***********April 21st, 2009 4:48 PM Eastern
BOB BECKEL: Miss USA Flap — How About Keeping God OUT of Politics?
The furor over the anti-gay marriage comments made by Miss California, who was competing in the Miss USA contest were both unnecessary and inflammatory. It reminded me of a former gay-bashing beauty contestant, Anita Bryant. The less than brilliant Bryant traveled the country in the ’70’s spewing hatred towards gays by her hateful speech and support of anti-gay referendums.
How about being Good Samaritans and keeping God out of politics?
I don’t know where this woman is now or if she is still alive but her sentiments certainly are among those felt by a minority of Americans who apparently don’t believe the Constitution of the United States provides for civil liberties for all our people. Some opponents of gay marriage love to quote the Bible as an anti-gay source.
I am a Christian, read the Bible daily, and attend church at least once a week (hard for some of you wingers to believe, isn’t it, that there are born-again Christians who happen to be liberals). I do not believe our Savior would have spoken out in favor of anti-gay referendums. “Give onto Caesar what is Caesar’s.”
How about being Good Samaritans and keeping God out of politics?
Having said that, I am appalled that the question was raised at all. Given the fact that the questioner, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, is gay makes it appear that he is injecting his own politics into what is after all just a beauty contest. It’s time to cool the rhetoric on both sides on the gay marriage issue and leave it to state legislatures and the courts which is where the debate belongs.**************
BOB BECKEL: Miss USA Flap — How About Keeping God OUT of Politics?
The furor over the anti-gay marriage comments made by Miss California, who was competing in the Miss USA contest were both unnecessary and inflammatory. It reminded me of a former gay-bashing beauty contestant, Anita Bryant. The less than brilliant Bryant traveled the country in the ’70’s spewing hatred towards gays by her hateful speech and support of anti-gay referendums.
How about being Good Samaritans and keeping God out of politics?
I don’t know where this woman is now or if she is still alive but her sentiments certainly are among those felt by a minority of Americans who apparently don’t believe the Constitution of the United States provides for civil liberties for all our people. Some opponents of gay marriage love to quote the Bible as an anti-gay source.
I am a Christian, read the Bible daily, and attend church at least once a week (hard for some of you wingers to believe, isn’t it, that there are born-again Christians who happen to be liberals). I do not believe our Savior would have spoken out in favor of anti-gay referendums. “Give onto Caesar what is Caesar’s.”
How about being Good Samaritans and keeping God out of politics?
Having said that, I am appalled that the question was raised at all. Given the fact that the questioner, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, is gay makes it appear that he is injecting his own politics into what is after all just a beauty contest. It’s time to cool the rhetoric on both sides on the gay marriage issue and leave it to state legislatures and the courts which is where the debate belongs.**************
Ok..Now that you have read the above piece written by Bob Beckel...Allow me to offer up an alternative view..because I get very upset when people claim to want to "Keep God out of it" whatever "it" is...HELLO!!!! God is not a vending machine where you can choose to follow Him on some days and issues and NOT on others..Good Grief..This is exactly the problem that is watering down the Christian Faith and causing it to be less and less relevant...because when an unbeliever looks at statements like this, they ask themselves..What makes him any different than me..Answer...NOTHING.. I have this righteous anger building up with pseudo Christians that claim the mantle of Christianity but live no differently or act no differently than the rest of the unsaved world...
Since when did God and His commands for us a believers become second to our political beliefs or our education beliefs, etc.. What gospel is that? Mr. Beckel claims he reads the bible every day...goes to church...but feels God doesn't belong in politics..God is not something we can choose to turn off and on whenever it is convenient.. God demands our surrendering of ourselves and our submission to HIS authority..Not the authority of mere man.. God demands we live in His truth as revealed to us thru the Scriptures..That means we are to live as He would and it rips me up on the inside when the word is expressly clear on such issues as Homosexuality or abortion and people take the stance that somehow Jesus Christ would have take a different opinion on such "controversial matters" other than what His inspired word says.. Really? Bob what bible are you reading? Since when are you in a position to interpret what Jesus Christ would do when it is in direct contradiction to what is said in His word..
See here us the crux of the problem.. God belongs FIRST..in every single situation known to a human.. Whether we like it or not..and so if it flies in the face of what you believe, you do not get to choose when God is relevant and when He is not.. God is relevant in every single situation no matter how controversial or unpopular.. We are not afforded the right to adjust the truth to suit our political persuasion..God belongs in every decision we make..Period..
