Religion and Politics

Religion and politics have long been seen as the subjects to avoid if you want a peaceful conversation. Both seem to ignite passion, and often anger, when one person questions or contradicts another's beliefs. There is a saying among many young Christians these days, abbreviated WWJD: What Would Jesus Do?

Would Jesus have argued politics? In the Bible, the only political statements he ever made involved his declaration that the Kingdom of God was near, and that he would rule the Kingdom, offering a part in that rule to his followers. He didn't get involved in debates over which politician had the better agenda, mainly because he knew that when he returned all agendas would be changed.

Granted, in those days there wasn't the freedom to question authorities as we have today. But he told his followers to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's. He never encouraged them to get involved in politics or social programs to try to "make the world a better place." That's because the world will be made a better place when he returns to inaugurate the Kingdom of God. The Christian Church's job is to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, not to change the world with religion.

For many years I, like many other Christians, tended to equate religion with right-wing political views. Before that I had tended to lean more to the left, as many young people do. Today I realize that politics is not the answer, and neither the right-wing nor the left have "the right idea." That's why I have said before that I am not so much "middle of the road" as "off-road." I am apolitical by choice, not by lack of choice.

One of the first steps in that direction was when I took a class in college on ethics back in the mid-90's. The biggest thing I learned from that class is that there are no simple answers to the big social questions we face. The textbook we used, and the class discussions, showed the valid points of both sides of hot-button issues like abortion, capital punishment, homosexuality, gun control, civil rights, social injustice, etc. I realized then that the reason arguments continue about these things is that there really is no one simple answer, and anyone on either side who thinks there is hasn't considered all the factors. The root cause of these problems is the fallen nature of man, which won't be solved until the Lord returns.

That is not to say that Christians should do nothing. We are expected to do our best to live up to God's moral standards. But expecting those who don't hold to those standards to live up to them just because we think it's right is unrealistic. And history has shown that trying to legislate morality doesn't work. Some people are just going to do what they want to do. There have been many attempts to make things better, but none of them is perfect. At best the world has argued over which is the lesser of two evils.

This is why I believe in the separation of Church and State. Many anti-religious people say it is to protect government from religion, but it works both ways. We don't need government influencing religion either. But the biggest thing that the Church needs to do is to stop politicizing moral issues. God sees all sin equally, and is prepared to forgive all sin by the blood of His Son. But those who don't accept that are still going to live in this world. The governments of this world have to make decisions that are fair to everyone for now. It's a completely different arena, an entirely different context, in which Christians and non-Christians have to live peaceably together, as much as possible ("If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." - Rom. 12:18)

If Christians are going to reach the hearts of the people they seek to convert, they have to be willing to see life from those people's viewpoint. Compassion was one of the big keys that Jesus spoke about. It doesn't do any good to say, "You're a sinner and you'll go to hell if you don't stop." (For one thing, the term "hell" is almost always misinterpreted; see my website for more about that.) Compassion demands that we understand why people do what they do and share with them the solutions God offers. There's a reason why the stereotype Christian in the world's media is portrayed as being self-righteous and judgmental. Far too many are that way (though certainly not all of them). But sadly the ones that are give the rest of Christianity a bad name.

In addition, I see many instances of politically biased arguments using twisted facts to prove their "side" while at the same time accusing the other side of doing the same thing. It happens on both sides - conservatives and liberals are equally guilty of it. I would expect it of the world, but when Christians get into such arguments, misrepresenting what the others say, and demonizing opposing viewpoints without really understanding them, it causes unnecessary division. The "us-versus-them" mentality that has divided this country does no one any good. God has the only perfect solutions, and He will bring them to pass eventually. And while I believe there is a source of truth and right when it comes to what God has made known through His Son, I don't believe that there is a definitive solution IN THIS LIFE for many of the political issues that divide people. So, yeah, I'll discuss religion with people, but I try to avoid politics.


(An old favorite from Dr. Demento!)