Things That Just Piss Me Off

First of all, let me say I am proud to be a follower of Jesus Christ, a christian. However, being a christian and being associated with the so-called religious right are two very different things.

I do not believe that churches should be involved in politics at all. I do not believe that as christians we are supposed to attempt to get any laws passed by man at all.

Jesus did not try to get the romans to change the law. Jesus did not endorse one king over another king. Jesus did not endorse governors or other political offices or candidates.

Jesus taught people how they should live. He gave them a choice as to whether or not they should follow him and his ways. He still gives us that same choice.

The thinking that christians should attempt to have laws made to force people to live the way they believe they should live is not what Jesus taught or asked us to do. Show me any place in the bible that says we should enact laws to force people into morality.

If we as christians do our job of teaching people as Christ did, there won’t be a need to make those laws.

Here is an article I wrote related to the topic.

Religion: Institution or Revolution?
by Chris McElroy

In writing any article about religion you run the risk of people not agreeing with you or the risk of offending people. Does that mean we should not write about religion? Absolutely not.

Should we worry that people might be offended? No. We should not go out of our way to offend people, but as long as you write your true beliefs, then you are doing what is in your heart and should share that with others.

For many churches, Christianity and religion have become institutions. Power, politics, money, and other worldly things have become the focus of these institutions.

Many people who read this article will find what I have to say uncomfortable. Jesus never promised that you or I would be made comfortable in this life and in this article I don’t promise to make you feel comfortable either.

Jesus calls the church to reach out to the community, to the poor, the sick, and to those who do not know Christ. Jesus promised that He would provide for our needs as long as we use what he provides to do His will and to bring Him glory. He taught us to believe him for this promise and to act as knowing that He will fulfill that promise.

Instead, these days many churches focus on survival. They plan their budgets to make sure they bank enough money for a rainy day, hire business managers and treat the church as if it is a business entity rather than a church whose mission it is to do GOD’s work.

Politics is one area that many churches and religious institutions have focused much of their attention. They lobby politicians, get involved in campaigns, and donate money that does not belong to them to politicians who promise much but deliver very little.

Does not belong to them? What do I mean by that? Tithes do not belong to the church they belong to GOD. Tithes are to be used for GOD’s purposes. Nowhere in the bible can I find where helping politicians get elected is a proper use for money tithed to GOD.

Jesus did not lobby the Pharisees and the Roman government for laws that force people to follow His way. Jesus taught people right from wrong, then gave them a choice of whether or not they would follow Him. Through the bible, Jesus still teaches us right from wrong and offers us that same choice.

It is our job as Christians and as church leaders to teach GOD’s word to others and let them know that Jesus has offered them that choice. We cannot rely on governments to pass laws to do our job for us. Saying that we need to lobby for those laws to be passed to force people to do what is moral is saying we as Christians and the church cannot or will not do the job GOD intends for us to do.

Most people have an image of Jesus Christ as meek and mild, a healer of the sick, a helper to the poor, and our Lord and Savior who loves us. Jesus is all of those things, but Jesus was and is also a revolutionary!

Jesus stood up to those in power in both religion and in government. Jesus challenged them. Jesus told them they had no right to oppress His people. Jesus went out and consorted with the poor, the sick, prostitutes, tax collectors, and other sinners. He ministered to the unbelievers. He did not spend all His time at the sanctuary preaching to believers.

Rather than churches becoming institutions they should be leading revolutions. Rather than just surviving and preserving traditions and rules, they should be throwing all of GOD’s money forward to help those in need and to reach those who do not know Christ as their Savior.

Rather than worrying about building new roofs, buying stained glass windows, and buying new carpet and pews, we should be worrying about breaking down walls and calling unbelievers to join us.

Church is not just a place where believers gather to worship, it is also a place where believers gather to teach unbelievers about Christ.

So many Christians today think all they need to do is attend church, pray, and do good things, then wait for Jesus to return. Jesus charged us with much more than that. Jesus charged us to change those around us, to change communities, to change the world. He charged us with teaching his word and to bring more people to him so they can have everlasting life.

Cowards hide and wait to be rescued and GOD despises cowards more than any others. Become the revolutionary that Jesus called you to be. Allow Him to use you to achieve His purpose rather than praying that he will help you achieve yours. It is not about you.

About the Author: Chris McElroy did things his own way to benefit himself most of his life. After joining Mosaic Church in Miami a couple of years ago and asking Jesus to come into his life, he now devotes much of his time to learning more about Jesus and the purpose He has for all of us. The views expressed by Chris McElroy are his own. Visit www.mosaicmiami.org and mosaicmiami.blogspot.com to learn more about Mosaic.

I would also like to add that IF the religious right is going to be involved in politics, lets’ be concerned about more than just the abortion issue.

The religious right has consistantly swayed there vote strictly based on whether a candidate is for or against abortion.

Yet they continue to support those who use torture on human beings. They continue to support those who start wars. They continue to support those with no morals at all.

Take it from someone who has crossed the border to and from mexico more than most people. The increased funding for more agents at the border is disguised as being for homeland security purposes and to look for terrorists.

The white house has sold this to the american public based on that lie. The increased scrutiny at the border is about confiscating more drugs. The white house knows the public got tired of a war on drugs that has accomplished nothing in years and that it would be much easier to get that funding based on the threat of terrorists crossing the border.

They use that fear for everything else, why not for the drug war too? Where are the results if the white house isn’t lying about what the funding is really for? Drug confiscations and arrests at the border are up. That is a good thing. But how many terrorists have been caught or stopped due to the billions in new funding? Show me some stats.

From the NYTimes
By JULIA PRESTON
Published: October 21, 2007

United States border agents have stepped up scrutiny of Americans returning home from Mexico, slowing commerce and creating delays at border crossings not seen since the months after the Sept. 11 attacks.

The increased enforcement is in part a dress rehearsal for new rules, scheduled to take effect in January, that will require Americans to show a passport or other proof of citizenship to enter the United States. The requirements were approved by Congress as part of antiterrorism legislation in 2004.

The second real goal of this extra funding is because many americans now live in mexico. Many retired to live there because they cannot live in the US on what social security pays them.

This results in loss of revenue in the US. Many on social security now live under a new rule that says if you withdraw more than 50% of your social security check while you are in mexico, you could lose your social security altogether.,

The US does not want these retirees living in mexico and are doing their best to keep them from doing so, including the hassles listed above in this article. They want to track them and the number of times they go to mexico and come back. Many of them have to bank on the US side of the border so their visits to the US will correspond with the withdrawals from their accounts and this information can be used against them.

Funds for the Border Patrol, which scouts the border between entry points for illegal immigrants, increased by 70 percent since 2005 to $3 billion. By contrast, financing for border station agents, who processed nearly 300 million travelers entering the country legally by land last year, rose by 30 percent since 2005, to $2.1 billion.

Also in August, border officials said, the Department of Homeland Security issued a directive designed to unify inspection procedures for all the border agencies under its umbrella. It set an eventual goal, with no fixed deadline, for agents to conduct a database query for every person crossing the border.

If it was just about stopping terrorists why would they need to stop every single person that crosses the border for a database query? Grandma over there looks like a terrorist?