As Christians should we be involved in ...

[pureinheart]

'politics' .... there you have it, I said it lol. I think if we don't take part in our communities and country, we will answer for that on the day of reckoning.

 

 

Should Christians be involved in Politics?

 

Here's my stand... please feel free to communicate yours:)

[UpwardForward]

'politics' .... there you have it, I said it lol. I think if we don't take part in our communities and country, we will answer for that on the day of reckoning.

 

 

Should Christians be involved in Politics?

 

Here's my stand... please feel free to communicate yours:)

 

I agree.

 

The enemy hates communication from God's people, and would love to quiet us - thus using any reasoning for doing so.

[pureinheart]

I agree.

 

The enemy hates communication from God's people, and would love to quiet us - thus using any reasoning for doing so.

 

Amen. The OP link does a good job at describing what happens to a society when Christians don't think their participation is Godly, but the only thing that would be sin in this area IMO is if government involvement trumped God. Meaning if a Christian took secular stands that are clearly against the Word of God, or made 'government' their god (which in essence is what the 'secular stand' is).

[autumnnight]

This is really good. We should absolutely exercise out right to vote, let our elected officials know where we stand, support those running for office whose character/values/convictions mirror our own. Someone who takes on the name of Christian and then votes for candidates whose platform on pretty much everything is contrary to the Bible confuse and trouble me. We live in a republic, so we have the great privilege of being part of the system, and we should take advantage of that.

 

However, I do not consider screaming, sarcasm, hate, yelling at scared pregnant women while waving signs, calling gay people names, crossing the street on the other side every time we see a Muslim because "they are probably a terrorist," calling for the immediate resignation of a teacher because they are gay, choosing which sins we are okay with and which ones we want to target, etc examples of being involved in politics. I see those things as examples of being.....something else entirely.

 

I will vote my conscience in 2016, and it won't be for an anti-Christian socialist. If the one child I have left in school is "forced" to take part in a class that violates his.our conscience, I'll be up at that school. I'll continue to volunteer at the crisis pregnancy center.

 

However, I understand that none of that will actually "heal our land" and fix people's hearts.

[BC1980]

Jesus was for separation of church and state. He worked way outside of politics. He never tried to infiltrate the political system, and he never advocated doing so to any of his followers unless I am unaware of something. However, I don't think that means Christians should completely refrain from politics. But I do feel that history has shown that mixing religion and politics is usually disastrous. Politics is usually an avenue to gain power, so it gets dicey to mix religion with that.

 

There have been some good things to come from Christians getting involved in politics, though. But in general, I don't feel that politics is the best way to spread the Christian message, and I also don't feel there is a Biblical basis for doing so. Of course, I don't know every single thing in the NT, so correct me if I am wrong.

[autumnnight]

Bottom line, we either believe the Bible or we don't. The same Bible that makes the sanctity of human life clear and how we should conduct ourselves sexually clear also tells us that we are to obey earthly authorities (Romans 13) and render to Ceasar's what is Ceasar's.

 

And here is a basic truth: it should not shock us when a person who is not a believer doesn't act like ot think like a believer. If we want people to do that,m then instead of trying to change the laws to MAKE everyone "act" like Christians....maybe we should share Christ with them and allow HIM to transform their hearts.....

 

The problem is that some Christians are so busy being angry and only reading and hearing everything as some extreme, they fail to see the ability to balance anything. They are too busy being righteously indignant 24/7 to see that maybe some of their calmer brothers and sisters actually have some good thoughts.

[pureinheart]

This is really good. We should absolutely exercise out right to vote, let our elected officials know where we stand, support those running for office whose character/values/convictions mirror our own. Someone who takes on the name of Christian and then votes for candidates whose platform on pretty much everything is contrary to the Bible confuse and trouble me. We live in a republic, so we have the great privilege of being part of the system, and we should take advantage of that.

 

However, I do not consider screaming, sarcasm, hate, yelling at scared pregnant women while waving signs, calling gay people names, crossing the street on the other side every time we see a Muslim because "they are probably a terrorist," calling for the immediate resignation of a teacher because they are gay, choosing which sins we are okay with and which ones we want to target, etc examples of being involved in politics. I see those things as examples of being.....something else entirely.

 

I will vote my conscience in 2016, and it won't be for an anti-Christian socialist. If the one child I have left in school is "forced" to take part in a class that violates his.our conscience, I'll be up at that school. I'll continue to volunteer at the crisis pregnancy center.

 

However, I understand that none of that will actually "heal our land" and fix people's hearts.

