Today in a sad and ultimately useless attempt to be relevant I will be discussing politics... because, why not? It is my (totally correct) (oh and humble) opinion that they are the single most divisive issue in the world (or my world at least) at the moment. Let's face it we all have that one friend who seriously will not shut up about how (insert adjective here) (insert politician here) is... like ever. Be it in the news, online, or in person it seems the only thing that keeps politics from coming up is celebrities getting arrested for drag racing and whatever their poor misguided fans then tweet in response. So let’s argue for a minute here, whether or not you agree with the political ideals which make the most sense to me or not is not the issue, and as far as I am concerned should never be. I want it on record that if I EVER get combative in a discussion about politics you have my permission to slap me... repeatedly, until whatever has come over me gets tired of it... then slap me again for good measure.
Why? Because we ( I ) need to get something straight... that person we are yelling at... yeah them... WE AREN'T GOING TO CHANGE THEIR MINDS, well not like that anyway. And even if we could are the things that any of us are arguing about worth alienating those around us over? Yes I get it they support such wicked, and morally depraved people and policies... oh the humanity! They must be stopped! Alright so maybe you aren't that dramatic (out loud anyway) but honestly when I listen to these conversations I can feel everyone around me internally (or externally whatever floats your boat) seething at the perceived folly of their counterpart’s views. As one topic of conversation… errr team death match high school politics, leads to another inevitably news outlets come up… and boy does that get ridiculous. Here’s a recap, blah blah blah Fox is biased, blah blah blah so is CNN, blah blah blah we hate each other now. And just like that all hope for civility is destroyed in one fell swoop, because clearly the “mainstream media” is covering politician x’s scandal more than politician y’s and etc. etc. etc. we all hate each other. Sense a trend yet? Because I do, and it disturbs me that we all think politics will actually solve anything.
Listen to me and listen well because I will only be 17 for so long and after that I can’t guarantee that I will still know everything. No politician or party can or will fix this country, or any country for that matter, and no amount of violence will bring us the change we need. If we want to see our nation or even our neighborhood change for the better we don’t need to just vote for our favorite candidate, we need to invest in the lives of those around us. The mission of the church is and always will be to change hearts, so why now the fixation with changing laws? Yes many of us feel we are helping others by doing so, and maybe you are, but nowhere in the Bible does it command us to legislate our morality (and I maintain that it can’t be done). If anything we are assured that the government will disagree with us, but that we are to submit and love others unconditionally. Do we then allow the laws to be the standard of what we teach as acceptable? Of course not, so why should we make a reputation for ourselves as hateful and uncaring mobs when we could be helping those in need?
Should you vote? There is no good reason not to, but be careful! Don’t get so caught up in looking towards political saviors that you ignore the teaching and message of the ACTUAL savior. If you don’t know where I am coming from I urge you to read the passages below. For the sake of brevity I am just listing the verse(s) that speak most directly to my point, but please read the entire passage on your own, we don’t need any more verses being taken out of context. As always feel free to disagree and let your opinion be heard in the comments section below.
Romans 13:7
Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
1 Timothy 2:1-2
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
Matthew 5:43-58
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
I agree with you, but not completely. I feel like sometimes it's necessary to change laws. Actually, I think the two concepts go hand in hand. By changing hearts, you might change laws and by changing laws, you might change hearts. I don't think there's anything wrong with trying to change laws. For example, anyone who knows me knows that I'm a huge pro life advocate. Why shouldn't I and anyone else try to change laws regarding the abortion epidemic? Some people are called to the more evangelical part of the issue, where they reach out and actually change hearts. However, some people may be socially awkward (like me) and a not-so-shabby writer (also like me) and would be better off writing letters to people in high positions, which in turn could lead to law changes. But in the end, I don't feel you can have one without the other.
ReplyDeletethank you for the feedback,
Deletemy point was not that it is wrong for us to attempt to change laws, by doing so we are doing nothing wrong as long as we use the proper avenues. The issue appears when it is our fixation... that is the point I was hoping to get across
There is a lot of wisdom here. I think that it is important to stay on top of what is happening in our country politically, with the understanding that politics can only do so much. And those who run our country and represent the people have an agenda - and...yes, we should write and call....and when we've done all that is in our power to do - we need to get down on our knees and cry out to God for revival - because at the end of the day, laws don't change hearts. But hearts can change laws! Great job here, Todd. You have wisdom that many twice your age do not have!
ReplyDelete