He also says that Liberals can be born again Christians..Let me take that issue up for a moment..Understand I am not here to condemn anyone or judge anyone but I am willing to boldly speak the truth..to stand firm with God and against the prevailing winds of this world..no matter the consequences. If you believe abortion is OK...then you are contradicting the written word of God..Plain and simple..The scripture is clear on when God made us..and if you believe in God and that every word in the Bible is true and God inspired available for teaching and reproof..then you do no get to selectively choose the parts that conform to how you want to believe..Either you believe the Bible or you don't.. There is no in between..Either you are on God's side or you are not.. Psalm 139:13 says " For your formed my inward parts; you covered me in my mothers womb. Psalms 139:16 says " Your eyes saw my substance being yet unformed". Psalms 51: "Behold I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin my mother conceived me". See these passages are clear that God is the creator of life...not us humans..He speaks of "substance" not a viable fetus..yet many people selectively dismiss this part of the bible because it doesn't "jive" with what they want it to mean.. The same issues can be said of homosexuality.. If we choose to claim Christ as our Savior and not our Lord...that does not work.. In order for Him to be our Lord..Then He must rule and reign in our lives and His edicts must be the order for our lives.. I hear people like Bob Beckel say "voters are not just one issue voters".. I can't hardly think of a more false statement than that..If the issue is an issue relevant to God's Truth, then we have no other choice but to follow the Truth....i.e. Believing in abortion will eliminate you from my vote but just because you don't believe in abortion doesn't mean you get my vote..Does that make sense.. The one issue can eliminate you altogether but doesn't mean you are assured my vote..but you must pass that provision before I can consider you any further.. What I am trying to say is we must filter everything thru the Truth..not your version of it, not the worlds version of it but the written word provided to us by God.. It is just that simple.. Here is another example..You may agree with many positions one takes with regards to economic issues, foreign policy but if they are contradicting the Truth, then you must side with God..You are not given the latitude to selectively choose which issues matter more to you..Either you are on God's side or you are not.. There is no middle ground..
God belongs everywhere and should be in everything we do.. No matter what..!! Just because humans created separation of church and state does not preclude you to leave your beliefs at the door..Your beliefs are who you are and are indicative of who you serve..Again, either you serve God or Man...so it is blatant rejection of Christ to act as if you can leave God out of your life for certain areas and use Him when you deem appropriate.. That is not Christianity..That is "religiosity." The bible says there are false teachers 1 Timothy 3-4On my way to the province of Macedonia, I advised you to stay in Ephesus. Well, I haven't changed my mind. Stay right there on top of things so that the teaching stays on track. Apparently some people have been introducing fantasy stories and fanciful family trees that digress into silliness instead of pulling the people back into the center, deepening faith and obedience.
1 Timothy 6: 20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called "knowledge," 21for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.
2 Peter 2: 1-3 there were also lying prophets among the people then, just as there will be lying religious teachers among you. They'll smuggle in destructive divisions, pitting you against each other—biting the hand of the One who gave them a chance to have their lives back! They've put themselves on a fast downhill slide to destruction, but not before they recruit a crowd of mixed-up followers who can't tell right from wrong.
They give the way of truth a bad name. They're only out for themselves. They'll say anything, anything, that sounds good to exploit you. They won't, of course, get by with it. They'll come to a bad end, for God has never just stood by and let that kind of thing go on.
They give the way of truth a bad name. They're only out for themselves. They'll say anything, anything, that sounds good to exploit you. They won't, of course, get by with it. They'll come to a bad end, for God has never just stood by and let that kind of thing go on.
The bible is clear..People will distort the truth for various reasons..to mislead you, to justify their own positions, to hide from their own sin, etc..We must rigorously search the truth for direction..and spend time in God's word asking for wisdom to be able to discern the truth..to separate fact from false..to separate Christianity from heresy. We must not fall into this false sense of Christianity being promulgated today that says God is relevant only when we want him to be and that church should be left at church and not observed in any other part of our life..That is exactly what Satan wants us to do..To be a Christian only while we are at church but to stuff it away in some closet when we are at work, or at home or even in the voting booth.. That is not what a genuine Christian who has been "transformed" by God and given a new life acts like..
James says it best in Chapter one of his letter versus 21-27 " 19-21Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.
22-24Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.
25But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.
26-27Anyone who sets himself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.
22-24Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.
25But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.
26-27Anyone who sets himself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.
I just felt compelled to speak out against this false idea of what we as Christians are suppose to look like.. We are not to be conformed to this world.. We are to be set apart, separate from this world and that should be evident to all those who come in contact with us..To make a statement like " Keep God of politics" is blasphemy and should be confronted by true believers..God is our life..God is our way of thinking. God is the Truth, the way and the Light.. God belongs in ALL things because God created ALL things and all things are so because He allows it so.. He is the Alpha and the Omega..the Creator of all things seen and unseen..the ruler of all of creation....The God Most High..All knowing, All Powerful, omnipotent, omniscient, immutable Lord of Lords..whether you serve Him or not..
EB
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