 

Coo:) (just to make clear coo=cool)

 

Personally I think the US is prime for revival, a revival unlike no other...

[pureinheart]

Jesus was for separation of church and state. He worked way outside of politics. He never tried to infiltrate the political system, and he never advocated doing so to any of his followers unless I am unaware of something. However, I don't think that means Christians should completely refrain from politics. But I do feel that history has shown that mixing religion and politics is usually disastrous. Politics is usually an avenue to gain power, so it gets dicey to mix religion with that.

 

There have been some good things to come from Christians getting involved in politics, though. But in general, I don't feel that politics is the best way to spread the Christian message, and I also don't feel there is a Biblical basis for doing so. Of course, I don't know every single thing in the NT, so correct me if I am wrong.

 

I really think Jesus was more radical than people care to admit. Him and the Disciples didn't have to enter into politics, they were knee deep in it due to their stand.

[johan]

Yes, Christians should be involved in politics. But the feature of Christianity that distinguishes it from Islam is that it evolved independent from government. There is no Christian equivalent of sharia law, which by the way was invented after and separate from the Muslim holy book. I know some wish there was an equivalent. You can wish in one hand...

 

If you would like to have a Christian state, I'm not sure the US is the best bet. We are meant to be open and welcoming to people of all creeds. Personally I think sharia and the idea that Christian morality should be encoded into laws is based on the fact that neither Islam nor Christianity really has a lot of appeal in a world where people generally have a pretty good standard of living. Neither really has teeth as a belief system. A lot of bark, not a lot of bite.

 

But those law books are there... what if we threw a few "enticements" to behave in to the law books? Then we could have the police do what we fail to do as evangelists... we could stop people from doing "evil" things that annoy us... and if people can't do evil things, then they can't be evil... take away the free will that is inherent in Christian philosophy. That would be a real utopia wouldn't it. Then Christians could ignore the directive to go forth and minister. They could just sit back and watch the line of people making their way into prison. Or the others who know better than to act on what is in their hearts.

 

No thanks. I say that if you find your belief system so convincing, then you have what it takes to convince people. So go do it, even in the face of their free will and ability to choose to do evil. I missed the verse where Jesus proclaims, "God, why hath thou forsaken me and given me no 911 to dial? I don't like these people who do things contrary to your word, and I don't really want to deal with them!"

[pureinheart]

Bottom line, we either believe the Bible or we don't. The same Bible that makes the sanctity of human life clear and how we should conduct ourselves sexually clear also tells us that we are to obey earthly authorities (Romans 13) and render to Ceasar's what is Ceasar's.

 

And here is a basic truth: it should not shock us when a person who is not a believer doesn't act like ot think like a believer. If we want people to do that,m then instead of trying to change the laws to MAKE everyone "act" like Christians....maybe we should share Christ with them and allow HIM to transform their hearts.....

 

The problem is that some Christians are so busy being angry and only reading and hearing everything as some extreme, they fail to see the ability to balance anything. They are too busy being righteously indignant 24/7 to see that maybe some of their calmer brothers and sisters actually have some good thoughts.

 

Some Christians/people are made high strung and some just turn out that way due to thyroid issues, heart meds, or severe trauma.

 

A lot of people are traumatized (Christians and non Christians). This nation has undergone a lot of change in the past 7 years under this current (is that current or currant?) administration. People are operating in a lot of fear.

 

I know I trip pretty hard at times, but what I have to remember is I am not in control, God is and God will prevail. I didn't create this mess... I forget what Joyce myers called this, but it's like being over actively responsible ... feeling responsible for everything. Many of us are hurting, severely and sometimes out of great hurt, pride surfaces as a defense mechanism. *Please Note* I am in no way comparing any of this hurt or whatever to what is going on in the ME- Christians there are experiencing real hurt and persecution.

 

God has blessed us here in the US beyond all human comprehension...

Edited July 13, 2015 by pureinheart

[pureinheart]

Yes, Christians should be involved in politics. But the feature of Christianity that distinguishes it from Islam is that it evolved independent from government. There is no Christian equivalent of sharia law, which by the way was invented after and separate from the Muslim holy book. I know some wish there was an equivalent. You can wish in one hand...

 

If you would like to have a Christian state, I'm not sure the US is the best bet. We are meant to be open and welcoming to people of all creeds. Personally I think sharia and the idea that Christian morality should be encoded into laws is based on the fact that neither Islam nor Christianity really has a lot of appeal in a world where people generally have a pretty good standard of living. Neither really has teeth as a belief system. A lot of bark, not a lot of bite.

