The Religious Right and Politics
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 McElroyIn 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.
Stumble it!
At last someone out there who is a Christian telling it like it is! This is one of the reasons that so many people are dropping out of organized religion because many members of the “religious right” are such hypocrites for supporting the current administration, the Republican Party (Also know as the Corrupt Party), that does not in any way illustrate the teachings of Christ. It is all about wealth and power at the expense of the poor and middle class. The Democratic Party is not much better. The Bush Administration and the Republican Party have lied to the “religious right” just to get their vote. It worked for them to have Bush elected two times. This should be a “wakeup call” for the “religious right”.
Comment by Dean — October 23, 2007 @ 6:35 pm
Thanks for that. As an individual and a patriot of course I should personally be involved in the political process. I just don’t believe organized religion should be telling people how to vote or endorsing candidates.
A big question arises when you go into the fact that nonprofits are not supposed to endorse candidates. It’s illegal to do so and you can lose your nonprofit status unless you registered as a political organization.
Some of these religious nonprofits are not registered as political organizations and still endorse candidates. No one is taking their status away for it. Why?
Comment by namecritic — October 23, 2007 @ 8:27 pm
Their status won’t be taken away. They are big supporters of the administration. John Hagee, Rod Parsley, T.D. Jakes, Kenneth Copeland, Marilyn Hickey, James Robison, James Dobson, and many others in the evangelical mold have an open door policy with the president. Falwell boasted of his close ties with the president when he was alive. All of the above have their conventions and provide huge donations and their followers votes to the president. Just when do you hear those guys telling others about Jesus? When is hell ever mentioned? There is coming judgment day and their big mansions, private planes, fancy cars and power with the president won’t get them anywhere. It will be: Depart from me–I NEVER knew you for the big shots who prey on the poor and live rich. Satan must be smiling as they get involved in politics instead of doing what the Bible implores them to do.
Comment by Dean — October 23, 2007 @ 8:47 pm
Wholeheartedly agree with you here. I see our job as christians being to teach others what Jesus taught. They have to choose whether or not they will follow. Laws cannot abort free will.
Comment by namecritic — October 23, 2007 @ 9:13 pm
Of course Jesus didn’t endorse any king…he IS the king! Duh! I believe that churches should not be involved in politics as an institution but Christians as individuals should. We should vote, protest, and do whatever we believe is right in order to ensure the safety of our families and the others who live in our country. That means banning illegal drugs, preventing drunk drivers from killing people, avoiding war and promoting alternatives to war when possible, preventing promotion of homosexuality, premaritual sex, and other immoral behaviors from being imposed on our children at school, refusing to give our children cervical cancer prevention shots and birth control, whatever your faith tells you is the right thing to do regarding politics, laws, and our schools.
Comment by Virtue — October 24, 2007 @ 4:36 am
I agree with the comment posted by Virtue.
I too believe that churches have no place in politics. They should concentrate their efforts on teaching about Christ and helping people become more like Christ. That all being said:
I do not think that a majority, or even many churches do get involved in politics. Yes, there are a few churches, but that is a few. I think we get the impression that there are more thn a few from the media, which picks out the few and gives them a forum, or creates disscussion.
The fact for politicians in this country is that 80% of Americans call themselves Christians (notice I say call, not are). With a number like 80%, then every politician realizes that religeon is not only important to the American people, but is vital to their campaigns.
Yes, President Bush is a Christian and has taken many shots for displaying that fact. But, when Hillary and Barack were trailing in the polls from Christian voters; What did they do. They went to church and made a big deal about their faith. Every politician brings church into their campaigns, I dont think that every church brings politics into their church.
Now, as far as the religeous right: This is a term that was classified and manufatured by the press. Why is there no religeous left? Well, I believe because many of the philosophies and issues that are condoned by the left do go against the morals of the truly religeous. (I bring up the words truly religeous because 80% of Americans call themselves Christians, but only 46% of that 80%, acctually read the bible, and attend church on a regular basis. The statistic for those that attend church on a regular basis, but do not read the bible is 30%.)
The churches don’t get involved, but the people who attend church do and should. It is our country too, why should I not vote for my morals.
