This is not a brief about religion; it is about religion in politics. I recognize that at this point in the history of our great nation, inveighing against the current situation is akin to standing on the beach and yelling at the tide, but the burlesque of the past few months make the temptation impossible to resist.
I hope you'll agree that people can believe what they want. This is America. The Virgin Mary is seen in a California tortilla while thousands of Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn await the messiah. It's a colorful country.
And yet...
Let's begin with Barack Obama and the man who has anointed himself -- forgive me, I'm paraphrasing -- Pope of the Black Church, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Obama joined this church twenty years ago because of the sad fact that to be viable in national politics a candidate is required to profess "faith," so people "of faith" will not run from him like he has ontological cooties. He claims the spotlight loving Rev. Wright "led me to my faith." Good for Senator Obama. But what, you might reasonably ask, about all those terrible -- and very quotable, and extremely YouTube-friendly -- things the pastor said? You know: the God damn America material?
Anyone who has been paying attention for the past four hundred years will admit that black people have a legitimate beef with how certain things have worked out. And sometimes the rhetoric can get a little heated. But the fact is Rev. Wright, despite his towering self-importance, doesn't matter. Barack Obama is on such a higher level than his former minister, it's hard to believe he looked to him for actual guidance in anything other than how to appear that he belonged in a pew.
Enter John McCain and his Hitler-invoking endorser, the Rev. Hagee. Yes, the Straight Talker was not a member of Rev. Hagee's church, and the author of Jerusalem Countdown did not marry him and Cindy, nor did he baptize their kids. But McCain did actively seek the endorsement of this man who believes God sent a hunter to go after the Jews in order to create the state of Israel, and referred to the Catholic church as "the great whore" (Hagee's way with words is undeniable). I feel badly for McCain. He was, after all, in his 2.0 version someone who called people like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson "agents of intolerance." Clearly, his alliance with Hagee was entirely tactical. But it's sad that he, too, has devolved into just another politician who has sought the prickly embrace of the poisonously religious.
There was a time before the Advent of Jimmy Carter when a politician's relationship with the universe was a private matter about which he or she could choose to reflect deeply, or not. And we didn't have to know what had occurred in anyone's personal Gethsemane. But now religion is just another signifier, like lapel pins, an item to be checked off when we're evaluating would-be presidents. Allow me to quote Eric Hoffer: "Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket."
The shame does not lie with Wright and Hagee. History has shown that wherever civilization exists, dangerous buffoons will assert themselves. The shame is that American politics has degenerated to the point where these toxic God-wielders are actively courted by those who would be our leaders. Yes, Obama and McCain repudiated them, but what does it say about where we are as a nation that men like Wright and Hagee matter in the first place?
The French have barely gotten over their Elliot Spitzer-induced hysteria. Our latest religious wars must be giving them fits.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ9u2S1LltU
Jesus said: "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and unto God that which is God's..!"
That's Jesus telling us to keep politics and God's realm religion separate..
Jesus knew that ruin mixing Religion and Politics would bring those of His time and nothing has changed since our Founding Fathers knew has well..
Yet these swine false prophets these heretics these blaspheming hypocrites refuse to obey that which Jesus made so clear for all of us through the ages..so it's very easy if any preacher or general generic national idiot like Huckabee claims that either Our Founding Fathers or God the creator of everything gives a damn about their wrapped political agenda reject them refuse to listen..and use that great quote by Jesus of Nazareth who knew a hell of a lot more than these disgusting bozo heretics our political leaders crawl into bed with like the vipers we all know they are..
I hope your post was a joke, not to be taken seriously. Please tell me you're not that uneducated .
"Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and unto God that which is God's" was referring to TAXES.
Hostile questioners tried to trap Jesus into taking an explicit and dangerous stand on whether Jews should or should not pay taxes to the Roman occupation. They anticipated that Jesus would oppose the tax, because Luke's Gospels explains their purpose was "to hand him over to the power and authority of the governor."
