The Third Political Party

Until recently, I was a lifelong Republican. I chose the party when I was first able to vote because the party was conservative, stood for freedom, and small government, and was focused on the individual. It was a party I was proud to be part of. A lot has changed in the past 50 years.

What I see now is that we have a three-party system in place of what used to be only two. We have Democrats, Republicans, and the third party, the Magaites (for lack of a better name). The confusion is that the Magaites have co-opted the Republican Party. They originated as the "Tea Party" but soon found that most Americans were not prepared to accept the new party or its extreme agenda. So, they abandoned the name and infiltrated the Republican Party, taking the name without the values the party has had for my whole life.

There are still a lot of Republicans in America with the values of the "Good Old Party". And for some reason, they have allowed this infiltration without being checked. Many, if not most, also have the attitude that "I always vote Republican". As a result, the Magaites found fertile ground in the party and quickly replaced the original party's morals, values, and focus. In a sense, the Magaites are what they call, with disdain, "Rinos" Republicans in name only.

Real Republicans believe in the individual and have a positive outlook on our country and its future. They are generally honest people with conservative beliefs, morals, and convictions. They don't want the government to make decisions for them about the way they live or the choices they make. Almost everyone I have gone to church with has been a Republican. All of them are good people.

The Magaites have thrown all of this away. To watch the sparring between politicians today is like looking at a name-calling contest in 6th grade. We used to care about positions and policies. Now it is a contest to see how demeaning you can be to your opponent. It is revolting.

Honesty is also gone from the party. Don't get me wrong, there can be dishonesty in all parties. The Magaites, though, spin conspiracy theories like spiders spin webs. It is as if it does not matter if it is true or not, it only matters if they can convince us that it is, and more importantly if it can manipulate us and make us angry. Winning and the power that comes with it are more important than being honest about world events, their opponents, or even simple truths. Anything goes.

In the 1984 Republican Platform, they stated:

The Democratic Party [...] thinks our country has passed its peak. It offers Americans redistribution instead of expansion, contraction instead of growth, and despair instead of hope. In foreign policy, it asserts the rhetoric of freedom, but in practice, it follows a policy of withdrawal and isolation.

https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/republican-party-platform-1984

This better describes the Magaite Party than it ever described the Democratic Party. They want to sever ties with longtime allies and praise the works and governments of strongman countries such as Russia (Putin), Hungary (Viktor Orbán), China (Xi Jinping), North Korea (Kim Jong-un), and others. They even say that they don't care what Russia does to Ukraine. There is even talk of leaving NATO. These world leaders are not good examples of democratic leadership. They are authoritarian bullies. There is not one of those countries that I would like to live in. Magaites wish to isolate the US and rule, not lead.

They also believe that our country is weak and failing. This is a fear tactic and could not be further from the truth. We have one of the best economies in the world. Our prices are lower than in just about any other place. Millions of good-paying jobs have been created in the past few years. Violent crime is way down. We are actually in a good place as a country, contrary to what is being espoused by the Magaites. 

One of the things that bothers me the most, though, is blatant bigotry. When you call a race of people "poison" and single out a particular religion as evil or lie that a class of people are eating pets, you are a bigot. There is no middle ground there. They don't care at all about the people who are hurt by the lies. They turn us against ourselves by filling our minds with hate for people that God created in His image. People of any race, religion, or lifestyle are not "poison", and they are not eating pets.

Magaites complain that the Democrats are pushing socialism. They use a word that very few people understand. But it is a big bad word, and it catches our attention. I agree that we do not want socialism. I do, however, feel we need to care for the middle class and the poor. If I have learned nothing from the Bible, it is that God loves the middle class and the poor. And He expects those who are wealthy to take care of them. He punishes those who do not.

I look at what the Magaites are offering this election cycle. There is nothing for the poor or the middle class. They get to pay 20% more for the tariffs that are planned. There is no plan for medical coverage, but there is a desire to remove affordable healthcare coverage from millions. There are few meaningful tax breaks for the non-wealthy and big breaks for big businesses and millionaires/billionaires. The non-wealthy are used to make the wealthy richer.

