This is probably the hardest blog I have ever tried to articulate. I have been thinking it over for the past couple months, and I just need to get it out of my mind and written down. I am really starting to believe that I don’t adhere to any political party. The reason this is hard for me to say is because it seems like literally everyone around me is passionately conservative.
Trust me, I am all for political awareness and social justice. I just don’t see justice happening in our current state. I think certain things about modern capitalist politics just don’t line up with the life Jesus led. Here are a few of the issues I am starting to re-think:
I am becoming a pacifist. Last night, I watched the movie, The Passion of the Christ. As I sat there in tears watching this actor’s rendition of Jesus, it became more apparent how much of a non-violent revolutionary he was. The “turn the other cheek” analogy is more than just a saying; it was a way of life for Jesus. Now, just for clarification, this is not some anti-Iraq war rant. I am simply stating my distaste for war in general. I realize our country was pretty much founded on the civil war, but to me that is not justification, it’s just history that we learn from.
I am becoming more concerned about Green Matters and the Environment. The bible calls us to be good stewards of our land, and I feel like our society has not done its job in upholding this. Everything on this earth is God’s piece of art from a mucky marsh in the everglades to farmland in the Midwest. Sometimes I think we have this attitude that Jesus is coming back before any of our environmental footprint effects anything. The fact of the matter is no one knows when Jesus is coming. It has been “at hand” since the apostle Paul was alive. One of my greatest fears is that, in a thousand years, our offspring look back at us in bewilderment at how we treated our land and showed no concern over their future. Why? So we could have 5 options in sneakers instead of 2, so we could have a 3 cars instead of two, etc.
I am reading the bible as a story, not an answer book. The bible is the tale of our existence put into poetic terms, not prose. It is the word inspired by God, not directly written by him. I believe the bible is 100% true in context, not out of it. I believe that we are still living out the bible today. God gave us the gift of his word so that we could see how past tribulations have been handled through different cultures and times. From the Spanish Inquisition, to John Wesley, to modern times, God wants us to learn from the past and grow on it. It is much like a tree and its rings. The tree keeps growing off itself and adding onto the rings already laid down, not starting new trees, not erasing past rings, but building upon them.
These are the major things going on in my head currently. Like I said when I started this thread, this is my journey. I could be completely off, and I am open to that fact. I just want to be open with my thoughts and not stifle “different” thinking. By the way, I realize that my points kind of went beyond politics and into just my general orthodoxy. Sorry for the scatter-brained post.
4 comments:
I think you should be more clear on being a pacifist. A pacifist is someone who would do nothing if they saw their child being murdered as opposed to doing everything in their power to stopping it.
A pacifist is someone who believes that going to battle for your beliefs, rights, family, country, etc...is never the right thing to do.
I don't think that a pacifist is what you are. And it you really are a pacifist then shame on you.
Well you are right, I am would defend my friends and family at all costs, maybe I have my terms mixed up. When I think of a pacifist, I think of a person who in general opposes war and would like to see alternate means of resolution.
I agree with your stance on war. I do think that we should avoid war if at all possible.
I don't think there's any sane people who love war, or even like it. But the real difference is between the people who know that war is sometimes necessary and inevitable, and the people who think war is wrong under all circumstances.
I would consider myself a pragmatic pacifist (as of now!, like I said I am still figuring things out). I think things like World War II and the Holocaust warranted, if not demanded defense. You can say most people think of War as a last resort, but I think most non-believers don’t perceive the American church that way. Therefore, it’s important to make a statement against it.
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