Religion is getting a lot of attention in the news these days -- from politics to global unrest, much of the conflict seems to stem from religion. Why is religion being blamed for society's divisions?
I think it is interesting to note...that during later half of the 20th century...it was more about how political ideologies, be it "Communism" or "Capitalistic Democracies" for example, were understood to be the cause of divisions among the world's societies. I remember growing up in the 70's and early 80's, as an young American...we, as a country at the end of the 70's, were still "smarting" from the fall of Vietnam. Most of the the world was described as either belonging/supporting "NATO" or the "Warsaw Pact"...or, one of my favorite ways of putting it, was "behind the Iron Curtain". Of course, let us not forget the "OPEC" nations. I remember that this was something perpetuated daily through out the news media. The U.S. government based all of it foreign policies on this world view. It was all about fighting Communism and working with OPEC...due to one form or another of the oil crisis. I remember looking at world maps in textbooks at the time, on the page after a general cartographic view of the world, there would be the political map where countries with a Communist or a Socialist lean where DISTINCTLY set apart from the rest of the "Free World" in a blood red. OPEC nations were set apart in orange I believe. That was the world view at the time.
Now, after the "fall of Communism", the U.S. government no longer has to fear the possible threat represented by the Warsaw Pact. NATO is now just the "good ol' boy's club"...and the rest of Eastern Europe is just waiting to get into the European Union. Our oil interests have spread beyond the confines of the Middle East...now we have oil coming from South American, the Gulf of Mexico, Southeast Asia, etc. So how then does one divide up the world? How does one keep the distinction going between "us" and "them". Iran was that which fueled the fire for the new world view. Here in the 80's, we had the collapse of a government due to a strong "religious vision"...and that vision directly threatened American life with the hostage situation that developed thereafter. The picture of the Muslim world moved that from the "producers of oil" to that of a "society that wished harm to United States and American values". What is interesting is that Islam, which was ALWAYS there during the time that of the held "oil producer" view, now became the reason for the "evil" behind the fall of a regime that was very pro-West. We had the creation of an Islamic religious state...not necessarily so sympathetic to the Western world view...and American for that matter.
So here we have this religion that societies value, and these societies then replace governments with systems based on principles from that religion thereby making itself more felt due to the fact that this religion is sets the official policy for those societies and how it will now deal with the rest of the world...how they wish to define themselves against the rest of the world view. Yet, this is something that is so foreign to the American system of government. Church and State are SEPARATE! We are a Democracy first...a society based on democratic/capitalistic policies. As a people, we cringe just when we hear how the "religious right" is making a move on the political system. We really have no conception in our consciousness in regards to societies wishing to based their government on religious principles...but at the same time, I feel that we, as a Nation, would really love to. However, that is not our inherited value...due to the experience of the religious persecutions in 16th/17th century Europe. The founding fathers believed in freedom, truth, and justice...humanistic principles...as opposed to being directly defined by a prevailing religious ideal. It is something that our society was based on when the founding fathers set up the structure of this society and the principles that govern it. God was indeed brought into the equation...but that God was humanistic...and it is interesting that nowhere was there made mention of Jesus Christ...the son of God...the defining principle of the Christian religion. So American society developed on this undefined principle of God...most probably just automatically equated it with the Christian concept of divinity. We as a nation just kept going along, doing our thing...until the beliefs of John F. Kennedy became an issue.
I remember reading how it was a huge concern that JFK was a practicing Roman Catholic. In the end, he became one of the Nation's most beloved presidents. Was the concern with his practicing beliefs really necessary? I am thinking not. Then came the issue of prayer in the classroom, etc. We as a society seem to have this aversion to a defined, public belief system. So maybe as a Nation, we need to look inside our own fears and doubts when we hear that about societies defining their governments based on religious opinions. We, as a people and as an individual, need to look inside our own personal convictions and see where our biases lie. People will always be different, have different views, beliefs, convictions...and that is okay...because at the end of the day, we are all brothers and sisters in humanity. There are how many billions of us now on the face of this planet? Each and everyone of us is a unique experience...no two of which will EVER be the same. So with that said, we could contribute so much to each other's lives...different ways of being, offering different possibilities to solutions of some of the major crises that we face as a world. We all wish for the same things...security, freedom, love, trust, peace...but, we NEED each other in order to make these become manifest. This is what I believe we need to realize as brothers and sisters of a kindred spirit...that we are ONE humanity.