I will close on immigration. Yes, it is a problem. Yes, the current administration should have done something sooner. That said, they did try to fix the problem. They developed a bill that would have done much to solve the problem. It was one of the few things that were constructed by both Democrats and Republicans working together. It was going to pass and become a law. Then, it was killed by the man running for president because if the immigration problem were fixed, he would not have the fuel he needed for his bigotry and hate-mongering. Winning is more important than fixing a real problem.

I will vote for the Democratic candidate this year. Were there a Republican candidate, I might vote for them. But, there is not. There are only two to vote for: a Democrat and a Magaite. I will never vote for a Magaite. As the Republican mayor in Mesa Arizona, John Giles, says, "Voting for a Democrat does not make you a Democrat, it makes you a patriot. It's ok to vote for change"

"Truth" and "Right"

We bandy words like "Truth" and "Right" around like we have it all figured out. Stick a fork in it, we're done. When we do that I fear we etch what we believe today onto stone tablets in our minds and close off the opportunity to continued learning and growing. I absolutely do not believe all that I thought was immutable 40 years ago. The same applies to 4 years ago. Often the same is true for 4 hours ago.
I believe that it is important to approach all that we believe with humility and be willing to accept the possibility that we have got it wrong. When we do that one of two things will happen. We will either recognize an error and correct it and thus grow closer to the image of Jesus or we will strengthen our faith and again grow closer to the image of Jesus.
This is so incredibly important when we talk with the current generation of young adults. They question everything and they can spot a rigid unbending mind in about 10 seconds and then all possibility of having a meaningful conversation ends. To keep a dialog open we must be willing to actively listen and be willing to accept that the "Truth" we hold to as inviolate may really be something that we were taught a long time ago and never went back and examined for ourselves.
I encourage all of us to listen, hear, digest and then study (and possibly re-study) before nailing something down as an absolute. Even if it has been an absolute all of our lives. This generation does not abide absolutes very well, so if you are going to have an absolute, make sure it is a good one.

Mindgasam

Have you ever closed your eyes and let the music fill you, giving it reign over your emotions, letting it bring every nerve alive and then fire them all off at once in a crescendo followed by a mindgasam... It is the best 'gasam there is in solitude; possibly anywhere

We have lost the ability to hear

I am sitting out on my back porch listen to music. No, it is not the music we listen to in church. I have come to think of that as "bubble" music. It places us into a bubble where all is pure and wonderful. It touches our heart where we need to be touched. But it exists in a bubble. It is not the real world. It is praise and joy and halleluiah. It is heaven on Earth. But most people live in hell...

I don't intend to be offensive here but I suspect that I will be to many of my brothers and sisters. I am going to sacrifice some of our sacred cows. We have them, you know. Like Aaron and the children of Isreal at the foot of Mt. Siani, we have built our own calves of gold. We name one of those idols Doctrine. The teachings that define us as different from those that do not have it right. The idols of division that cause us to look down our nose at those that honestly understand the word differently than us. We squabble, judge and sneer at each other with words intentionally chosen to cut down and degrade others that believe in Jesus and are trying their best to live lives as His disciple.

We have closed our ears to the world around us. We can no longer hear them. We can no longer care about them because we are fixated on whether or not a female can serve crackers and grape juice, speak or share a thought. We are fixated on "decently and in order". Our minds are fully engaged. We can argue the point. We can debate and win. We are obsessed with the mechanics, the doing, the outward signs of our righteousness and like the church of the Ephesians, we have lost our first love. Our heart has taken second place to our mind's desire to "do things right".

I can think of no instance when Jesus condemned a people for their doctrine. I can think of no instance when God, before Jesus, condemned the Jews for the way in which they worshiped him. If there was any condemnation it was because their hearts were not right. Not because their minds were not right. In the sermon on the mount, Jesus is very pointed. God wants our hearts, not just our minds.

What if what we do on Sunday mornings is meaningless in the larger scheme of things. What if the fact that we have elders and preachers instead of pastors is meaningless. What if the fact that we take the Lords Supper every week is not important to our Lord. What if the fact that we sing acapella is just a nice thing to us. What if the structure of our worship is but a convenience, one to encourage us but not necessarily the command of God. What if God is not interested in our identity. I ask because I am not sure I know the answer. In my heart I believe that our focus may be misdirected.

