In today's world news headlines on my igoogle page, I read about bomb attacks in India, suicide bombing in Kabul, chaos in Congo, and riots and trouble in Syria at the US embassy.
Meanwhile, in US news, everything was about the upcoming election (mostly about the (anti-environmentalist) candidates sparring (or "battling bitterly" as one paper reported).
I believe the two-party system is so badly broken that it has indeed come down to this: the Republicans and the Democrats are much more interested in winning elections than in serving the people who elect them. They are more interested in tearing down their opponents than in demonstrating how they would be any better (interestingly, both candidates are painting the other as being ready to immediately tax the country back to the Stone Age).
These are the same kinds of divisions that have continually plagued the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church and have made Annual Conference downright painful to attend in past years, but this past year, all but the far left and right fringes were able to put aside differences and worship together (if I didn't mention it here, A.C. 2008 was the best I'd been to BY FAR). The body even voted that we wouldn't even bring three resolutions up for discussion because of their divisive nature.
The difference is that in the Annual Conference, we fall back on what holds us together: our love for Jesus Christ. In the election, however, the unifying factors is patriotism, and neither side is willing to admit that the other side has the country's best interest in mind (and is thus unpatriotic).
It's a reminder to me that we cannot put our trust in our nation or government (and the instability of the stock market and national finances in general) demonstrate that we cannot put our trust in money... but our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and offers a better way.
3 comments:
Amen. It's going to be a little painful to vote this year. I feel like both candidates are kind of missing the boat. I, like you, would like to see some political candidates that concentrated more on what they can do for the country than they do on tearing each other down. It really disappoints me. I've never really been one that dives head long into politics, mostly because of it's politicalness! hehehe
good words Brian.
I don't feel like I am a part of a monarchy. I don't feel like an ambassador. I don't feel like royalty...but I am all of those things. I hope I represent my King well while living in the US.
I feel it is important to stand behind God's word in which keeps me from voting for a canidate which supports abortion, partial birth abortion and the homosexual lifestyles. I do feel we need to invest more in our churches that preech the word of God and don't bend the rule of God so they do not offend anyone in their church.
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