Of course you know about the religious right...

[Belk]

With other people's money, of course. (Tax dollars)

Is there some reason using tax dollars is not a valid strategy? Those on all sides of a political spectrum are allowed to propose how we spend our taxes on the common good.

 

[durangodawood]

Can you be a real Christian and also be "left"?

I get the impression around here that you cant.

 

[DaisyDay]

I mention them often. They were willing to help any person trying to legally resist the draft during the Vietnam War. In my case it was breaking newish ground because my objections did not stem from a belief in a supreme being. The Society of Friends did not hesitate in the least because of that.

I thought it odd at the time that Nixon was a Quaker. It didn't seem to jibe somehow.

 

[Margaret3110]

Can you be a real Christian and also be "left"?

I get the impression around here that you cant.

How are we defining “left” in this instance?

 

[RoBo1988]

Can you be a real Christian and also be "left"?

I get the impression around here that you cant.

I think you probably ought to be Christian, period.

 

[mindlight]

"We have the right as individuals to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right to appropriate a dollar of the public money."- Davy Crockett

The freedom to be greedy versus the fact that every government on the planet and all through history has always taxed and redistributed wealth. The question is only to whom that wealth goes.

 

[Bradskii]

"We have the right as individuals to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right to appropriate a dollar of the public money."- Davy Crockett

Well, if Davy wanted to ride from Dayton to Cincinnati then he'd pick a convenient trail. You could as well, unless you want to use route 75. How do you build that without taxes? Plus schools and hospitals. You have to pay for the police, fire brigade, teachers, nurses, congressmen and women, the armed services, bridges...the list goes on.

Don't want your taxes to go towards benefiting the community? The don't take advantage of all that the community provides for you via other people's taxes.

 

[Hazelelponi]

...but what about the Christian left?

Christian left leaders launch national campaign to mobilize voters ahead of 2024 election

Left-leaning religious and civil rights leaders have launched a 30-state campaign they say will wake the sleeping giant and mobilize over 15 million poor and low-income voters ahead of the 2024

www.christianpost.com

Yeah it's been looking for a while they've been embracing some crazy theology over there, and they are so very political...

 

[durangodawood]

I think you probably ought to be Christian, period.

I dunno. It seems like a political identity.

 

[mindlight]

Can you be a real Christian and also be "left"?

I get the impression around here that you cant.

Being a Christian is about accepting the gift of salvation from Christ. Since people come from every background there is an infinite diversity of opinion among early believers.

Mature Christians may doubt that LGBTQ, liberal permissivism, abortion or the apparent promotion of false religions and moral relativism has anything to do with God but they cannot doubt that Jesus has a heart for the poor and the oppressed of this world. People may well disagree on how best to help the poor and oppressed but a basic compassion for them cannot be missing from a truly Christian heart.

Christians may sit in parties on either the right or left of the political spectrum and it is always an uncomfortable fit but not impossible.

 

[Hazelelponi]

I dunno. It seems like a political identity.

Troubling the Waters: Baptism and Black Lives Matter

Brad R. Braxton provides a pastoral reflection on the transformative effects of baptism in politically turbulent waters during the age of Black Lives Matter, noting how baptism represents the marking of our bodies for struggle.

berkleycenter.georgetown.edu

^^ liberation theology that is considered left in the US... It's this type of stuff.

It's crept into a lot of churches, not just black churches. This didn't end well in Latin America...

 

[mindlight]

Troubling the Waters: Baptism and Black Lives Matter

Brad R. Braxton provides a pastoral reflection on the transformative effects of baptism in politically turbulent waters during the age of Black Lives Matter, noting how baptism represents the marking of our bodies for struggle.

berkleycenter.georgetown.edu

^^ liberation theology that is considered left in the US... It's this type of stuff.

It's crept into a lot of churches, not just black churches. This didn't end well in Latin America...

Depends on what you mean. The very name Israel means one who struggles with God. Israel was liberated from Egypt by God against Pharoah's wishes. They fought many campaigns against oppressive occupations during Judges and Kings. The American Revolution itself was supposedly about a struggle against an oppressor who taxed the people without allowing for their representation in parliament. How far do you want to oppose the notion that sometimes struggle against illegitimate authorities has a certain theological credibility to it?

 

[Nithavela]

I guess the right-wing religion forgot the Love Your Neighbor part of the bible.

Oh, they still love their neighbours. They just express that love by trying to prevent their neighbours from doing the things they think are harmful for their neighbours.

They say "pro-life", but mean "prevent abortions". They say "pro-family", but mean "prevent expressions of anything except cis-gendered heterosexuality".

 

[Hazelelponi]

Depends on what you mean. The very name Israel means one who struggles with God. Israel was liberated from Egypt by God against Pharoah's wishes. They fought many campaigns against oppressive occupations during Judges and Kings. The American Revolution itself was supposedly about a struggle against an oppressor who taxed the people without allowing for their representation in parliament. How far do you want to oppose the notion that sometimes struggle against illegitimate authorities has a certain theological credibility to it?

I decided I had poorly worded things earlier so I'm trying again.

Since liberation theology is rooted in communism, we generally find it at odds with the Protestant worldview.

You should probably do your own research. Most people don't consider it anything but politics masquerading as religion.

 

[BCP1928]

I decided I had poorly worded things earlier so I'm trying again.

Since liberation theology is rooted in communism, we generally find it at odds with the Protestant worldview.

The question then becomes, how Christian is the Protestant worldview?

You should probably do your own research. Most people don't consider it anything but politics masquerading as religion.

Which is what many people think of the Protestant worldview.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

So...
Religious right - bad
Religious left - good?

It is not about politics, it is about Love. Our Christian mandate.

1 Corinthians 13 4-5
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Be blessed.

 

[Margaret3110]

I think you probably ought to be Christian, period.

I tend to agree, but is it any worse to define oneself by one‘s left politics than by one‘s right politics? Is putting politics before ones faith somehow OK if you’re conservative? I don’t think so.

 

[Larniavc]

With other people's money, of course. (Tax dollars)

That’s what taxes are for. Don’t like it? Go live in the woods. I for one prefer health care, education and support for the less fortunate and although I pay a higher tax bracket I’m happy to do so because I‘ve not bought into the American screw you I’ve got mine “dream”.

 

[Larniavc]

Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.

Quietly paying you taxes does exactly that.

 

[RileyG]

I thought it odd at the time that Nixon was a Quaker. It didn't seem to jibe somehow.

I don't think he was very devout though.