All that said to say that we have lost the ability to hear, listen, understand... Wondering when I would get to the title? So was I :)

I believe we have become blind and deaf to the world. They are hurting. Pain that we are, for the most part, incapable of understanding. Who among us has suffered from addiction, abortion, rape, family hatred, vindictiveness, and poverty? (If you are reading this it is likely that you are in the top 5% of global society) Who among those that are reveling in their salvation, their heaven on Earth, is willing to do as Jesus did and step outside of paradise to see, understand and love the people who still live in hell every day. Every single day. Hell.

We need to learn how to listen. We need to learn how to hear the cries of the lost and hear them in their own language (crude as it might be). Jesus did not come to judge but to offer salvation. We need to remove our blinders and open our hearts to the hurt that surrounds us. We, like Jesus, need to focus on the needs of the impoverished, the sinner, the sluts (does that word offend you?), the thieves, the people dependent on society and the generosity of others.

We are to be Jesus. He "Heard" (with all of the connotations that come with that word), the woman caught in adultery, the woman at the well living in sin, the blind men, the lepers, the dregs of society. He did not isolate Himself within the bubble. He did not wear blinders. He saw people. All people.

So, as we politely (or not) argue the finer points of the law and how we should communicate and how we devote our energies in the defense of the mechanics of our faith, our "doctrine", people are dying, alone, in pain, in sin and all the ugliness that comes with that. Are you willing to leave your paradise to "hear" and save the lost? Jesus was.

Misconceptions about the Bible

I wrote this on Quora in response to the question "What are some of the misconceptions about the Bible". I found that in identifying the misconceptions I was also identifying how I view the Bible. 

So, here are the top ten misconceptions I see that people have about the Bible:

It is a rule book: This is simply not so. Yes, there are some rules. Someone counted them once and came up with a little over 600 of them. Others even prioritized them. This was the context of the question asked of Jesus “Which commandment is the greatest?” 

I printed them all off one time just to get a visual. They fit on 4 pages of paper. Single sided. I laid them next to the Bible and asked: Is the Bible a rule oriented book? I had to say no.

The Bible has an answer for everything in life: Again, no. It is not going to tell you which job to take, how to invest your money or why bad things are happening to you. It simply does not do that. That is not its purpose. It is to expose the nature and personality of God. It may be that as you get to know God better and get to know Him at a personal level, you start to make better choices but straight up answers are often not there.

The Bible is full of hidden meanings: There is no hidden sub-story. The numbers are numbers. Revelation is a type of literature that was common at the time of its writing but uncommon today but is still just literature. You just have to be a 1st century Jew to really get it. When you read the Bible, read it for what it says, not what you think it might be saying.

The Bible is explicit in how we should worship: Nope. Oh, there are a lot of examples of worship in the Bible but it is almost completely silent when it comes to the actual mechanics of how we “do church”. Singing and preaching and prayer and reading the scripture, they all show up in some of the examples of worship we see in the Bible but there is never a complete worship service described in the Bible. Yet this is the point where many Christians spend an inordinate amount of time bickering.

The Bible is written by God: Now this one needs some clarification. Being “inspired but God” and “written by God” are two different things. The Bible was written by ordinary people. They had the skill to either write or dictate to a scribe. Not all were literate. Their individual personalities can be seen in their writings. So much so that some book’s authors are identified by style and vocabulary. That said, God did play a hand in ensuring that what He wanted captured in writing was fundamentally accurate and complete. This applies to what books are in the Bible as much as what is written in the books. This is fact if you are a believer and not even a question worthy of discussion if you are not.

The Bible can be understood 1 verse at a time: Devastatingly false. Through the years the Bible has been used a tool to coerce behaviors by clipping verses and stringing them together to say whatever we want. This is a practice that has been the foundation of almost all splits, fights, even wars that were initiated by this misconception. The Bible is literature. It is to be read with both textual context and historical context. Before you say “The Bible Says…” Read the entirety of the context around the verse and see if what you are about to say is in line with the point of the author and if the historical context of what is being said is relevant.

To be a Christian all you need is the New Testament: You simply cannot understand the New Testament without the light of the Old testament giving it clarity. Jesus was a Jew. All He knew was the Old Testament. All He taught was the Old Testament. He did not bring anything new. He brought clarity to the old. Jesus exemplified personality, character, and attitudes of God. The God you can know by reading the Old testament. Jesus brought the Old testament to life, literally.

