Voting, Christianity, and Changing Our World…Again
Joshua, here’s the “forward” from several years ago that you were asking for...... Now, here’s the question I would have to respectfully ask of “christian activist” friends, who are passionate and judgmental about the “voting” stuff: who exactly would they vote FOR, anyway?
It’s not SO obvious.
For example. I personally heard Bush admit that both he AND Kerry are sworn members of “Skull and Crossbones” secret society. Bush said, on national television, that he WOULD NOT talk about his allegiance to “Skull and Crossbones,” nor would he renounce it. What does that say about where Bush’s (or Kerry’s) “faith” lies? Isn’t it at least a valid QUESTION to ask of those who would be insanely inanely passionate about elevating a man to such a “lofty” position, while using JESUS as reasoning to support their acidic acerbic judgments of those who would dare to step back from men’s politics?
What if, when face to face with Jesus, Paul, or John, or Matthew, or Nathaniel, would not have renounced the occultist elitist secret society they held membership in? Would Jesus have allowed them to come after Him—at all? Their “faith” in “following Jesus” (or “attending” a one day a week ritual) would have to seem a little suspect, wouldn’t you say—if they cannot and will not renounce such obvious oaths to evil, even SO many years after supposedly giving ALL to Jesus? I’m just asking. The rich young ruler was not nearly as bad off as sworn allegiance to an occultist secret society, and Jesus would not allow him to be a “christian” at all—until his “one thing” was dealt with severely. Just something to think about.....
You only see on television what the media and the “candidates” want you to see.
The point? There is no “point” here about Bush, or anyone in particular. Simply this: except to the gullible, things are not as they appear. Being an “activist” for occult members or ANYONE buried so deeply into life with pagans, rather than Heb.3:12-14 and 1Cor.12 LIFE, would seem quite foolish. We are FORBIDDEN to be “involved in civilian affairs”... IF we desire “to please our Commander.” I’m not addressing whether a person should “vote” per se—but the “religion” of such things, whether health food or politics or any such thing is weak and pathetic and foolish—and usurps Jesus as Head.
(Here’s that forward from Nick you were asking for... Love and Grace and Wisdom to you, in Messiah and King, JESUS... )
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Voting, Christianity, & Changing our world
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What are the common reasons that your average “Christian” views voting as a good thing to do; and some even view it as a mandatory thing to do?
Part of that Idea comes from a thought like this: I think it might have been Winston Churchill who said this: “Evil triumphs when good men do nothing.” And after all, Jesus did call us to be the “salt” (an agent to keep it from spoiling so quickly) of the earth didn’t He? Yep! But how do I reconcile that with His teaching that “a good soldier doesn’t get entangled in civilian affairs?” Is voting a way to be “salt” to slow down the spoiling of our world, or is it a civilian affair that we shouldn’t get “entangled” in?
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So. What are some of the factors involved in sorting through this subject. What exactly is accomplished by voting anyway? Am I electing a person? A party? A set of ideas? Does pulling a lever really “entangle” me? Chew on some questions with me.
Question One: Have you really gained anything by electing a child of the devil who is against abortion instead of a child of the devil who is for abortion?
While 95% of politicians have their name on some religious roll—both democrats and republicans—the overwhelming majority of them do not appear to have a devoted relationship with Jesus, the Person. Attending something religious (though most don’t even do that—outside of political event recognition) does not make you a follower of Jesus! Supporting “family values” does not make you a follower of Jesus! Being pro-life does not make you a follower of Jesus! Taking up your cross daily and following after Jesus—makes you a follower of Jesus!
How many elected “officials” in the last 200 years were men who took EACH decision they needed to make, turned their faces toward heaven and asked God for wisdom and direction? Maybe a few out of thousands and thousands of offices across the country? But not many!!! That’s a totally different measuring rod from “external morality” and pro-life politics! Using the “external morality” filter, you would have elected the Pharisees to office because of their stand on _____ issue! Wouldn’t you have? Wouldn’t the Pharisees have been pro-life and pro-family? So. out of good intentions, you end up electing the kind of people that opposed Jesus (religious people who were moral to be seen by men) in order to fight evil? That just doesn’t seem to wash.
And. if you are looking for that needle in a hay stack—that one righteous candidate out of 5,000, how, in the middle of all of the mud slinging, name calling, corruption, blackmail, hollow promises, baby kissing, and speech making would you even be able to tell if you were supporting a genuine God fearer instead of a moral bandwagonist?
Question Two: Have you really gained anything by forcing an unwanted child to grow up in a home—and be raised by parents who wanted to kill it, but who couldn’t because the man you voted for made it illegal?
Abortion is a tragic, murderous crime! No doubt about it! But the child would have been OK! Death is not the end of existence. An innocent, undeveloped life in the palm of God’s hands. A pretty OK place to be don’t you think? It’s the adult who is in big trouble. Not the child. What would really be gained in allowing the child to live, only to be raised by murderers (in heart anyway)?
Isn’t it more like Jesus’ way to convert the parent and make them fit to raise the child? Isn’t that the only thing that would really “save” the life of the child? Changing the world, life by life, a day at a time. Isn’t that how Jesus lived? God gave the old law to show us sin was illegal, but that wasn’t enough (then or now). We need heart transplants, not legislated morality.
In the first century, the saints in some cities put a big dent in the “idol merchant business” (enough to make them pretty angry) and in the “temple prostitute” business. Not by picketing and not by electing men to make them illegal, but by converting men to make them no longer interested in the evil practices. They concentrated on changing lives, not on changing public policy. The Kingdom “on earth as it is in Heaven” is about the Quality of LIFE of the Church, not social or political utopia. The Jews crucified Jesus once already because His Kingdom “was not of this world” and He would not step in, though He could, and be a Messiah for social and political utopia as fallen men desire.
