very orthodoxy that their country was founded to escape.” ― Christopher Hitchens
“[Christianity] began as a revolutionary nonviolent movement promoting a new kind of aliveness on the margins of society. It claimed that everyone, not just an elite few, had God-given gifts to use for the common good. It exposed a system based on domination, privilege, and violence and proclaimed in its place a vision of mutual service, mutual responsibility, and peaceable neighborliness. It put people above profit, and made the audacious claim that the Earth belonged not to rich tycoons or powerful politicians, but to the Creator who loves every sparrow in the trees and every wildflower in the field. It was a peace movement, a love movement, a joy movement, a justice movement, an integrity movement, an aliveness movement.” [Brian McLaren]
Immigration, homosexuality, and abortion as political weapons
It is of great concern to me that these political issues seem to have emerged for political convenience and power which include mistranslations and misinterpretations of the Bible. Could it be that the Bible has secretly lost its authority, inspiration, and inerrancy in order for it to be so freely weaponized for political gain? Or has it never had the inspiration, authority, and inerrancy that humans proclaim? The absurdity of it is that it is the “Evangelical Christians” that are trying to hang on to their precious inspiration and inerrancy while at the same time weaponizing the sacred book for the sake of their precious politics. They are going to have to prioritize soon because the rest of us are catching on and they are losing their integrity and credibility in America and in this world. No one can serve two masters.
Of course, the Christians that read their bibles can see through the deception and discern the truth from the constant lies. They can look with discernment beneath the conformity to this world to the principalitites and powers that are manipulating the manipulable. Those that read the bible would not be so gullible as to be Hoodwinked & Hijacked or brainwashed in such a cult-like way.
Respectable Religion? “Following Jesus is not a respectable religion, and I suspect it was never meant to be. It is a call to truth, justice and liberation for those oppressed, excluded and disempowered.” Diarmuid O’Murchu Source: Catching Up With Jesus
FOLLOWING THE EASY WAY
Originally, Christianity, according to Jesus, was never meant to be the easy way. Then it became seduced with power by becoming an arm of empire (beginning in 313 AD and continuing for most of its history). Currently, it has again been hoodwinked and hijacked by the power of the American empire. For any morality or system of belief to be so easily seduced brings into focus the viability and veracity of its claims. To what extent has it been seduced into conformity to this world???
It is so interesting how easy it has been to forsake the essentials of Christianity for the sake of politics, money, and power.
Essentials are those basic, central characteristics expressed in words and actions and reactions that prove a person is a Christian:
Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Loving God and Neighbor, which includes our enemy, the alien, the stranger, and all of those that are different from us… unconditionally.
Do to others only what you would want done to you.
Apart from these things, there is no faith, there is no love, there is no Christianity.
“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:8)
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)
“Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human.” (Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Wounded Healer)
“The hardest spiritual work in the world is to love the neighbor as the self – to encounter another human being not as someone you can use, change, fix, help, save, enroll, convince or control, but simply as someone who can spring you from the prison of yourself, if you will allow it.” (Barbara Brown Taylor, An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith)
It is so much easier to focus on nonrelational, impersonal, political, nonessentials that were not emphasized by Jesus, the Bible, and 2000 years of Christianity. I see this as yet another prime example of worshiping the gods of comfort, security, and certainty or a compartmentalized religion that has no demands except possibly on Sundays, holidays, and voting day to do one’s duty.
Behold, a new American sanitized, sterilized, homogenized Jesus, the perfect American Jesus, emerges creating the easy way, a pipeline to heaven, where right belief expressed in fear and hate rather than right living is the fruit of the spirit. A nice imaginary Jesus has been created for our own convenience in America. Christians no longer have to “love their neighbor” or be a “friend of sinners” or care for the “least of these” because it is too hard and inconvenient and dirty. And who wants to get their hands dirty, anyway?
Behold a new story in the heads of well meaning Christians, as they sit in their easy chairs and padded pews. No wonder the gullible are gobbling it up.
These nonessential issues are safe and easy; issues where nothing needs to be done, no one can touch your heart, and you can’t touch others, allowing us to escape the hard work of compassion, avoid the pain of empathy, and not get one’s hands dirty; secure and safe in one’s bubble. All that needs to be done is use politicized, weaponized words to rail in judgement or hate against people on social media (our self-made echo chamber), sign petitions, and donate money; nothing personal, nothing face to face, no compassion needed, no relationships necessary. Those that are affected as victims by these issues are unavailable to one’s touch, words, and actions; arms length, safe and easy. No care, no compassion, no service except lip service from a distance.
Christianity in America has sectioned itself off and segregated itself from those that Jesus said he came for; the outcasts and despised, the poor and downtrodden, the week and the weary, the lowly and forgotten, the unseen and unheard; THE SICK NOT THE HEALTHY. A friend of mine told me a story that she was in an adult Sunday school class and they had started a new topic, studying what the Bible says about the poor in her large, well-known, well-established Evangelical Baptist Church in the affluent suburbs. When it was discussion time, they all turned to reach other and said, I don’t know anyone that is poor, do you? The answer was”no” all the way around the room. Following what Jesus said and did or what the Bible says to do no longer matters. Just vote from the safe, secure, comfortable bubble. Incidentally, I have noticed a very distinct growth of the War on the Poor and Advocates for the Rich over subsequent years. I think they ceased to study the “poor” in the bible. It is easier. Vote for nonessential, unbiblical issues like anti-abortion, anti-immigrant, xenophobia, and homophobia.
