Going against my own wishes, I'm going to take my wife to the church we used to attend today. It is after all pulpit freedom Sunday, and she wants to hear all the political BS being slung about how bad the liberals are for the country. I will probably get up and walk out at some point in the "sermon" when I hear how evil the "liberals" are and how we are the reason the country is failing.
After having watched part of the O'Reily/Stewart "debate" I enjoyed that much more than having to listen to some politically active pastor from the GOP/TP base spew his dogma as being what God wants for the world. I've thinkthat Stewart nailed it when he said the GOP/TP'ers live on B S mountain. I've been saying for years they are full of BS.
Anyway, I just wanted to let the GOP/TP'ersknow that there will be some "liberals" in attendance who are for President Obama, and don't believe in voting for a Mormon for President. Because we actually believe in God: The Father, Son and The Holy Spirit, and know that freedom doesn't give the True Christian the right to be greedy and lusting after the things of this world. That includes political power for the gain of their own fleshly ways.
Dress it up any way you please, but the bottom line is that all I keep hearing from the conservatives is the money they want to keep. They don't show any concern for the people who do the work daily, they only want to reward the wealthy. I think this B S should be called what it is. Religiosity with a political bent.
Here is a link. http://www.speakupmovement.org/church/LearnMore/details/4702
From the link:
The future of religious freedom depends on a free pulpit to communicate fundamental, biblical principles to congregations across America. Join a growing movement of bold pastors preaching biblical Truth about candidates and elections from their pulpits on October 7, 2012.
Now this what they say their movement is based upon.
Notice the word "fundamental" when it speaks of the biblical principles it wishes to communicate. Code for "conservative" biblical principles. I wonder if they will use the word:
LIBERTINESKJV word for Freedmen.
As they describe what we become in the liberty of Christ. Or will they be like the Pharisees whom Christ likened to white washed seplechures clean on the outside but full of dead and rotting bones.
PHARISEES [FARE uh sees] (separated ones) a religious and political party in Palestine in New Testament times. The Pharisees were known for insisting that the law of God be observed as the scribes interpreted it and for their special commitment to keeping the laws of tithing and ritual purity....
As a result of this favoritism, Pharisees came to be represented on the Sanhedrin, the supreme court and legislative body of the Jews. At times, the Pharisees even dominated the assembly. In New Testament times, Pharisees, though probably in the minority, were still an effective part of the Sanhedrin. One distinctive feature of the Pharisees was their strong commitment to observing the law of God as it was interpreted and applied by the scribes. Although the priests had been responsible for teaching and interpreting the Law (Lev.:10:8;Deut.:33:8) in Old Testament times, many people had lost all respect for the priests because of the corruption in the Jerusalem priesthood. They looked to the scribes instead to interpret the Law for them. Some scribes were priests; many were not. Still, they lived pious, disciplined lives; and they had been trained to become experts in the Law. It was natural, then, for people to follow their leading rather than that of the priests. The way in which the Pharisees spelled out the meaning of the Mosaic Law, the ways in which they adapted that Law to suit the needs of their day, the time-honored customs they endorsedall these became a part of the tradition of the elders (Mark:7:3). Although these traditions were not put into writing, they were passed on from one scribe to another and from the scribes to the people. From this tradition, they claimed, the Jewish people could know the way Gods law should be observed. The Pharisees agreed, and they were known for supporting and keeping the tradition of the elders. The Pharisees also believed it was important to observe all the laws of God, which they taught were 613 in all. But they were especially known for their commitment to keep the laws of tithing and ritual purity. According to the New Testament, the Pharisees were concerned about strictly interpreting and keeping the law on all matters (Acts 26:5), including the Sabbath (Mark:2:24), divorce (Mark 10:2), oaths (Matt. 23:1622), the wearing of Phylacteries and Fringes (Matt.:23:5), and so on. But they showed special zeal in insisting that laws of tithing and ritual purity be kept (Matt. 23:2326; Mark 7:113; Luke 11:3742; 18:12). Since Pharisees found that other Jews were not careful enough about keeping those laws, they felt it was necessary to place limits on their contacts with other Jews as well as with Gentiles. For example, they could not eat in the home of a non-Pharisee, since they could not be sure that the food had been properly tithed and kept ritually pure. Unlike the Sadducees, the Pharisees did believe in the resurrection of the dead. On this point, they were on common ground with the early Christians (Acts:23:69). The scribe in Mark 12:28 who thought that Jesus had answered the Sadduceeswell concerning the Resurrection was probably a Pharisee. The