Only the King James Version is the “Real” Bible: How arrogantly English centered this thought is. Does this mean that the Spanish speaking people need to learn English? The same for all other languages? Or, the modern English speaking person learn an archaic dead version of English? There are so many reasons why this is wrong that we could spend all day here. Choose a translation that you can read. There are many good ones. Jesus Himself read from a translation of His Bible, the Hebrew scriptures, at the time. He read the Greek translation. It is not the words themselves that are scripture it is the teachings and stories behind the words.

The Bible is misogynistic: This may seem to be accurate but as I said above one must read the Bible within the context of its historical setting. The Bible actually goes counter-cultural to the times in which it was written. Many of the “rules” that the Bible contains are there to protect women from the man-centered society. The Gospels are filled with the activities and honor given to women that other literature of the day would ignore. The role of women in the Bible is often downplayed by our own misogynistic society.

Everybody should believe the Bible: I just wish it were true. However, God gave us all free will and offered us the opportunity to know Him through His word or reject Him. The Bible is just a book, a long and difficult book, a tedious boring history of a people long dead, a source for conflicting agendas and a hindrance to those that do not believe. Faith is an active factor in the value of the Bible. Without faith, it is just a book. With faith, it is the heart and soul of God.

Rules for arguing

Pondering... are there "rules of engagement" for arguing. Arguing is something I see as a failure to communicate coming to a head... How does one make arguing a positive venture, were communication actually happens instead of it becoming a contest on who can yell the loudest or get in the most hurtful jibes.

So, as I ponder, I must have some context. Politicians argue and get paid for it. Philosophers argue because that is the joy that binds them. I am glad I am not a philosopher! Scientists argue to seek truth and knowledge. I guess for this brief excursus I will focus on the type of arguments that have the potential to break hearts, homes and relationships... the most deadly of arguments...

If there are no such rules for such arguments then here are mine. If there are, then I like mine better! (I may need to ponder arrogance at some point but not today <insert favorite smiley icon here>)

Since "rules" (and I hate rules) are generally bulleted here is my list of "rules" in no particular order.

1. First and foremost if you are going to argue, do so with a purpose. What should that purpose be? It is not to win. Really? Yes, really. Then why am I arguing? Good question. Winning an argument means that there is a loser.  I submit that the purpose of an argument is to communicate. I would also submit that that communications is a two way street that involves listening as much, if not more than, expressing your own thoughts.
2. Respect the person you are arguing with. This can be hard when you are angry. Still if you want to actually be heard you must be willing to listen. In the context of this list you are arguing with someone you love. That person has a mind of their own. They are not mental clones of yourself. Them being themselves is why you fell in love with them in the first place. Show respect as you disagree with each other. Recognize that that they feel the way they do because of who they are and that you love them. Never disrespect them as a person and never disrespect their feelings.
3. No sharp objects. If you have been together any significant amount of time you know precisely how to cut the heart out of the other person and leave them emotionally gasping. If you ever use that scalpel in an argument you will lose the trust that they have for you. They will close themselves off from you to protect themselves. You may successfully end an argument with this but you will have done so at a cost you may not be happy to pay.
4. Never with an audience. Disagreement is natural but bystanders can only see the fight. If kids are around they simply do not understand and adults fighting frighten them, giving them a feeling of insecurity. If you grew up in a house full of fighting you know what I mean. By publicly arguing you draw nothing but contempt from adults. You emotionally scar children and that is a sin of the utmost degree.
5. If you are married, you most likely promised to honor each other. If you are not married then honor is an unspoken expectation. What is honor? We know how it applies to Klingons, which is a personal honor. But what is it to give honor to the one we love but disagree with. I would say that it is to only show them in a positive light. Never take your argument into your community of friends with the purpose of shaming them. Never seek to establish sides. As far as the world around you knows, the person you are fighting with is perfect.
6. Never use love as a bargaining chip. The phrase that begins with: "If you love me..." is not only unfair, it is destructive. You are basically saying that they have to choose between loving you and disagreeing with you. It is a dangerous game to place them in that position. It may work a few times but eventually they will choose their argument over their love and you will both lose.
7. Keep the argument room temperature. The more heated an argument gets the less likely that a positive outcome will occur. The temperature of an argument is measured by how much one is forcing their feelings on the other through a play for power. At some point that heat causes an explosion that erupts in neither side winning and both sides being devastated. That is not a positive end to an argument.
8. Do not bring up the past in an effort to justify the present. If one has made a mistake in the past, regardless of size, it is not fair game in an argument today. Keep the argument focused on the items that are relevant to the specific situation that you are arguing about.
9. No name calling. This one ties closely with honoring. When you call the other person by some derogatory designation, you have expressed your lowest opinion of them. You have taken out the switch blade to injuriously cut at their self worth. Winning an argument is never worth cutting the legs out from under the heart the one you love. If you love them your goal is to build up, never cut down. Sticks and stone may break bones but words can devalue a person to the point of complete and utter despair.
10. And because lists like this are always 10 in length, no more and no less (and who am I to argue?) this is the last one. Love wins the day and hurt loses it. You can weather any storm if you know that you each have each other's back and that each other's love is unconditional. You can feel safe sharing your diverse opinions knowing that in the end you will still be loved.
11. And because I hate rules :) Number 11 is: No shields and so sabers. Absorb the hard to hear words and never use your words to cut back. Listen to understand. An argument is not a duel to the death. It is a coming together to better understand each other. So, leave your shields down and hear what is being said. For that to work, though, both sides need to commit to making it safe to leave shield down.  