The governor was Pilate, and he was the man responsible for the collecting of Rome's taxes in Judea. At first the questioners flattered Jesus by praising his integrity, impartiality and devotion to truth. Then they asked him whether or not it is right for Jews to pay the taxes demanded by Caesar.
Jesus first called them hypocrites, and then asked one of them to produce a Roman coin that would be suitable for paying Caesar's tax. One of them showed him a Roman coin, and he asked them whose name and inscription were on it. They answered, "Caesar’s," and he responded “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give to God what is God’s.” His interrogators were angry and left disappointed.
It was more subtle than that. The Temple refused to accept payment for the sacrifices demanded of observant Jews in the official currency of the Roman occupiers, but insisted on the older, "withdrawn from circulation" Jewish coinage. This could only be obtained from the 'money-changers' (not 'money-lenders') of the Temple, who were actually Temple officials, and the Temple set the rate of exchange which was thus a very lucrative source of income for the priests. Jesus' questioners were actually trying to 'trap' Jesus into declaring if he supported the Temple's usury or opposed it. His answer, in fact, was evasive but later when he attacked the money-changers in the Temple he was making a very deliberate political statement which he hoped would start a revolt not against the Roman Occupiers but against a corrupt and greedy Vatican - sorry, Temple.
He failed, and the High Priest of the Temple got the Romans to crucify him.
Oh, and John McCain is hardly the first to call the Catholic Church "the Great Whore." The term probably pre-dates even Martin Luther, referring as it does to "The Great Whore of Babylon."
Jesus was referring to paying taxes.
Hostile questioners tried to trap Jesus into taking an explicit and dangerous stand on whether Jews should or should not pay taxes to the Roman occupation. They anticipated that Jesus would oppose the tax, for Luke's Gospels explains their purpose was "to hand him over to the power and authority of the governor."
The governor was Pilate, and he was the man responsible for the collecting of Rome's taxes in Judea. At first the questioners flattered Jesus by praising his integrity, impartiality and devotion to truth. Then they asked him whether or not it is right for Jews to pay the taxes demanded by Caesar.
Jesus first called them hypocrites, and then asked one of them to produce a Roman coin that would be suitable for paying Caesar's tax. One of them showed him a Roman coin, and he asked them whose name and inscription were on it.
They answered, "Caesar’s," and Jesus responded “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give to God what is God’s.”
His interrogators left disappointed.
Do your homework.
This whole campaign has been run as if the very appearance of a black guy on the scene (no matter his weak resume) will erase the tendency of white America to hang nooses on trees and drag black men to death behind our trucks. Though BO chose to demean Clinton's wipe out in W. Virginia, the people spoke. And he goes on to win victories in states that don't count on the Dem side. And yet to comedy continues. Hillary is a 'b*tch', Hilary is a 'c*nt' , Hillary is a 'sl*t', ... the list is endless and represented often on this blog. Why would we vote for someone of any type who hates us this irrationally?
I am neither Lutheran nor otherwise Christian, but I must say that Luther was right in looking through those fraudulent schemes - nothing has changed here in 500 years!
No basic difference between Shwe and Hagee and Robertson and Swaggard and the rest of the religious frauds.
Christians give far more money to charities than non-Christians.
Christians are more involved in helping their local communities than non-Christians.
Christians adopt more children than non-Christians.
Christians are more environmentally conscience that non-Christians.
Christians commit less crime than non-Christians.
Christians give more money to social programs than non-Christians.
Christians use less alcohol and drugs.
Christians spend more time helping the elderly & the handicapped than non-Christians.
The list goes on. I hope that Clinton, Bush, Gore and Obama continue to profess their faith in God in the public arena whenever people ask them about their faith.
90% of Americans have faith in a higher power (78% Christian, 12% other than Christian) and 10% of Americans have no faith. It's time we honor the wishes of the majority, instead of the other 10% who whine about hearing words like "faith" & "God". It reminds me of a Lou Dobbs show that demonstrated how politicians cater to the 10% of poorest ad 10% of richest Americans and ignore the 80% in the middle.
