The Mixedup World of Politics and Religion
My grandfather always insisted that politics and religion
just does not mix. If he said it to me once he said it to
me a million times, "Son, religion and politics doesn't
mix in polite conversation." What he meant by "polite
conversation" he never did explain.
It is obvious that most people do not engage in polite
conversation.
However, has there ever been a time when politics and religion
was more mixed up than today. Somewhere along the line,
somebody dumped politics and religion in the same barrel
and mixed them up thoroughly. It has painfully come to the
point in our country where the only difference between "politics,"
and "religion," is in the spelling.
I will grant you that in the world of politics some need
a little more religion than is currently evident. Any religion
would be a help at this point. Those who should be helping
others are simply helping themselves.
We now find ourselves as a nation in a great race for the
White House. Normally a healthy sprint but this time it
has turned into a marathon with both sides making up the
rules as they go along.
It seems that one team is playing baseball while the other
team is playing basketball on the same playing field. Perhaps
they are taking their plans from the Harlem Globetrotters.
One question I have is this, who in their right mind wants
to be President of the United States? I question the sanity
of anyone who desires to sit behind the desk in the Oval
Office. Half of the people will love you, half of the people
will hate you, and the other half will not remember your
name.
You have to be half-crazy to run and if you win, the craziness
is accomplished.
But this time it is a political cornucopia of choices.
Just the top three provides us with all the variety we could
ever expect. We have a woman, an African-American and an
old white guy. What more could you ask for? Can it get any
crazier than this?
The entertainment value in this whole business is incalculable.
For example, when the Hollywood writer’s strike was
on, the late-night TV comedians did not have writers writing
their material. But they were not needed as the political
material wrote itself. There is nothing more inanely funny
than a politician trying to make a serious point.
As I was pondering this whole issue, a thought struck me
as I have never been struck before (not counting that incident
in 1998).
A news report indicated that the three top candidates for
the President of the United States were raising approximately
$100 million a month. My first reaction was a low whistle
that caught the attention of the Gracious Mistress of the
Parsonage.
"Are you sure you're reading that right," she
asked questioning my intelligence.
When I affirmed the correctness of the figure all she said
was, "What a waste of good money."
It was then that this idea invaded the dark recesses of
my mind. And does my mind love recess. What if... and I
know this comes perilously close to the Twilight Zone...
but what if these people would raise money for legitimate
purposes? I know this goes against all that is politically
correct in our country, but the idea fascinated me for a
few moments.
Can we really afford these money raisers to step down and
become President of the United States? If these top level
money machines really wanted to serve their country I think
they unwittingly found their niche. After all, would we
really miss a vacancy in the Oval Office?
Wouldn't it be much better for our country if we allow
these three money-raising politicians to keep on raising
this kind of money month after month? Do you realize this
would be over $1billion a year?
I think this would serve our country a lot better than
someone sitting behind a desk at the Oval Office making
changes most of the people do not need in the first place.
We need a different kind of change, in the form of cold
hard cash month after month such as these are raising right
now.
I think this idea is a terrific one. Each month the monies
raised during that month could then be distributed to needy
causes. And by needy causes, I mean a cause not associated
in any way, shape or form to anything political, which would
rule out 99% of the agencies getting money from the government
now. And, for the first time in our history the people who
actually need help would get it, all of it.
Of course, I know what would happen. All of these political
niceties dividing our country now would fall by the wayside.
The country would not be divided and fighting each other.
The problem here would be, what in the world could we fight?
After all, it is in our nature to fight.
How about crime, injustice, illiteracy, hatred, poverty...
and a hundred other things destroying our culture today.
The Bible has something to say along these lines. "Open
thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed
to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead
the cause of the poor and needy" (Proverbs 31:8-9 KJV).
What if we would mix politics and religion together and
come up with a "helping hand?"
by
James Snyder
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