Primarily, I see that we have gutted (hollowed out) the real work of Christianity for the non-issues or anti-issues of abortion, immigration, and LGBTQIA equality. Currently it seems that Christianity is defined more by what it stands against than what it stands for. Rather than pro-life, it is anti-abortion; excusing them from the hard work of pro-life compassion work. And may I suggest that those in power do not care about those issues? These issues are simply tools of manipulation to get a vote and maintain their base of support. Sometimes they end up being against the needs of the people unless there is multiple perspectives making those decisions. Here is an unfortunate example that is bad for both pro-life and pro-choice advocates.
Recently, a high court decision banned employers from being forced to provide birth control under the Affordable Care Act. Rather than being thought through, this seemed to be more of an anti-Obama move; and he isn’t even president anymore! But that made it a victory, albeit thoughtless and mindless. If this would have been thought through for the sake of politics, anyone could see that if women use less birth control, then they will have more unwanted pregnancies; which in turn will almost guarantee more abortions. So this action of the administration works counterproductive to the goal of no abortions. Not very wise.
“There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” ― Audre Lorde
True Pro Life = Advocating for Life
The belief that all life matters and is sacred and deserves to be protected. One who is truly pro-life will oppose capital punishment, war, poverty, and all forms of physical or mental torture, domestic abuse, and police brutality. Such a person will see abortion as a tragedy for all involved, not a “reproductive right” to be celebrated – and will work to end abortion, not by force or intimidation, but by working to change the social and economic conditions that lead people to be so desperate as to have no choice but abortion.
It seems quite hypocritical that people might think that because a person identifies as pro-life, they would support such atrocities as capital punishment, pre-emptive war, racism, or violence against women.
The institution of Christianity was birthed in 313 AD in the womb of the power of empire and sustains itself in that same power as an arm of empire; progressively merging religion with the power and authority of politics as the power and authority of religion is trumped, stifled, and rendered meaningless. This struggle between revival and empire has continued for 2000 years. That’s why America was founded. The founders fled the tyranny of religion in England so that they could be free to worship or not worship, believe or not believe in America. Check out the latest statistics of those that are religious and those that are no longer religious (the nones) in America and throughout the world. https://www.pewforum.org/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace/
Recently I was checking some statistics about American Christianity. In 2015, the country was 75% professing Christians. By 2019, it dropped to 65%. You may say, only 10% during Trump’s presidency? And I say, yes, over 30,000,000 people have left Christianity in America. Not just the church, but these are people that can decidedly no longer identify as Christian. I wonder why?
They’ll tell you it was abortion. Sorry, the historical record’s clear: It was pro-segregation. When that didn’t hold true then the right had to politicize Abortion and eventually Homosexuality; both of which are not biblically supported to take a stand against. As stated above, Homosexuality was not even in the bible until the mid 1900s. And abortion began at birth according to evangelicals up until about the same time that that these issues were politicized. So not only has Christianity been twisted from taking a stand for to standing against all of these issues that are not even the real issues of Christianity.
Also this:
"I’m Billy Graham’s granddaughter. Evangelical support for Donald Trump insults his legacy."
By supporting Donald Trump, evangelical leaders are failing us and failing the Gospel. Christian women must step up where our church leaders won’t.
A new book by attorney Andrew Seidel, ‘The Founding Myth: Why Christian nationalism Is Un-American’, takes on the myth of America’s Christian founding.
Christian nationalism is the belief that the United States was founded as a Christian nation on Christian principles, and that the nation has strayed from that original foundation.
Judeo-Christian principles are fundamentally opposed to the principles on which America was built, argues Seidel.
The name Judeo-Christian is an oxymoron. Jews are Jews because they reject Jesus as Christ and Christians are Christians because they reject the Jewish religion.
America was not founded to be Christian. It was founded to have freedom of religion.
Pandemic and Racism are revealing American Christianity’s true colors. “But racism is similar to the pandemic in another primary way — both are spread, in large part, by willful ignorance. And it takes an extraordinary level of privilege (and effort) to stay ignorant of both realities.In either case, you can only deny the truth if you’ve never had to suffer from it.At the heart of both issues lies a common factor: a failure of empathy; and a refusal to witness a struggle we have never had to experience for ourselves. It indicates an ability to craft one’s own narrative in order to preserve the level of comfort to which we’ve become accustomed. In order to stop the spread of disease, we have to give up some personal freedoms.”
“That the electorate has, in its plurality, decided to live in Trump’s world of vanity, hate, arrogance, untruth, and recklessness, his disdain for democratic norms, is a fact that will lead, inevitably, to all manner of national decline and suffering.” (David Remnick, A National Tragedy)
