Tuesday, December 21, 2010
No More Methodist Church?
A few weeks ago, I wrote a short blog about politics and religion. Today, a friend of mine posted this article on Facebook which exemplifies why I no longer vote for political conservatives- or really at all. I would love to hear some responses on this (OK, so nobody ever responds to my posts, but I thought I would give it a shot.)
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If you want it, I'll say something - but it won't be very deep because I have ranted on this stuff so much in the past couple of years that I am almost incapable. You should talk to Dave about all this.
ReplyDeleteLately, the whole 'socialist' label has gotten out of hand. The way it is usually used should be a compliment, in my opinion. So, thanks to this guy for pointing out that our denomination cares about helping people. This is the kicker of it all, and it's sad:
"In short, if you hate America, you have a great future in the Methodist church," he says.
And, to say that only landowners should vote is yet another way to crush the poor and promote the wealth of the "rich." This guy is beyond absurd, but he sure does know how to cause a ruckus and get people to follow him.
You will never find me voting for a conservative, but I have also never been fond of the entire libertarian stance. Some things are fine, but I don't get some of their ideals, either. I almost always vote liberal, and that is a religious-based choice for me even though some would say you have to vote conservatively if you're basing it on religious beliefs. I vote to satisfy how I feel Jesus calls us to treat everyone rather than voting for the benefit of anyone's wallet. If something needs to happen/be passed to be more compassionate to oppressed groups, like the poor, then I will vote for it even if I might have to pay more in some way. To me, politics is all about money, and I don't personally put that as number 1 on my list.
Again, people should read the Methodist Book of Discipline to learn a few things.
I wonder what my tea bagger friends from church think about this....
Oh, I meant to add: Dave B. wrote a sweet poem about political parties, but I can't find it on his blog anymore. Ask him for it. He also did a sermon once that basically discussed the wrongness of political apathy.
ReplyDeleteThanks Amy. Congratulations on being the first person to comment on a post in months!
ReplyDeleteI certainly have more sympathy to the "liberal cause" than I did just a few years ago. Obviously, I understand the desire reach out to the poor and the disenfranchised, especially in an immediate and practical way. My beef comes at a more fundamental level when Christians expect the Kingdom of God to come by means of secular politics. I feel that the church needs to take responsibility for these things itself as an explicit act of the body of Christ. We have done a poor job of this (especially since the rise of the Enlightenment and "fundamentalism") and we now expect the government (not a Christian body) to do these things for us. Iadmit that I have a very fuzzy vision of how to change our society's caregiving structures since these things are so firmly set the way that they are. But undoubtedly it starts in the local church. I am glad that Trinity "gets" that to a relatively large extent- I just encourage us to pray and listen to where God is calling us to serve.