Faith Always A Part of Election
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ -- Matthew 7:21-23
Just when we’re all already tired of the presidential race, the Pope and Donald Trump are fighting. Really? Well, I suppose it’s just part of it these days.
One friend couldn’t believe that the Pope would insert himself into a political race for a secular office. No offense, but religion has been part of the campaign for that office for a very, very long time. As it should be, I might add.
President Obama has been condemned for years about his lack of Christian faith. Honestly, none of us know his heart. Only God knows a person’s heart. It’s all speculation. He’s accountable to God, just like the rest of us. We should be more concerned about our own faith, but that’s another topic for another day.
The Pope didn’t insert religion into the presidential race. Politicians routinely tell us about their Christian values. And they routinely do things that are contrary to the values they claim. We all do. It doesn’t excuse any of us.
Trump has publicly called himself a Christian. So when he takes a political stance that the Pope believes is in direct conflict with being a Christian, well, fireworks start. Trump doesn’t like it. I understand that. But as someone in a very nasty race for president, he should expect it.
But what about the rest of us. Do our Christian values really reflect in how we vote and what and who we support? No. They don’t. We vote based on what’s good for us. We support laws and policies that benefit us. And we condemn anything else.
We don’t do handouts. We don’t want people who came illegally. We have no compassion for the poor. We throw our elderly aside. And we can be cold and heartless as we seek to better ourselves at the cost of others.
Should the Pope have spoken up? That’s something that will be debated for a while. On the other hand, maybe it’s past time we started opening our eyes to what we say and what we do. Do we really want a Christian in the White House? Or do we just want someone who will make us wealthier that we already are?