 

But those law books are there... what if we threw a few "enticements" to behave in to the law books? Then we could have the police do what we fail to do as evangelists... we could stop people from doing "evil" things that annoy us... and if people can't do evil things, then they can't be evil... take away the free will that is inherent in Christian philosophy. That would be a real utopia wouldn't it. Then Christians could ignore the directive to go forth and minister. They could just sit back and watch the line of people making their way into prison. Or the others who know better than to act on what is in their hearts.

 

No thanks. I say that if you find your belief system so convincing, then you have what it takes to convince people. So go do it, even in the face of their free will and ability to choose to do evil. I missed the verse where Jesus proclaims, "God, why hath thou forsaken me and given me no 911 to dial? I don't like these people who do things contrary to your word, and I don't really want to deal with them!"

 

You know Johan, with what I've been reading, many publications/articles/history I'm leaning more towards the fact that this country was founded on Christian values. Open to other faiths within reason. I don't see cults as acceptable, those that are counterfeits to real faiths.

[johan]

You know Johan, with what I've been reading, many publications/articles/history I'm leaning more towards the fact that this country was founded on Christian values. Open to other faiths within reason. I don't see cults as acceptable, those that are counterfeits to real faiths.

 

Founded on Christian values I can agree. Founded to be a Christian state? I don't think so. And open to other faiths that do not challenge law and order (David Koresh claimed to be a Christian, did he not?), but otherwise absolutely open without judgment about what is counterfeit or real. That's how I see it.

 

I believe the state should allow people to be immoral and to act against God and even to display non-Christian values, regardless of how we were founded. It's up to the Christians who feel so strongly about their righteousness to lead the others to Jesus. And like I said, it shouldn't be so hard with such a compelling story. If you leave it to the Supreme Court or Congress or the President to do your evangelizing for you, you'll just never be happy.

[pie2]

A Call to Prayer

 

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2

 

 

An important question to ask is if that bible verse is true in our lives?

 

I seem to often see a LOT of bickering and side-taking when it comes to religion and politics. It seems that the bible calls us to intercede not by arguing our sides necessarily, but relying heavily on prayer.

[Qboro90]

I really think Jesus was more radical than people care to admit. Him and the Disciples didn't have to enter into politics, they were knee deep in it due to their stand.

 

This is strictly your own personal opinion and based off your interpretation of The Bible and Jesus' teachings. Therefore it cannot be widely accepted by all as "fact" because no one can be sure. That is the difficulty with religion and why we should separate it from politics. 10 people can read the same passage and have 10 completely different interpretations about its meaning or message. If you want to raise your kids to be Christians and be involved in the church then by all means do so freely and happily. But not everyone in America is Christian. How is it fair to them to have a elected official represent them if that politicians religious beliefs play a part and influence his/her decision making/law deciding while in office? That's the exact opposite of what our government is intended for. It's there to represent all the citizens, not just the Christian ones, or the Jewish community, etc.

 

Also I find that when you combine religion and politics people will tend to vote blindly. Example- there is a Christian candidate running for governor vs a Protestant candidate and an atheist. The Protestant candidate is the most qualified and had a proven track record of improving the communities in which he's served. The atheist is established as well with ideas that will create more jobs in the state you live. The Christian candidate has served for 2 years as mayor of a small town outside of the city you live and that town has seen the crime rate rise as well as a reduction in jobs, however they believe in the same God that you do. I've seen that many/most religious voters will in fact vote for the last example, the Christian candidate despite the fact that the other 2 politicians can directly improve their families and communities livelihoods. Voting with your heart and not your head basically.

In my opinion we should not label our politicians in any way. Especially when it's election time. Forget saying "republican or democrat" "Christian or Jewish".... Just have the candidates name and where they are from. Base your opinion on what they say and have shown they can do. Not whether or not they celebrate Christmas or Kwanza.

[TheFinalWord]

'politics' .... there you have it, I said it lol. I think if we don't take part in our communities and country, we will answer for that on the day of reckoning.

 

Should Christians be involved in Politics?

 

Here's my stand... please feel free to communicate yours:)

 

Yes, I think we should. I

.

[UpwardForward]

This is strictly your own personal opinion and based off your interpretation of The Bible and Jesus' teachings. Therefore it cannot be widely accepted by all as "fact" because no one can be sure. That is the difficulty with religion and why we should separate it from politics. 10 people can read the same passage and have 10 completely different interpretations about its meaning or message. If you want to raise your kids to be Christians and be involved in the church then by all means do so freely and happily. But not everyone in America is Christian. How is it fair to them to have a elected official represent them if that politicians religious beliefs play a part and influence his/her decision making/law deciding while in office? That's the exact opposite of what our government is intended for. It's there to represent all the citizens, not just the Christian ones, or the Jewish community, etc.