And by the way, (as a side note display how politicians do take the politics to the church) Barack Obama went to his church and was charged with delivering the sermon; but instead gave a political speach. In that speach he held up his bible and in discussing gay rights, stated “I don’t find that in my Bible”, in reference to displaying that being gay is not against the bible (the whole gay marriage issue). I dont know what bible it is that he is reading, perhaps he skipped over a few sections, but in my Bible it talks about homosexuality in several places, and not once does it say that it is OK. (food for thought)
Oh, and a cooment for Dean: You listed in your comments a few Christian ministers that speak on some political issues; But, you did not include the lefts minister Reverend Jessie Jackson. That one would come to mind for me because when Bill Clinton wanted to reconect with the religeous constituants in this country he went to several ministers to ask for prayer: a Catholic minister, a Lutheran Minister and of Course Rev. Jessie Jackson who came to the White House to publically forgive him of his sins. (Bill covered all basis)
Comment by Jeremy — October 26, 2007 @ 7:44 pm
By the way I love your Blog!
Comment by Jeremy — October 26, 2007 @ 7:45 pm
Thank you jeremy. Good food for thought there and true not all churches get involved in politics as an organization.
And of course as individuals and citizens of this country we should each get involved in the political process each according to their individual beliefs.
It’s just some of the larger religious organizations who try to get people to vote as a block I disagree with.
Also still think that you cannot legislate morality. You can teach morality. But Jesus gave us all free will, so people have to make their own moral choices. It’s each person’s own choices they will be responsible for.
Yes, I would vote against gay marriage. I’d vote against legal abortions. There are other areas where I would be considered a liberal, such as I believe we have a reasonable right to privacy. I believe that wiretaps infringe on my rights as an American Citizen. Guns are legal and should be so I’m back to conservative there again.
So I’m just not in lock step with either party. My problem with the block vote thing with religious orgs is that they seem to think the only thing that is important is abortion. They will support a candidate that is anti-abortion even if he is pro-torture.
Makes no sense to me. Who would Jesus torture?
If you alter or curb your freedoms because of your enemy, they have already won the war. If you begin to act like your enemy whom you despise for their actions, then the enemy has already won the war.
On both counts, Bush has already lost the war on terrorism.
If he was really fighting terrorism, he would not have said catching osama bin laden wasn’t important anymore. But he did.
Afghanistan was where osame and the taliban were. Afghanistan has more terrorists than Iraq. Afghanistan has about 1 and a half times the population of Iraq. Yet Bush spends about 10% of the war on terror budget in Afghanistan and the rest on Iraq. Afghanistan doesn’t have oil. Iraq does.
There can only be a few conclusions drawn there. Yet even with all that the larger christian orgs still support him. He is anti-abortion so I guess that makes up for all of the laws bush has broken and all the other things he has done and called legal.
Comment by namecritic — October 27, 2007 @ 5:39 pm
I enjoyed your comment back. You sound like someone that I would really love to talk with and debate with. You do have a lot of great and valid points. However, I do disagree with some of them.
You stated:”If you begin to act like your enemy whom you despise for their actions, then the enemy has already won the war”. I agree with that; but, I do not believe by any means that we have become like the enemy. Your case for such is the suppossed torture that we have proliffed onto suspected terrorists (whith whom may I state, most that have been captured are not suspected, they are terrorists).
You see, I am a former Marine and was over there. When I got out of the Marines I went back over there as a civilian instructor, and I spent a lot of time with the civilian population.
Some of the interogation techniques that are being called torture (mostly by the Democrats), include: putting a man in a cold room, dressed down to his skivey’s, and virguriously questioning him (not hitting, just yelling and talking); Sleep deprevation; loud noises in their prison cell; Nanc Pelosi even went so far to say that “Not giving the prisoners three “HOT” meals a day and not alowing prisoners 24-7 access to a Mosque, and not allowing prisoners information (she was meaning news), is torture”.
The word torture gets thrown around a lot; I believe as a propaganda tool. Yes, some stupid soldiers (idiots) put panties on the heads of some prisoners. They made the prisoners do imberassing things. Those soldiers were kicked out, and scolded by their countrymen.
Now lets look at the other side: When I got into country as a civilian, as a joke one of my buddies gave me a basket and told me “just incase you get captured they will have a place for your head”. The terrorists, (those that we are fighting) cut off peoples heads, slowly with dull knives, so they can hear you scream, (I have crazy video if you dont believe me). The terrorists pull out finger and toe nails, show long sticks up rectoms, drown and burn their prisoners, revive them, then do it again. They rape and sodimize, harshly to inflict pain. They cut off limbs, and drag their prisoners behind moving vehicles.
