Tag: politics

Where is the Love?

~ wzippler

Is it just me, or does every election mark a more hateful society? People are actually wishing death on all those who are on a different political side than they are. THIS SHOULD NOT BE! Yeah, I know that discussions with others on the other political side can get frustrating, and can tempt you to say words that you shouldn’t, but the Bible says:

Romans 12:20-21
20 But If your enemy is hungry, feed him.
If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
For in so doing
you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.
21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good
Holman Christian Standard Bible

No it isn’t saying that fiery coals are nice, it is figurative, have you ever been really mad at someone and they return that anger with a favor? When you were younger your Mom probably told you “No” a lot, and you being a child of course got angry. But all she had to do was pull out a cookie or other nice thing and she was your favorite person again. If however you were being a brat that day you might throw the cookie across the room in a temper tantrum. You are an adult now, you don’t have to get angry like that. Show them the love of God. If they become more even tempered, you may earn yourself a friend, or at very least make it harder for the person to think that your side is terrible. If they throw their cookie across the room like a toddler throwing a tantrum, you have gotten your revenge without bringing yourself down to their level. Pray for them, and move on.



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Should we keep politics, and religion separate?

~ wzippler ~ 3 Comments

I used to think that we could not legislate morality, but then someone with a lot clearer thinking then mine set me straight.
If it is wrong to legislate morality then what do we do about laws that protect life? Thou shalt not murder is a moral principle that many of our laws are built around.  Why is it illegal to speed? It isn’t because politicians are party poopers (well many are but that is beside the point). It is illegal to drive 100 miles an hour in a residential area because your chances of murdering an innocent person go way up when there are no traffic laws. We have laws that say you must go to school for a certain amount of years before you can practice medicine. The reason for these laws isn’t without reason. It is because when idiots practice medicine the chances of people dying go way up.
Thou shalt not steal is a moral principle, is it wrong to create laws to protect private property?

It turns out that most if not all good laws have a basis in someone’s morality. I am not saying that all Biblical laws should be made into secular law, a law forcing people to worship God would be a bad idea, because forced worship isn’t worship at all, it is acting.  The trick is to recognize that personal freedom is a moral principle as well. While we can not divorce morality from the law, we do have to balance the idea of personal freedom, with the protection of others. One can not be free to murder, without taking away an innocent person’s right to live. One can not be free to steal without taking away another person’s right to private property.  One can have the freedom not to worship, but they can not have the right of freedom from religion without taking away another person’s right to freedom of religion.