 

Also I find that when you combine religion and politics people will tend to vote blindly. Example- there is a Christian candidate running for governor vs a Protestant candidate and an atheist. The Protestant candidate is the most qualified and had a proven track record of improving the communities in which he's served. The atheist is established as well with ideas that will create more jobs in the state you live. The Christian candidate has served for 2 years as mayor of a small town outside of the city you live and that town has seen the crime rate rise as well as a reduction in jobs, however they believe in the same God that you do. I've seen that many/most religious voters will in fact vote for the last example, the Christian candidate despite the fact that the other 2 politicians can directly improve their families and communities livelihoods. Voting with your heart and not your head basically.

In my opinion we should not label our politicians in any way. Especially when it's election time. Forget saying "republican or democrat" "Christian or Jewish".... Just have the candidates name and where they are from. Base your opinion on what they say and have shown they can do. Not whether or not they celebrate Christmas or Kwanza.

 

Speaking as a Christian and a far right conservative, I vote for the candidate who represents my priorities for the country.

 

Of the two main parties, it has always been the Republican party candidate.

 

Sadly it seems Conservatives can also be perfectionists, as many supposedly didn't vote in the last presidential election.

 

And concerning the Christian candidate you speak of with only two years experience: Then again one would have to consider how he/she would govern and do you agree with them on the issues.

 

If a candidate is inexperienced; Has no record of accomplishment; Misplaced priorities; And you don't agree with him on important issues - Well many of us have been living this for six years.

[pureinheart]

This is strictly your own personal opinion and based off your interpretation of The Bible and Jesus' teachings. Therefore it cannot be widely accepted by all as "fact" because no one can be sure. That is the difficulty with religion and why we should separate it from politics. 10 people can read the same passage and have 10 completely different interpretations about its meaning or message. If you want to raise your kids to be Christians and be involved in the church then by all means do so freely and happily. But not everyone in America is Christian. How is it fair to them to have a elected official represent them if that politicians religious beliefs play a part and influence his/her decision making/law deciding while in office? That's the exact opposite of what our government is intended for. It's there to represent all the citizens, not just the Christian ones, or the Jewish community, etc.

 

 

Possibly we should separate OC (Obamacare) too because the same problem exists...

 

...but secular is ok? Right? What if I don't like your secular?

[UpwardForward]

Yes, I think we should. I

.

.

 

I agree.

 

We are to speak up for righteousness and truth.

[UpwardForward]

Possibly we should separate OC (Obamacare) too because the same problem exists...

 

...but secular is ok? Right? What if I don't like your secular?

 

Those against abortion should Not have to help fund anything having to do with providing abortion services. Whether it be 'Planned Parenthood', Obamacare, etc.

[Qboro90]

Possibly we should separate OC (Obamacare) too because the same problem exists...

 

...but secular is ok? Right? What if I don't like your secular?

 

 

Could you explain your thought process on that, not sure I fully understand and don't want to reply based off an assumption. And did I say that secular was ok and religious beliefs were not? No I did not. If you don't like secular government then by all means vote for your religious candidate. My point is to vote for the most qualified person, regardless of their background or belief system.

If you can elaborate on to why you are opposed to that I'd love to hear the reasoning behind it.

 

Separate ObamaCare from what? I did not mention ObamaCare or health care for that matter in my post in order to keep people's opinions on the current administration out of it. This thread isn't discussing Obama's presidency or policies at all. If you could keep it on topic with why you believe Christianity specifically should be more involved in our government that would prevent us from digressing and going off onto other matters.

[pureinheart]

A Call to Prayer

 

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2

 

 

An important question to ask is if that bible verse is true in our lives?

 

I seem to often see a LOT of bickering and side-taking when it comes to religion and politics. It seems that the bible calls us to intercede not by arguing our sides necessarily, but relying heavily on prayer.

 

You know Pie... prayer is the precursor IMO to all good things and to be involved in politics without being prayed up is really not healthy- BTDT

 

I love a good debate. They force me to study and to fact find. Certainly I've gone out in the flesh many, many times, but it was a learning experience, also a healing one too- He turned it to His glory.