The New Age Movement (NAM) is hard to define as a singular religion. It is just what it is – a movement. It is essentially a collection of eastern-influenced metaphysical ideologies, a hodge-podge of theologies and philosophies that are bound together by “universal tolerance” and moral relativism. The NAM is the natural progression of humanism. It teaches that humans have evolved biologically, and must now evolve spiritually. Beyond that, it is difficult to define, as there is no hierarchy, doctrine, creed, or membership. You will be hard-pressed to find the “First New Age Church” on any street corner in your town.
Man is the central figure in the NAM. He is viewed as divine, and progressing toward a kind of godhood, or “Christ-Consciousness”. Many NAM divisions are pantheistic – they believe God is in everything, and everything together makes up God. Therefore, as a part of nature, man is part of God. Many New Age practices are designed to push man through the spiritual evolution to godhood. Astral projection (training your soul to have out-of-body experiences), contacting spirit guides, and using crystals to purify your body and mind’s energy systems are among these practices. Many New Agers believe in reincarnation and in Karma.
How can God be infinitely loving and infinitely angry .. how is that consistent with His character? .. Why is God angry .. who’s He angry with .. and what does that mean for you? .. Vital questions John MacArthur helps you answer in his study Wicked World .. Angry God
Romans 1: 16 For I ( the Apostle Paul ) am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.
25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural,
27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips,
30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful;
32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
MANY people are saying that religion should enter politics and “clean it up.” Have you heard such talk?
Religion does seem to be getting more active in politics all over the world. Here are some examples:
In GERMANY, a reporter going to confession in 12 different German cities during a recent election was given political advice 11 times out of 12.
In ITALY, the efforts of the pope to repeal Italy’s abortion law have created a furor. One member of the Italian Parliament called the pope’s activities “a challenge to the sovereignty of our nation.”
In JAPAN, religious organizations such as the Soka-Gakkai and Rissho Koseikai have been sponsoring candidates to national office and holding political rallies.
In the UNITED STATES, well-organized fundamentalists helped to engineer defeats for numerous liberal politicians last November.
All this activity has caused many people to ask—
CAN RELIGION REALLY CHANGE POLITICS?
History shows that religion and politics do not always mix well. Consider the mixture of religion and politics in the Inquisition, the Crusades, the Thirty Years’ War, and the ongoing war in Ireland, not to mention the recent fighting in the Middle East, which has been called a ‘holy war’ by both sides.
But surely God is concerned about the problems that threaten to engulf the earth. Does not God want them solved? Of course he does. But—
IS GOD GOING TO SOLVE EARTH’S PROBLEMS THROUGH POLITICS?
If political power could be used to solve earth’s problems, why did not Jesus Christ accept such power when on earth? Jesus was the Son of God. The record indicates that he would have made a far better world ruler than any of the Roman emperors of his day. Yet when Jesus was offered world rulership, he refused it. Why? Here is what the record says:
“The Devil took him along to an unusually high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and he said to him: ‘All these things I will give you if you fall down and do an act of worship to me.’ Then Jesus said to him: ‘Go away, Satan! For it is written, “It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.”’”—Matt. 4:8-10.
Jesus rejected Satan’s offer, but he did not say that political power was not Satan’s to offer. In fact, on several occasions Jesus referred to Satan as “the ruler of this world.” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11) So, political power in this world does not depend on God; it depends on the Devil! Did you realize that?
