Evangelicals Frustrated by Bush

From an article by
Ralph Z. Hallow
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

"Im not blaming the president, but religious conservatives have been doing politics for 25 years and, on every front, are worse off on things they care about," said Gary Bauer, president of American Values. "The gay rights movement is more powerful, the culture is more decadent, the life of not one baby has been saved, porn is in the living room, and you cant watch the Super Bowl without your hand on the off switch."

Nope, Gary, you shouldnt be blaming the President. Blaming opportunistic politicians for pandering a voting bloc to gain an election, making promises they know for a fact they cannot fulfill is something to be taken for granted.

The blame, Sir, is yours.

And it is a damning verdict testifying to your lack of faith.

How dare I say that

Sir, I am one of many millions that can no longer stomach being called a Christian in public. It is not because I take issue with the words of Jesus, Sir; its because of the lies people such as you put in His mouth.

Jesus, Sir, was no social conservative. In fact, Mr. Baur, he used people such as you - the Sanhedrin, The Pharisees and Sadducees - as pointed examples of corrupt, legalistic parasites upon the dialog between Man and God.

The message of Jesus is both simple and profound - that the relationship between Man and God is personal. That sacrifices are unnecessary. That if you do compromise toward the end of conservatism, its not for your sake, but for the sake of your brother who is weaker in the faith.

People like those you proudly claim as "Good, Faithful Christians."

Have you or they read Matthew 5 lately

Love for Enemies

43"You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor[8] and hate your enemy. 44But I tell you: Love your enemies[9] and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get Are not even the tax collectors doing that 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others Do not even pagans do that 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. - Matt. 5, 43-48

So be perfect, Sir, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

You are horrified that the republicans and George Bush are not doing their best to see that the sun and the rain such as may be commanded from Washington be granted or withheld from people you bless or condemn based on your legalistic and rather arguable views of morality.

By demanding a constitutional amendment that denies equal rights to all forms of families, you DIRECTLY offend the words of Jesus.

You place yourself above Him, you arrogate to yourself His position at the Right Hand of God - in short, sir, you are a false prophet - and I do not heed the words of false prophets.

Thats why I dont call myself a Christian, nor do I associate with people who make a great big deal of entangling their Christianity with social initiatives designed to impose their morality by law, Sir.

Come to think of it - re-read Matthew 3 while you are at it. It speaks directly to those blinded by their own smug self-righteousness.

7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath 8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9And do not think you can say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father. I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

People say, "God works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform." Ive always thought that rather silly. Its not at all mysterious.

God works in the world through the words, acts and thoughts of people - and is not bound by any superficial allegiances.

Those who will "cut you down and throw you into the fire" are those who have been offended by your words and deeds; they will judge you against the standard set by those words in red above, and you are found wanting.

Have you been a peacemaker

Have you comforted widows and orphans, without condition Have you shown mercy or compassion Have you done your good works in secret, as Jesus tried to do

The Calling of Matthew

9As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collectors booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

10While Jesus was having dinner at Matthews house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners"

12On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice.[1] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Rosie ODonnell is starting a "gay family cruise line" to build family values. You and YOUR family are welcome to join them and freely share your ideas of what makes a family.

"We welcome all families, however you define them, to join us on this cruise," ODonnell said in a statement launching the cruise, which will sail in July from New York.

Of course, folks such as you miss the point, focusing on the "sin" of homosexuality and therefore mistaking the nature of such an adventure - to create a context of positive, beneficial family values that works for more families.

You hardly need to go on an expensive cruise to... well, cruise.

I believe Jesus mentioned something about straining at gnats and swallowing camels.

Tell me, Sir; what is the proportion of spousal battery and child molestation among those that attend churches YOU agree with

When this statistic has been reduced to ZERO, sir, when your model of "family" is demonstrably perfect, THEN you will have the right to say so.

Until then, do not presume to judge those who strive in their own way for better results for the families they have, rather than those you would permit.

You would forbid gay marriages - and gay sexual behavior and gay pornography, or indeed any mention of gays in an approving or even a non-judgmental sense - lest there be an "occasion of sin."

Yet you freely allow men and women, unmarried to each other, to mingle within your very houses of worship, under the eyes of GOD!

And has that not been, from time to time, "an occasion of sin"

My point is not that churches are hotbeds of illicit fornication - though one might well come to that conclusion from watching the news - but rather this; that Jesus did not much trouble Himself to avoid such "occasions of sin," and Christians are charged to follow HIS example, not yours.

Furthermore, Jesus made it clear that "sin" was more a matter of thought than of deed, as seen in Matthew 5.

27"You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery.[5] 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

31"It has been said, Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.[6] 32But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

These are two examples that we are to generalize from. It is not always possible to avoid divorce - and yet Jesus clearly labels it a sin.

And certainly no man alive, have been able to completely avoid "lusting in their heart." Personally, I cannot speak for women, but I understand that they may be troubled from time to time in this way as well.

The ones whos hearts are still beating, anyhow.

The word "sin" means, essentially, "mistake." So the only truly damning sin is the mistake you persist in failing to learn from.

Self-righteousness seems to be a particularly difficult challenge for some people. Certainly Jesus found it worth mentioning on many occasions as a severe problem.

So you are in no position to be judging or condemning those whos natural lusts lead them to turn their heads in other ways; their mandate is the same as yours; to somehow find a means of acting righteously in the world in spite of their lusts, hatreds, bigotries and preferences for how things should be.

God is all about forgiving sins. Thats what the New Testament is about. You know, that crucification thing.

So you have no right - and no need - to be concerned about the salvation or damnation of others based on the lapses you see in their personalities or personal associations.

What you AND they may judge is not the personal sin, if "sin" it be, for "sin" ultimately is personal; defined not by external acts but by internal intents.

We can only see results, and we have no way of knowing whether those results are because of or in spite of any particular bit of sin or triumphant self-restraint. Nor can we know how the ability to recognize and resist any particular internal issue came about, save that it likely involved making quite a few "mistakes."

Sir; you are told by Jesus that the tree is judged by the fruit, and that no matter what the tree looks like, a tree that produces bitter fruit will be uprooted and discarded.

How do you like them apples, sourpuss

DO NOT presume to think that by writing this, I am either for or against gay sexuality, gay marriage or - really - gay anything.

In point of fact, I have seen and known for whom an expressed sexuality and or a particular marriage and family was clearly an awful, horrible mistake. People of a number of different sexualities, including heterosexuals - and those who were trying to be hets and failing miserably.

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