step out of the culture wars

I have been so troubled by the current and personal levels of political rhetoric, sometimes referred to as the culture wars.   The closer the date for the election comes, the more fierce is the dialogue, the more polarized the community becomes.   People get caught up in emotion.


In an election there must be a winner and I think some people may actually feel it best defines them to know who the winner is. This stays strangely true no matter who is elected. 

I  have believed forever that every story has two sides, I once rested my soul in that balance that there was truth somewhere hanging in the middle, sort of like a hidden Easter  egg or maybe a pinata.  That unfortunately doesn't bring me comfort any more because I now realize the problem is with these exact words [two sides]. If it is really two and only two opposing sides then there is at the end of the analysis a broken egg or pinata, a right and a wrong, good and bad;  and of late who is Holy and who is Evil.     Have we somewhere in all the mess let the politics of our time define the truth of our faith life and vice versa.   


Now  so many of us are upset because winds of political change are moving through our religious beliefs, beginning to tell people of faith, we have to change who we are and what we believe, because there are (according to popular pollsters] more people who believe something different. Popular media tries to say the members define the community of faith rather than the other way around. If popular belief was followed at the time of Christ then people would be worshiping Elijah or John the Baptist.


Christianity isn't a platform reminds The Outpatient Monk, Douglas Harrison.  The Christianity I know is a journey of people to God through Jesus, it is also a compilation of all our identities it is both who we all are, and it is each of us and each of our stories. It is dangerous territory when someone starts
linking our Christianity and holiness with our political platform.

Grafitti somewhere said Christians aren't perfect just forgiven, But I know deep in my heart that we aren't the only ones who meet that criterion. God is not a Catholic and he is not a Republican nor a Democrat. Jesus walked among us and told us to give to Ceasar what belonged to Ceasar, but to Give to God that which belonged to God; that being us. No person belongs to the political process or to a political party we belong to God. We are here to love each other and care for each other.  I just want to see it so I can act like it