Jesus Christ was not interested in mixing religion and politics. He wanted no part of Satan’s political system, no matter how lofty and apparently noble the ends for which it might be used. Servants of God today should feel the same way about political matters, realizing that the ‘ends do not justify the means.’ As the Bible puts it: “What fellowship do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what sharing does light have with darkness?”—2 Cor. 6:14.
‘But the world is in terrible shape!’ say some sincere people. ‘If God is against politics,’ they ask,
HOW WILL GOD STRAIGHTEN OUT THE WORLD?
A very important question. Ironically, most professed Christians speak the answer to this vital question in prayer but do not realize that they are saying it! The answer is found in the well-known prayer that Jesus taught his followers:
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”—Matt. 6: 10, Authorized Version.
In other words, God is not using any earthly kingdom to do his will because God prefers to use his own kingdom.
Do you really believe that politicians, however sincere, can solve this world’s problems? Most realistic people do not. That is why the news that God’s kingdom will soon do so should be good news for you, just as it was good news for people in Jesus’ day.—Matt. 9:35.
‘But who knows when God’s kingdom is coming?’ people ask. ‘Is it realistic to look to it for a solution to the problems of our generation?’
Yes. God’s kingdom is the only realistic answer to the problems of our generation. Jesus made it clear that our generation would see the arrival of God’s kingdom. If you carefully read Jesus’ words at Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, you will see for yourself that Jesus had our generation in mind.
By refusing to mix politics and religion you can follow the example of Jesus and can demonstrate your faith in God’s kingdom, the only solution to all the problems the politicians cannot solve.
These days you may be paying more attention to things political than at any other time . . . But as a Christian .. how much should the workings of government concern you? .. Aren’t you better off leaving political matters to others .. focusing instead on obeying God’s Word and proclaiming the gospel? .. John MacArthur helps you get a handle on those important questions in his study ..
The Christian and Government
Romans 13 .. Be Subject to Government 01 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
02 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
03 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;
04 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
05 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.
06 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.
07 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
● In a recent radio editorial, news director Jim Branch of station WRFM spoke on the subject “Has Religion Gone Too Far?” Branch noted religion’s deep involvement in the past U.S. presidential election, saying: “They really want to go back to the good old days when the church and state were not separate, and religion ran the show both on local and higher levels.”
Branch says the churches seem to justify their political involvement “on the basis of God is everywhere, but someday they may face a judge who says, ‘Oh, no, he’s not . . . not from a legal point of view.’ And then the judge will define God and religion and its limits. And so religion will find the tables turned. After so many years telling the secular world what to do, the secular world will tell religion what to do.”
In a graphic depiction of a catastrophic change in the churches’ status, the Christian apostle John quotes false religion, or “Babylon the Great,” as saying: “I sit a queen, and I am no widow, and I shall never see mourning.” The prophecy continues: “That is why in one day her plagues will come, death and mourning and famine, and she will be completely burned with fire.”—Rev. 18:7, 8.
Religion gets what it deserves and should it remove it's sacred cloth for adornments of power, profit, and enterprise then religious organizations need to participate in the fiscal aspects of the societies where they operate.
Remove their tax exemptions, open their books for public examination, and hold them accountable for the laws of the land. That is what Jesus taught about rendering and the chruches that seek political power & profit...need to submit to the tax man.
Since the cross people have failed to go directly to the inspired Greek manuscripts, preferring instead the word of man. Mainly the Koran and the Bible, both published by the rich. Both accomplishing what the rich want above all things, a fake morality that allows those most intelligent to hoard excessive wealth.
For all it takes is one contradiction in a book for readers to consider it fiction.
And so, in Matthew 5 we are told to turn the other cheek and be a pacifist, while in Romans 13 were told to kill in the name of God. Comes now the ancient Greek manuscripts and Romans 13 to tell us that God allows government to kill to prove the harm in it.
Actually there are over 40 such contradictions in the Bible and well over 100 in the Koran.
For surely Schripture warns us, "The whole world is under the control of the evil one... The power of death and deadly force; that is the devil."
