Well folks, it seems you are getting two for one today.

I had intended this thread for today but notice our friend Germaine also had a religious theme in mind with his thread..........

The essence and language of Christian nationalism

Mine involves an opinion piece written by a religious person:

Wes McAdams,  Christian Living

https://radicallychristian.com/how-partisan-politics-are-harming-christians/

Christians lately have been taking it on the chin. Our friend who runs this forum at least distinguishes average everyday Christians from Christian nationalists. 

As a rule they still do NOT support abortion rights, one of several reasons I consider myself atheist, my morals would never align with "the church."

Nevertheless, here is how one Christian feels about partisan politics:

How Partisan Politics are Harming Christians

The dictionary defines partisan as, “feeling, showing, or deriving from strong and sometimes blind adherence to a particular party, faction, cause, or person.” Pay special attention to the words, “strong and sometimes blind adherence.” It might be helpful to think about partisanship in terms of loyalty, commitment, or devotion.

Partisan loyalty is often so strong that political affiliation becomes core to a person’s identity. For instance, when we fall into the partisan trap, we do not simply agree with Democrats or Republicans on certain issues, “Democrat” or “Republican” becomes fundamental to how we think of ourselves. Similarly, ideological perspectives, such as “Progressive” or “Conservative,” can also become cornerstones of our identity.

Finally, partisans sometimes become fixated on a political leader. Our loyalty gets directed to the person who leads the party, embodies the party’s values, or seems capable of saving the party from opponents. The “strong and sometimes blind adherence” is concentrated on one particular person.

For Christians, partisanship often begins with genuine Christian motivation. We find that one party seems to align with biblical values on a particular issue or policy. Perhaps it is a concern for the poor or a concern for the unborn. It could be a biblical stance on sexual ethics or justice for people wrongly accused of crime. This desire to support a party that supports biblical values is admirable.

However, political parties are a mixed bag. No political party aligns completely with kingdom interests, values, and priorities. When we develop a “strong and sometimes blind adherence” to a political party, that party begins to shape our values.

Sadly, many of us are towing the party line rather than holding fast to the truth of Scripture. We have abandoned the historic Christian view on war, abortion, wealth, poverty, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, or something else…and we don’t even know it. We have allowed a party platform, rather than the Holy Spirit, to shape our views.

Because we agree with a party on issue X, we blindly assume that party must also be right on issue Y. This is a dangerous and harmful assumption.

This sort of angry, fearful, and outraged partisanship is not only dividing us from our neighbors but also from our brothers and sisters in Christ. It ought to be obvious how many Christian principles this violates:

• “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27)
• “live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18)
• “put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth” (Colossians 3:8)
• “lead a peaceful and quiet life” (1 Timothy 2:2)
• “speak evil of no one” (Titus 3:2)
• “avoid quarreling” (Titus 3:2)
• “be gentle” (Titus 3:2)
• “show perfect courtesy toward all people” (Titus 3:2)

Our neighbors are not our enemies. 

A quick observation, if I may. You don't have to be a Godly person to understand that last line. We all seem to have fallen into that trap of judging someone by their religion or by how they vote or by what their personal beliefs are. So the biblical quotes applies to all of us. To continue:

We must all recognize that there is a danger when we give our allegiance to a group, a tribe, a party, or a faction. Our values, priorities, and perspectives will be shaped by that allegiance. We can tell ourselves that we “think for ourselves.” However, like it or not, we are social creatures and we are shaped by our group loyalty.

As Christians, our loyalty and allegiance should belong to Jesus and his kingdom. We must remember that our true family, group, and tribe is much bigger than a single nation, political party, ethnic group, or ideological perspective. These other groups will always be competing for our loyalty, but we must resist this temptation.

I hope more Christians feel this way, and that those who put party over their religion will read this and feel some shame.

Amen.