 

Things are difficult for a lot of people right now and it's easy to get caught up in the mess... that's usually when God grabs me and says, 'see that Divine Woodshed over there? Your not in it yet. You want to keep it that way?'.

 

Anyway, it's important to be sensitive to the unknown of what another person might be going through...

[UpwardForward]

Could you explain your thought process on that, not sure I fully understand and don't want to reply based off an assumption. And did I say that secular was ok and religious beliefs were not? No I did not. If you don't like secular government then by all means vote for your religious candidate. My point is to vote for the most qualified person, regardless of their background or belief system.

If you can elaborate on to why you are opposed to that I'd love to hear the reasoning behind it.

 

Separate ObamaCare from what? I did not mention ObamaCare or health care for that matter in my post in order to keep people's opinions on the current administration out of it. This thread isn't discussing Obama's presidency or policies at all. If you could keep it on topic with why you believe Christianity specifically should be more involved in our government that would prevent us from digressing and going off onto other matters.

 

It was you that mentioned the Christian candidate and your concern that they were less qualified than the other two. And your added assumption that people vote according to how a candidate celebrates Christmas.

 

It's alright to only be concerned if it is a Christian candidate, that is inexperienced?

Edited July 13, 2015 by UpwardForward

[Qboro90]

Those against abortion should Not have to help fund anything having to do with providing abortion services. Whether it be 'Planned Parenthood', Obamacare, etc.

 

 

In the history of the U.S. We have never had 100% of the country vote for 1 candidate. Every time there is an election there will be a losing party, that's guaranteed more than anything. That losing party will have its followers and supporters as well who will be disappointed. What's upsetting and a shame is over the last 20 years the losing party has become bitter and for lack of a better word spiteful towards the side who won election. "This is the worst we've ever been as a country... Have ____ impeached, destroying America"... The list of goes on an on. We used to have elections and understand that while our party did not win, the majority has spoken and voted to have that candidate represent us as a state or nation. We'd let them implement what they wanted to do because that's why they were elected in the first place, rather than saying "ugh worst idea ever, that won't work, never in a million years". It's awful to see. Worst case scenerio is that someone new gets elected in 4 or 8 years. It's not a lifetime position in USA thank goodness.

 

Those who are against abortion should not have to help fund anything that has to do with abortion services. If we made exceptions and exemptions to every tax or finance paid in which someone was against morally, religiously, etc then NOBODY would pay taxes! And if you really cared about your money going towards that topic then what about your money going to medical research clinics? Where drugs that treat everyday diseases are tested on animals. (Dogs, cats, horses, pigs, it's not just rats and mice despite public perception) What about the money you pay that goes towards prisons and inmates who are despicable humans? What about the money you give that leads to a bomb being made that misses its target and kills an innocent family of 5 with 3 children? That your ok with paying... But abortion... No way?

[pureinheart]

Could you explain your thought process on that, not sure I fully understand and don't want to reply based off an assumption. And did I say that secular was ok and religious beliefs were not? No I did not. If you don't like secular government then by all means vote for your religious candidate. My point is to vote for the most qualified person, regardless of their background or belief system.

If you can elaborate on to why you are opposed to that I'd love to hear the reasoning behind it.

 

Separate ObamaCare from what? I did not mention ObamaCare or health care for that matter in my post in order to keep people's opinions on the current administration out of it. This thread isn't discussing Obama's presidency or policies at all. If you could keep it on topic with why you believe Christianity specifically should be more involved in our government that would prevent us from digressing and going off onto other matters.

 

You are adorable BTW... I haven't had the opportunity to discuss/debate anything with you yet... so am grateful:)

 

Well, you said you felt separating religion from politics was important- I want OC separated from everything ...lol (it was mainly a joke, but I am serious about that). I don't think anyone has been able to interpret much concerning OC. Yes, I realize it was a bit off-topic... I have MTD (multiple thread disorder) ... apologies:)

 

If you don't have 'religion' then you have secular, correct?

[Qboro90]

It was you that mentioned the Christian candidate and your concern that they were less qualified than the other two. And your added assumption that people vote according to how a candidate celebrates Christmas.

 

It's alright to only be concerned if it is a Christian candidate, that is inexperienced?

 

Did you not see that I was giving a made up example? None of those candidates exist, it is a thought evoking "what if". You can re arrange the qualifications any way you like if you feel better that way lol.

To follow that up however could you please share who YOU would vote for out of those 3 FICTIONAL candidate examples. The Protestant with experience, atheist with jobs, or Christian with poor track record? Common sense would say you choose one of the 2 candidates that will bring the most to your community and family right?