Pharisees and their scribes enjoyed a good deal of popular support. In one way this is surprising, since the Pharisees kept apart from other Jews. They always seemed to be ready to criticize others for not keeping the laws, and they often looked down on sinners who showed no interest in Gods law (Mark:2:16;Luke:7:39; 15:2; 18:11). Still, unlike the Sadducees, who were mostly rich landowners and powerful priests, many Pharisees were ordinary people. And even though other Jews could not be bothered with observing all the details of the Law, they respected the Pharisees for making the effort. Even Paul credited unbelieving Jews with having a zeal for God (Rom.:10:2)even though it was misguided. He probably was thinking primarily of the Pharisees when he wrote these words. In the New Testament, the Pharisees appear frequently in the accounts of Jesus ministry and the history of the early church. In these passages a number of the typical failings of the Pharisees are evident. Of course, not all Pharisees failed in all these pointsand the same failings can be found among religious people of any age. Pharisees observed the Law carefully as far as appearances went, but their hearts were far from God. Their motives were wrong because they wanted human praise (Matt.:6:2, 5, 16; 23:57). They also had evil desires that were hidden by their pious show (Matt.:23:25). That is why Pharisees are often called hypocrites: their hearts did not match their outward appearance. The Pharisees thought they could match Gods standards by keeping all the outward rules. Luke 18:9 says they trusted in themselves that they were righteous. This can easily happen when people think Gods will is the same thing as their list of what they can and cannot do. Their desire to keep all of Gods laws was commendable, but sometimes they put the emphasis on the wrong places. Minor details became a major preoccupation, and they forgot the more important things (Matt.:23:23). Finally, because Pharisees thought they were doing their best to keep Gods laws while others were not, they often looked down on such sinnersespecially people like tax collectors and prostitutes. Religious people need to remember that they, too, are sinners in Gods eyes, and that Christ died for everyone.
I realize that people may not understand why it is so important to see where these people are coming from, but they are trying to take away our rights to believe as we will instead of as they will. That is why I listed the Pharisee definition and examples.
I myself want to keep God's Law, that is why I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Because He kept it perfectly and is able to cleanse me and make me into what He will have me be. But that is because I was called by The Holy Spirit and accepted the calling, just as many other have been.
Still I believe that I'm allowed the freedom in Christ to ask Him whom I should vote for through prayer, and I believe He will place it in my mind who to vote for and why.
I don't need to go to a church to ask Him. I go to the church to join with my brothers and sisters and enjoy the fellowship of Him with them.
But when the church is politically charged and one feels uncomfortable, and like they are not welcomed in that church because of their political beliefs there is no fellowship. There is distrust and dismay. Because they have placed Christ as a political leader, instead of the Savior of all who will come to Him and be saved, they have made the church worldly instead of heavenly.
Just as the Pharisees did, with all their good intentions, but they failed to Love the people as God says to do.
The funny thing is, the conservatives are driving people away from Him instead of bringing them to Him, with their behavior and political agenda that tries to deny the individual the rights to make the decisions in their lives they are showing a big brother religion, instead of a personal relationship with God.
It is like a child who has parents and goes to school. The parents are the ones who raise the child, so they should be responsible for what the child is learning at home. If they teach the child and show it Love and reward the good, as well as rebuke the bad the child should know what is expected of them, by the time they go to school. Now that child has a personal relationship with their parent. When they go to school and the teacher's begin to mold the child in the educational beliefs of the country, the child still has it's parents to fall back on for guidance in the things the parent believes in or doesn't believe in.
The Parents is this anology are like God The Father, and the school like the church. You get your principles from God and He gives us the doctrines in the Bible we should follow. The school tries to teach it as they see it, and they could be wrong so we have to go running back to our Father and ask Him, and rely upon Him for whether or not the church teaching is right.
Anyway that is what I try to do, when I see the church trying to guide me away from the principles of God I reject the church and follow God.
The church being into politics only waters down the message of God, and then some are left thirsting for more. That is not what Christ said would happen when you drank from His well, He said we would never thirst again. We should not be thirsty for the things of the world in Christ.
To me the church is wrong for doing this. They are giving out the wrong message.
