In Matters of Faith, Say What You Mean
November 27, 2007 by Randy
Filed under Bible, Christianity, Church, Culture War, Current Affairs, People, Politics, Public Policy, Religion
My thoughts after the jump …
When religion becomes fair game - Opinion - USATODAY.com
When religion becomes fair game
If candidates can court the faithful, they should be willing to answer questions of faith as well.By Jonathan Turley
In the race for the White House this year, speeches have turned sharply from the political to the biblical as Democrats have strived to close the “God gap” with Republicans over the religious vote. Yet, when pressed about their own faith or faithlessness, candidates have been less eager to answer, claiming that such questions are personal and beyond the pale. But it may be time to demand that, when politicians call to the faithful, they should have to answer to the faithful on their own religious practices…
I think this is true in principle. If a candidate, or anyone really, is claiming to be a person of a particular faith they do need public accountability for ascribing to the basic tenets of that faith. The major religions have all had tenets that have been ascribed to for a very long time and not hard to miss. You either agree or don’t or honestly don’t know. A true leader will be able to adequately show and explain how they can lead a nation of many people and perspectives within the framework of their faith or lack thereof.
I get frustrated from time to time with folks (not just candidates) that are using the same exact language as the people they are speaking to and they don’t mean a word of it the same way their audience understands those phrases. For example, I have heard a non Christian person say, “We are ALL God’s children, ” in an effort to be “inclusive.” While it’s true we are all created by God, so in a sense we are all His children, but we are not all reconciled to Him. As a matter of fact, every single one of us is estranged from Him until we accept the gift of His Son’s atonement. The Holy Spirit calls out to everyone but atonement happens for those who actually receives Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. This has always been since the moment Jesus declared Himself to be the only way, truth and life. Not only that, the “inclusive crowd”, ultimately betray their own belief that they also don’t believe in the fake common ground of all being God’s children. In reality they think they are “in” with God and the “fundies” aren’t. They were inclusive of those who agreed with them but not those fundies they joke about among their own.
I know because I have been in both crowds.
Ironic? I am looking at their fabled Tabula Rasa (open minded innocence and innate goodness) and finding it covered in deep layers of post-it notes that are as interchangeable as shifting sands and torrents of the sea. I believe that once they realize there isn’t bottom for all the vague distractions they will cry out for direction and find the Creator inviting them to receive Christ. He is not the fictional Tabula Rasa by any means but He is the only one who is pure and innocent according to our Creator’s will and intent in this fallen world.
It isn’t just Presidential candidates that need to be clear about what and in Whom they believe IF they believe. We all should. No more placating, redefining or synthesizing what is incompatible. Grown adults can disagree and even be opponents and still respect one another by being honest about what we believe in and what we do not believe in.
Thoughts?
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Could you clarify what you mean by “the inclusive crowd” which you were once a part of? Do you mean liberal Democrats? Gay-affirming Christians? Pagan environmentalists? Something else? All of the above? I’m interested to know which group exactly you saw yourself as a part of / which group exactly you are generalizing about.
I can definitely agree with you that I have seen supposedly “open minded” people be very closed minded when it comes to people of faith. But I have also seen many Christians who accept gay and transgender relationships as equal to straight ones be very understanding of those Christians with a different theology–and who definitely still consider those Christians as “in” with God as you put it.
So yeah, just wondering exactly whom you are talking about. For me, it’s important to be specific in my language, especially in my criticism.
Actually I kept it general because all of the labels of people you mention were types of people I used to hang out with. Even so, the general principle is more important (to me for this post) than the specific sub-categories of people and particular social dynamics. There are a lot of people being very exclusive in the name of inclusive.
Democrats do it
Republicans do it
Pagans do it
Christians do it…
Its a cultural issue not limited to one group.
It isn’t, for me, just about homosexual issues. I kept it general on purpose and I think it sufficiently makes the point.