My response is that the Bible and Koran were both written by fallible souls and thus they are not solid scripture. The Vedas are directly from the breath of God and infallible. Being that the soul reincarnates perpetually until liberated, is foreign to the religions of the world except Hinduism which has become corrupted by the teachings of Shankaracharya and thus even though believing in the constant sojourn of the soul in material existence they are virtually Buddhist in essence [monism = voidism].
So, religion is basically a series of faulty belief systems making atheism more and more attractive. Only pure Vaishnava teachings in the line of Chaitanya transcend the limits of imperfect scriptures and poor teachers. However, because people prefer to be cheated there are so many bogus religions these days. If people prefer to be ignorant of reality what can be done?
Therefore , Shree Chaitanya said that in this age only the loud chanting of the holy names of the Lord constitutes religious practise. All else is superfulous, really.
Liberals - Socialists - Atheists - Moral relativists - Environmentalists - Secular Humanists - Anarchists - Unitiarians - New Agers - progressives etc etc .. are people who are just as 'religious' about what they believe as anyone else ( if not more ) . . . . sorry . . but you cannot divorce yourself from religion .. IT IS YOUR IDOLOGY .. it is what you adopt as 'your truth' .. it is what you have placed your faith in .. It's what you believe . . . and this belief simply needs to be defined
Religion is being shown for what it is: A method of controlling people that discourages them from thinking for themselves and being fully accountable and responsible for their lives.
Religion has no place anywhere on the planet, to my mind. So-called "organized" religion is the worst thing to happen to human kind. We do have a relationship with the Divine, just not through some church, synagogue, mosque, or wherever people have been told is the ONLY place they can be in touch with our creators.
Religious fundamentalism of all stripes is the greatest threat to humans and all other life on this planet. Fundamentalists want to look at the past as the best that man can experience. They base their blind faith on made-up stories of fictional characters and try to tell the rest of us that we don't measure up to the cartoons.
Jesus, Moses, and Joshua didn't exist. Muhammad was a megalomaniac thug. Jesus was a gnostic idea of big love: we are all connected, no matter how different we may appear to be. There is no us against them, there is only us against us.
The only way this world will change for the better is for each of us to wake up from this dream of life and become full, active participants. Seeing that we're all in this together is the motivation to be conscious and awake, active and alert. We are all part of the Divine Mind, and there is no disconnect.
Love yourself and everyone else!
May we all be blessed with awakening from the slumber.
In Revelation 13 .. John prophesies that a time will come when all human beings who are not named in the Lamb's Book of Life will worship the satan inspired end time beast .. The Anti-Christ [ instead of Christ ]
John also predicts in Revelation 17 that this one world religion .. which is symbolized by a harlot (a counterfit of the bride of Christ .. the Church) will be judged and destroyed by God
Our world is swiftly moving toward a fulfillment of this prophecy
In 1993 .. 6000 religious leaders .. representing 125 relgious groups from around the world .. gathered in Chicago for the Parliament of World Religions .. an event promoted by the United Nations
The stated purpose of this parliament was to formulate a "global ethic" that would provide the basis for a non-biased .. non-exclusive .. religious world order
In the words of this "global ethic" - "We affirm that a common set of core values is found in the teachings of the religions .. and that these form the basis of a global ethic"
Yes religion is lossing its ground for people are seeing what religion is really about!!!! man kind. For those that believe good for you but do not push your views on the people of this world different than you aka (gays). I'm not gay and i'm married with kids and very happy being straight but when did god appoint you over them or in fact over any human black green yellow???? who told you that all you think is right???? Go vote just like everyone else keep your hads to your self and leave our kids alone. I'm mostly cherokee indian and like most i believe man wrote the bible enough said. My son came home he is 8 and told me that god is a fairy tail and no i had not put one thing in his head weather there is or isn't that is for him to chose. So less i'm or we are hurting any one or any thing i would thank you to leave me out of your views and choices and yes sorry for any misspelled words or gramar school wasn't my best subject.
03/30/2008 5:56:41 PM
