I've known people whose faith is way too entwined with politics. I've known priests and pastors who can pick out who will leave, if they cross one of those political shibboleths. I've seen political "arguments" that are so simplistic and so bad that it scares me. As an image or an idol, I can grant you that MAGA Jesus exists somewhere.
The problem with some of you is that you don't think the opposite image exists.
NPR Jesus? Is it too unfair to maybe call it Colbert Jesus?
Granted that human beings are disturbingly good at worshipping idols. In a rare attack of good sense, John (Jean) Calvin said that the human heart was an idol factory. But maybe we don't have to go around accusing each other of the most damnable and scandalous errors all the time. Do politics better. Listen. Try to debate issues better. Try to understand each other better. And fight it out in the political arena, shake hands, and do it again next time.
Let me note once again that presidential elections are notoriously close in America. If you took the most lopsided presidential contests in history as representative, and put all of America in a large pew occupied by 10 people, 6 people voted for the dude who won, and the other 4 voted for the dude (or lady) who lost. For most of the rest of them, that fifth person would be mutilated. Which is to say, voting is hard. You have good people that you know and love who voted for the person you despise. Rather than just act like your reasoning, your hopes, your fears, and whatever else are unassailable, you could ask.
And the parties have to ask, as the two big ones go through these amusing cycles where they lose, blame the "other" faction in the party, and then behave as though they'll never win again, especially if people X stay in control. Essentially, if you don't win a majority in almost all elections, you lose.
Liberal evangelicals and liberal exvangelicals aren't asking why. They're emoting and accusing. For one thing, conveniently forgetting that most "social" issues, where the traditional position is viewed as "lacking compassion" and "damaging outreach" has been settled in the opposite direction thousands of years ago in the philosophical tradition, baptized by the Catholic Church, and is now irrevocably part of the Christian heritage. And that practically, the progressive position is nowhere near where the average voter is.
I said last night that the Democrats would be absolutely trouncing the Republicans in any iteration, if they weren't so committed to such extreme positions on human sexuality, the government recognition of such, and the most grisly heart of it, elective abortion. Let me add euthanasia. There are some of you that think you can continue badgering your neighbors on all manner of lesser issues, that if the Democrats "liberal" even harder (turn out the base) they'll win. Morally and strategically, this will fail, and is failing. I don't really much care; I have a column in an actual publication coming arguing that I can't vote for president anymore, as a matter of conscience. But I would like the republic not to be destroyed from within by violence and contempt.
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