So what is even remotly similar to what we do (which by anyother country is not considered torture. Even the Geneiva Convention does not believe what we do is torture. Only crazy politicians looking for a soundbite). So what is similar about what we do, as oppossed to what they do to us.
On one more point, you had also mentioned (or concluded) that we are in a war for oil not terrorism. I ask you this; If we are in a war for oil, why have we not taken any? We have had plenty of chances.
Also we are in Iraq fighting terrorists. President Bush never said that Osama Bin Laden was not important anymore. He mad mention of the fact that at this time we have some big fish to fry and he wasent the highest priortity.
If you look at what is going on in the Middle East for the last 30 years. Some of the regions craziest dictators trying to establish nucleur and biological weapons (Iran right now, Pakistan, Iraq (yes they were trying to get nuke’s, Sadaam needed to go), and the quest of many Middle Eastern countriesto conqure the world, even if by Nuecleur bombing, etc… Now look at the positioning of Iraq in the midst of all of those countries who want to see us harmed. It is right dead center.
Wouldent it also be a fair assumption to suggest that our being in Iraq may have something to do with being closer, and ready to strike on those countries that would bomb us and our allies. I do know for a fact that we have set up a strong hold permanent base in Iraq, that will be there even when the War is done.
It would also be a fair assumption that the Iranians, and Afganies, and Pakistanies; seeing what we are doing (setting up a stronghold that can interupt their quest) are commin to Iraq to fight us; Making Iraq the front of the war.
Don’t believe me: Then why did Iran’s president say that they “will do everything that is possible to ensure the U.S.’s defeat, and when we are gone from Iraq, Iran will step in and pick up the pieces”. Given the history of the region and the countries there, What do you think that means?
Some more food for thought.
Comment by Jeremy — October 27, 2007 @ 7:23 pm
You make several good points as well. And this is a debate not an argument, big difference.
I notice you left out waterboarding when you spoke of interrogation techniques. Do you believe we aren’t doing that or do you believe that isn’t torture?
Yes, our enemies historically have used torture against our own soldiers. My question is do you think that means we should be like them and also do so?
My worry is that it justifies the use of torture against our own soldiers even more now. They will be able to say the US did it so we can too. Yes they were already doing it, but they lacked justification for doing so.
So my concern is justifying the use of torture of our soldiers.
As far as taking oil. No bid contracts have already been given to American Oil Companies in Iraq. Contracts they never would have gotten before the Iraq war.
As far as using Iraq to draw the terrorists and other unfriendlies into conflict there, why didn’t we just do that with Afghanistan?
Yes saddam was a bad guy. we all agree on that. But do we have the right to choose the leaders of every country in the world or just those we choose or those we perceive as a threat?
If the Iraqis had started a rebellion on their own and we stepped in to help them I would see this in a whole different light.
I’m no dove. I think afghanistand should’ve been turned into a parking lot. Or turned into one big military base if we so need one there.
You can’t fight a partial war. History proves it. You are either at war with a country or you are not. If we are at war with a country then we pull out all the stops. Yes, civilians get killed in war. So it’s messy. But at least our forces then have clear objectives and nonpolitical objectives.
Telling our soldiers you can shoot these people but not these over here and try not to hit a mosque while you are at it is totally ridiculous and unnecessary. Our soldiers are dying by these rules of engagement.
Do you really feel safer now?
Comment by namecritic — October 27, 2007 @ 10:08 pm
[...] post by Lou Dobbs makes some really good points related to my recent blog post on The Religious Right and Politics so I wanted to share it here. Dobbs: Keep religion out of politics By Lou Dobbs, [...]
Pingback by » Lou Dobbs on Politics and ReligionThings That Just Piss Me Off — October 28, 2007 @ 10:23 pm
Tithe money????????? You’d best read the book. Tithes were to be eaten. They are FOOD.
Comment by Gene — December 28, 2007 @ 9:05 pm
Deuteronomy 12:11
Then to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name—there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice possessions you have vowed to the LORD.
Nothing there says it was only food. But if that makes you feel better about not tithing money or other things, go for it.
Comment by namecritic — December 29, 2007 @ 6:58 am
It is one of things I can never understand … how people can think that way. It’s so illogical that it can only be based upon moronity.
Comment by bikebro — April 11, 2008 @ 6:25 am