There. My 10+1 rules for successful arguing! Now go forth and communicate!

Who to Vote for in 2016

What's on my mind, FaceBook asks.... How should I vote? That is what is on my mind...

I got my mail in ballot the other day asking for my choice of person to represent my political party in the presidential race. I have yet to choose. None of them show the type of integrity I would wish to see represent me to the nations of the world. I would be politically embarrassed if any of them succeeded in gaining the position. Still the choice looms and not choosing is, to use a good old 70's term: "A cop out". Therefore I ponder...

There is a passage in Ezekiel 16:46-50 that weighs on me heavily as I consider where to place my little black dots signifying my support for the person running for the office of President of our nation.

If the words of God in the Old testament were printed in red as the words of Jesus frequently are in the New Testament, the page would positively glow with the color. God is upset with the country that He calls His. The people that He has chose to be a blessing to the world. The one He calls "beloved". His words are harsh for His people.

He says:

“Behold, everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb concerning you, saying, ‘Like mother, like daughter.’ You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and children. You are also the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. Now your older sister is Samaria, who lives north of you with her daughters; and your younger sister, who lives south of you, is Sodom with her daughters. Yet you have not merely walked in their ways or done according to their abominations; but, as if that were too little, you acted more corruptly in all your conduct than they."

Paraphrased: You are as bad, no, worse than the countries that you hate hate the most. And the worst part is that all of the other countries that you think should look up to you - They are the ones mocking you, using you in cliche, saying you are no different from them.

He continues:

"As I live,” declares the Lord God, “Sodom, your sister and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done."

Wow! Remember Sodom? They were so evil that God destroyed, no, obliterated them. And we all know what they did wrong. Right?

"Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy.Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me."

Oh, Wait. That is not what I expected to hear. They did not take care of their poor? That is why they were wiped from the face of the planet? But... but... but... What about the way we treat our poor? Surely there was an escape clause for the lazy or the stupid or those that made poor choices. Searching.... searching.... can't find one. I think we are in trouble.

He closes with a single, very short, blunt and to the point sentence:

"Therefore I removed them when I saw it."

Friends, if that does not make you want to run and hide, you are simply not getting it. I want to run and hide. I want this election to be over. I want to stop being the laughing stock of our "sisters" and and "mothers" as the politicians profess a life they do not live and seek to gain a position of power through fear mongering, deceit and false promises.

How am I going to vote??... I don't know yet but this one thing I do know. I will side with those that would not be arrogant, not be careless at ease and who will work diligently to care for the poor and needy. If these are God's priorities, they should be the priorities of all those that would call Him Lord.

If you got all the way to the end of this post then you have more patience that I probably would have had :)smile emoticon 

God bless you and vote responsibly!