It's time we cater to the 90% of believers in the middle.
He simply stated facts about the amazing charitable contributions of America's wonderful Christian community.
I'm so thankful to be a part of it, along with other good Christians like Al Gore, George Bush, Barack Obama, Mike Huckabee and Hillary Clinton.
I don't agree with all of their political stances, but I'm proud to stand beside each one as a Christian.
The bad apples like Wright, Hagee, Jackson and Robertson have not ruined the entire bunch. They've only ruined themselves. That's why 90% of Americans still have faith in Jesus or another higher power.
“I am a Christian, and I am a devout Christian. I believe in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe that that faith gives me a path to be cleansed of sin and have eternal life.” -BARACK OBAMA, Jan 23, 2008
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/11/young-evangelicals-abando_n_101184.html
In addition, I understand your passion. You're argument, however, far from refuted BlackandProud's statistics from a rather credible source.
Personally, I'm a jack Catholic (jack or not, I take great exception to Mr. Hagee's pronouncements on the church I grew up in; if anyone's going to 'dis' my team, I'll be the one to do it, thank you! -- we're all a little like that, wouldn't you agree?) I've never tried to shop my religion, but recently -- under sad circumstances -- I came across a small, simple church of such grace and kindness that the teachings of Christ made it glow even though no sermon was being given. (Methodist, if you're interested.) This was not the gleaming mega-church or boot-camp college of the Fallwells, or Hagees, or Robertsons. This was a place of God that spoke softly to the heart to do good things and remember the good things that had been done to you.
That said, BlackandProud, I count myself among the 90% of Americans who have faith in a higher power, but I condemn utterly the bastardization of faith that passes for religion as taught by these snake-handlers and charlatans who have lined their pockets with the hard-earned money of people who have turned to them in times of need for comfort. As part of the 90% in the middle, I don't want my candidate associated with any of them! Faith in God is not and never should be confused with faith in Hagee!
We both find the bastardization of faith to be despicable.
I like what GoreSavingPlanetForJesus said in response to JohnJames a couple posts down below this post- "The bad apples like Wright, Hagee, Jackson and Robertson have not ruined the entire bunch. They've only ruined themselves. That's why 90% of Americans still have faith in Jesus or another higher power."
I'm also proud to stand beside the likes of Obama, Gore and Bush who are opposites politically, but are still one family through faith in Christ.
I think these politicians got it right:
AL GORE:
"I believe the purpose of life is to glorify God" (Al Gore, Capital Hill testimony before the US Senate, March 22, 2007, audio available at npr.org)
"Faith is the center of my life" (Al Gore, New York Times, May 29, 1999)
"I freely acknowledge the role of faith in my life and the centrality of faith in my value system" (US News Online, "Al Gore, Running On His Faith")
HILLARY CLINTON:
"I've always been a praying person". "There must be room for religious people to live out their faith in the public square". "Where other see trouble, faith based soldiers see God's work right in front of them" (Boston Globe, jan. 20, 2005)
Still can't shake the basic soul destroying guilt by being born through original sin thing but I'm working on it.
I hope there is a god because I'd love to ask him/her/it what the hell he/she/it's playin' at.
The United States of America responded to the problem of teen sex and cross border illegal abortion by making abortion legal. Christianity responded by becoming political, and the Republicans responded by offering them promises for votes. The rich used their many positions to direct the national conversation and convinced us if they became more rich they would trickle on us. Meanwhile, the world's population became too large to satisfy whithout painful concessions, so it was decided to temporarily set aside issues of poverty and the environment and lock down control for the good of conservative values. A war on terror was the easiest way to accomplish this. If it doesn't work it still might end up reducing the global population to a more managable level, and then religion can go back to being what it used to be.
A bit extreme politically, yes, and not someone Obama wants to be associated with. But Wright is not even in the same class with Hagee, who IS a toxic God-wielder. Of course, the brain-dead media are lumping them together....