How Christians Should Engage in Politics

All things philosophical, related to belief and / or religions of any and all sorts.
Personal philosophy welcomed.
Post Reply
User avatar
RayThom
Posts: 8604
Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2012 4:38 pm
Location: Longwood Gardens PA 19348

How Christians Should Engage in Politics

Post by RayThom »

Since the early days of the Christian church, believers have disagreed with each other over how to engage in the political sphere. Some believe we should separate ourselves from the process entirely, while others think it's healthy for Christians to be active in politics. In this edition of Weekend Wisdom*, we'll walk you through a few ideas for how you can remain faithful to your beliefs while being a positive influence on the political process.

Also, we'll teach you how to own the libs.

One popular approach to engaging in politics is to completely abandon your Christian faith and put your loyalty to party first. This is a great tactic because it shows people what you really love: guns, MAGA hats, and even more guns. When you're screaming your head off at the next Trump rally about making America great again, you're also being a great witness to those around you. They can see that you love Jesus so much that you're willing to set Him aside for a few minutes to proclaim the gospel of Republicanism.

(This works for liberal-leaning Christians, too, if you can even call them "Christians." Just yell stuff about social justice and forget Jesus even existed while you try to bring about peace and harmony by your own efforts).

Other Christians take the opposite route: separating themselves from politics entirely, usually by moving to a remote compound in Idaho and hoarding all the guns. The truly hardcore will blast off in a spaceship in search of a new home, perhaps a long-lost colony in the far reaches of space. This option is great for introverts, too---just never talk to anyone, tell them to leave you alone, and claim it's your Christian duty to remain separate from the refuse of the world.

But probably the most important thing to remember while fighting your political battles is that your job is to own the libs. Every time you make liberals feel like dirt, an angel gets its wings and then flies off to terrorize more libs. It's a beautiful, vicious circle. Don't bother trying to display the Christian virtues of compassion and gentleness: instead, let the libs have it with your brutal hot takes and savage dunks on Twitter.

Remember: they will know we are Christians by how many libs we own.

* https://mailchi.mp/babylonbee/the-babyl ... n-politics
Image
“In a world whose absurdity appears to be so impenetrable, we simply must reach a greater degree of understanding among us, a greater sincerity.” 

Burning Petard
Posts: 4050
Joined: Fri Feb 12, 2016 5:35 pm
Location: Near Bear, Delaware

Re: How Christians Should Engage in Politics

Post by Burning Petard »

Recently I have been reading some of the philosophical essays of Leo Tolstoy. He leaves me really wondering about the function of Chaplains in our military services.

snailgate

User avatar
Scooter
Posts: 16540
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2010 6:04 pm
Location: Toronto, ON

Re: How Christians Should Engage in Politics

Post by Scooter »

"If you don't have a seat at the table, you're on the menu."

-- Author unknown

User avatar
BoSoxGal
Posts: 18299
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 10:36 pm
Location: The Heart of Red Sox Nation

Re: How Christians Should Engage in Politics

Post by BoSoxGal »

Scooter wrote:John Pavlovitz
:ok
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

User avatar
kristina
Posts: 1003
Joined: Wed Apr 14, 2010 5:35 pm
Location: former egg capital of the world

Re: How Christians Should Engage in Politics

Post by kristina »

Another thumbs up for John Pavlovitz.

User avatar
Scooter
Posts: 16540
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2010 6:04 pm
Location: Toronto, ON

Re: How Christians Should Engage in Politics

Post by Scooter »

How to be the Church:
96 Days Later, Nonstop Church Service to Protect Refugees Finally Ends

It was one of the longest religious ceremonies ever recorded, lasting for more than three months and involving nearly 1,000 pastors and priests.

But on Wednesday afternoon, a Dutch church’s nonstop 96-day vigil finally came to an end after its organizers received confirmation that a family of refugees sheltering inside the church would no longer face immediate deportation from the Netherlands.

Taking advantage of an obscure Dutch law that forbids the police to interrupt church services, ministers at Bethel Church in The Hague had been running a round-the-clock liturgy since Oct. 26 in order to prevent the five members of the Tamrazyan family from being arrested and sent back to Armenia.

With xenophobia rising in Europe, Christianity’s influence waning and governments taking harder stances on migration, the service quickly became a symbol of how the church can still play a role in contemporary European life — and how liberal causes can still resonate with European populaces.

Pastors from across Europe visited Bethel to participate in the service, many with several members of their congregations in tow, while more than 250,000 people signed a petition calling for a change to the law under which hundreds of families like the Tamrazyans could have been deported.

The movement served as a counterpoint on a continent in which nationalists have recently won office in Austria, Hungary and Italy, and achieved greater prominence in Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.

“This is just the beginning,” Derk Stegeman, one of the organizers of the Bethel service, said in a telephone interview after it had ended.

I hope it’s a new way of being a church — a new way of having an impact on society, a new way of standing up for vulnerable people,” said Mr. Stegeman, a Protestant Church pastor who has acted as a spokesman for the Tamrazyans.

“There’s still a big tension in our society, a strong division and polarization between these two groups,” he said, while adding that he hoped the movement to shield the family could spark “a new attitude towards strangers and refugees.”

The church decided that the service could be safely ended after a grand compromise between the four parties of the Netherlands’ governing coalition. The parties provisionally agreed on Tuesday that up to 700 families who had been previously listed for deportation, despite having lived in the Netherlands for more than a decade in some cases, could have their cases reassessed.

The announcement constituted a radical policy reversal for some of the parties. One government minister had previously described the Tamrazyan family’s fate as “hopeless.”

“For me, I hope it shows that wherever you are in the world, you can raise your voice,” said Tim Hofman, a filmmaker whose documentary about families like the Tamrazyans was instrumental in raising awareness about their fate. Mr. Hofman also started the petition against their deportation.

Though no instructions have yet been issued to the Dutch Civil Service, and no family’s fate has been confirmed, Mr. Stegeman said he had been assured by several political leaders on Tuesday night that the status of the Tamrazyan family would be among those reassessed.

That encouraged Mr. Stegeman and his colleagues to halt the service, which began last fall in secret and with few congregants present but ended on Wednesday afternoon with an emotional final communion in front of a packed chapel.

“It was very emotional, very humorous. We laughed a lot, we applauded for a long time,” Mr. Stegeman said.

The three Tamrazyan children — Hayarpi, 21, Warduhi, 19, and Seyran, 15 — and their parents, who have asked to keep their names secret for safety reasons, can now walk around in public but will remain based in the church until their situation is formally clarified.
"If you don't have a seat at the table, you're on the menu."

-- Author unknown

Post Reply