RELIGION AND POLITICS
I recently received the following as an e-mail from writer/poet Janet Poludniak. I thought it to be an excellent comment on todays situation. She graciously gave me permission to use it in my blog.
Not all conservatives are ignorant, but way too many have their heads in the sand and are content to go to church for an hour each week to fulfill their religious responsibility and maintain appearances. There are many conservatives that are deeply involved and making a difference–one battle at a time. If more would get involved, things would change a lot quicker in the RIGHT direction. I hope this generates some thought on the part of those who keep life in the fast lane at bay.
I remember hearing a sermon once that said basically, “When you walk through the doors of the church, you’re not supposed to leave your brain outside. God wants people informed and involved in a way that impacts the world around us.” I think a lot of Christians–nominal or otherwise–forget that they are citizens elsewhere and only passing through. But while we’re here, we’re supposed to be making a difference in the way the disciples did. They changed the world of their time. They weren’t rich. Most weren’t educated other than basic stuff. Peter was a fisherman, but he wasn’t stupid. They didn’t stick their heads in the sand. They didn’t really understand what Jesus was all about until after He was raised from the dead.
I doubt anyone could say that Jesus was non-political. He came against every group of leadership in His day: Romans, Greeks, Pharisees, Sadducee’s, the Sanhedrin. They were supposed to be the good guys, but they were bound by the traditions of men, not the real meaning of the Law and the Prophets. Jesus contradicted those philsophies and their religion. He stood out like a sore thumb. That’s why they hated him. Why they killed him. They were afraid of change.
People today probably resist change more than anything else. And sadly, change is happening all around us, but we’re too complacent to see it. If you compare the Christian church of 60 AD to todays church, they’re like two different critters. Those men stood for something–truth. Now people believe there is NO truth… They’re wrong. Truth hasn’t changed. We have and the enemy has blinded the eyes and clouded the minds of people not to see it or be aware of it.
Do you remember when the wall crumbled in Germany? When the Iron Curtain tumbled? It hasn’t been that long, but values have changed so much that it is all but illegal to be a Christian. At institutions like Cornell University, employees are not allowed to wear a cross necklace, to have a Bible on their desk, and a lot of other things. I heard on the news just last week that a Pastor was threatened because he was having a Bible study in his home. Authorities from his community pounded on his door and told him it was illegal and he MUST cease and desist from the “religious meetings” or request a permit to have a religious gathering. There were 15 people studying the Bible in his HOME.
Well, it won’t be long we’ll be worse off than Russia ever thought of being. There will be NO freedoms. Mark my words. We’re on the slippery slide down. I’m all but certain that 9-11 was a wake up call. I don’t believe God causes things like that to happen, but I DO believe He allows them to wake people up. For a few months, people hung flags and said, God bless you. Some even started attending churches, but little by little, religious freedom is being swept under the rug. Ministers are cautioned not to talk about politically incorrect things from their pulpits or they will lose their tax exempt status. The courts have taken it upon themselves to interpret the Constitiution in a very liberal way. Abortion is rampant. The definition of family and marriage is going down the toilet. War is all around the world… Time is short. If God doesn’t bring judgement on America, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gamorrah.
