tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086978161944568008.post7024378992721792890..comments2023-09-18T08:44:40.951-05:00Comments on faith in community: Politics is the new ReligionDiane M. Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07749136181846671327noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086978161944568008.post-70408674293565029742010-11-18T13:14:19.094-06:002010-11-18T13:14:19.094-06:00your thoughts echo where mine are for this sunday....your thoughts echo where mine are for this sunday...Hot Cup Lutheranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00125425492709186198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086978161944568008.post-4195402795295615512010-11-17T08:06:47.789-06:002010-11-17T08:06:47.789-06:00Politics is really about governance - about creati...Politics is really about governance - about creating laws and practices that ensure that human beings act in a civil manner to other human beings, and in some cases to the created world/environment -politics in a democratic environment express varying ideas of how we are to be civilized.<br /><br />Unfortunately human beings are competative and prone to being uncivil...ergo the need for laws...its a vicious cycle.<br /><br />Religion is about our relationship to God. Most religions (probably all religions) consider it crucial that we live in relationship with God, with others, and with ourselves. Religion offers us ways to "practice" or live in those relationships. For some religions these relationship are also about salvation and our everlasting souls. For some its about what we do in the here and now. For some its both. <br /><br />Religion, because of who and how human beings are, also developes laws and rules for living that faith. <br /><br />Faith is something else. Faith is not tangible. It's not a law written down. But it is often about a practice: of prayer, of living in hope, of compassion for the other, of kindness, and of forgiveness. <br /><br />the world we live in today is a world of fear, not hope, fear not compassion, fear not kindness, fear not forgiveness. Fear because the old is passing away and a new life is rising up...it's coming whether we like it or not. A new wildly diverse life. <br /><br />And if the church does not embrace this wild diversity the church will die. <br /><br />But so long as we have civilized societies we will still have politics. <br /><br />Then again, so long as we still have human beings there will be faith and a yearning for God.<br /><br />But there may not be the Church....<br /><br />yikes...sorry to go on and on...you really provoked me here, thanks!Terrihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15667178624061122421noreply@blogger.com