That leads to Question three: What did Jesus and His hand-picked leaders have to say about civic leadership and our role as it relates to them?
That we should submit to earthy authority (Romans 14) and that we should pray for kings and those in authority. (1Tim.2:1-4) “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
That is *HOW* Jesus taught us to affect our world. We “do not wage war as the world does”! (2Cor.10:3). Our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph.6:12). Can you imagine Peter running for a seat in the Roman senate? Maybe then he could vote against the roman violent games? Surely something about that idea seems absurd to your inner man. He is part of another Kingdom; a different civilization!
How many of the activist religious types really spend that much time praying for the decisions of civic leaders (so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives), OR for the souls of civic leaders? Probably very few! Yet according to the scriptures, that is the primary battle ground. Read the first ten chapters of Daniel. Heaven rules!, not kings (or elected puppets). If professing Christians spent half of the time they spend on “moral causes” on their knees asking for Heaven’s help, then real differences could be made and not superficial sugar-coated moral makeup.
What about sending all the elected leaders in your area materials that present the uncompromised gospel in a clear way?
Again.. Jesus spent his time trying to help PEOPLE change. When people change, “policy” takes care of itself.
Question 4: What about the “non-moral” issues like tax reform and less intrusive government? Is it wrong to try to help the government run more efficiently?
Would a flat tax make my life easier? Sure. But at what cost? If it were a blind ballot that didn’t require putting your name on a list, that would be one thing. But it’s not. When you register, you put you name on a list of names that volunteers you for jury duty and potentially a HOST of other issues we don’t even know about yet.
Keep in mind that nowhere have I stated that “voting is wrong.” My only goal is that you view your time on this earth as you ought to—as strangers, and pilgrims, and aliens; and not be brainwashed into viewing yourself as an “American.” View your responsibilities on earth spiritually and not socially!
“Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.” 2 Peter 2: 3-4.
WE must NOT “be involved in civilian affairs”!!
If you view life as if you were an American, then you’ll be inclined to vote (or engage in other civic ventures) any time you see a perceived need. If you view life as a pilgrim saint on temporary assignment in North America traveling incognito in ENEMY TERRITORY, then you will view getting entangled in needless stuff with much wisdom and caution. Willing to vote perhaps, and listening to His direction; but not eager. Can you imagine Jews in hiding coming out of hiding to vote, even against Hitler? Some might, but none would do it lightly. They found out the hard way that they were living in enemy territory.
WE must NOT “be involved in civilian affairs”!!
Question 5: What are the risks of entanglement?
Long term—who knows? You’re on a list that could end up being used for what ever duties the government decides they need you for.
As for right now, that involves jury duty.
For the sisters, this could involve all of the duties of the juror selection process, the duties of being in a trial (of any kind of crime), and the real possibility of being sequestered for days, or weeks, or months, in a hotel with pagans. That would make it extremely difficult and in many cases impossible for brothers to be with you to cover you properly. Not to mention the imposition it creates if they were able you to accompany you for the whole time. And all for what? Less tax paperwork? Or helping to pick which pagan will represent some district for a couple years? It is hard to imagine a scenario that is worth this kind of risk.
As for the brothers: You might think, “What’s the difference in being with pagans at work or being with pagans in a court room?” Well for one, your job isn’t going to demand that you live for weeks in a hotel cut off from the Church, your family, and the rest of the outside world. That level of seclusion may not be real common, but it does exist. Or how about the possibility of being required to “view” and “listen” to evidence that is unfit for God’s Holy people? That chance is not so rare. Once again, that doesn’t include any other duties that may come up from being on the voter registration list.
It is somewhat easier to imagine a scenario that might make it right for a group of brothers to register, vote, and unregister together. We can be open to that as God directs, talk about it together, and do it together—as long as our hearts and minds are undergirded by the thoughts we’ve already mentioned.
Question 6: What if it was against the law not to vote, like it is in some countries?
If that were true, then a whole different set of issues would need to be considered. But one thing is for certain: Just because humans make a law, does not mean we can violate God’s laws. If it were the LAW to dress immodestly, we would just have to break the law and pay the consequences for doing so. The early Christians were commanded by Israel’s “Supreme Court” not to speak about Jesus, and they replied, “We must obey God rather than man.” Whether a wife or husband, or a Supreme Court—NO ONE has a right to command us to disobey or be unfaithful to Jesus and His High Calling.
However, whenever we can, we are called to live in submission to the civil authorities that God has allowed to be over us. If we can obey a law, we should! Voting, if it were actually a LAW that one must vote (as it is in Brasil and a few other countries), if it had no more strings attached than it does now, would probably be a law we could obey, if it ever came to that. In the meantime though, it has been left up to individual choice. That gives us the freedom and the obligation to make every effort to view it from God’s vantage point, not man’s lowly and prejudiced and easily fooled vantage point.
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Please make every effort to renew your mind. Don’t be duped into following the crowd to the beach, the movie theater, bars, or the voting booth. Fight to filter all of your ways, thoughts, opinions, and decisions through your Heavenly calling. Do not conform to the patterns of the world. That’s a command! Don’t think like they think. Don’t value what they value. Don’t make decisions the same way they make decisions. “In ALL of your ways ACKNOWLEDGE HIM and He WILL direct your path.”
11/1/2004
