Think On These Things

Politics and Religion, Oh My!

When I was a boy, people would say that there were two things you did not discuss in polite society or at the dinner table - religion and politics. It was also said that you did not mix the two. In this particular election, they have become mutually exclusive. The rules have gone out the window. Now they are rushing to connect the two formerly unmentionables.

Personally, I think that when the founding fathers considered separation of church and state they were trying to prevent this very thing. They were trying to avoid religion being an issue in the campaign. Yet that is precisely what it has become. Christmas promo spots have become the battleground for who is the most Christian.

They are nice, of course. And we certainly need to remember the "reason for the season." But the sad part is that the spots are mainly a way to keep their faces in front of the voters. Mike Huckabee I can understand - he used to be a preacher. But there is really no need for the candidates to go out of their way to keep their faces in front of the voters - the media will do that for them.

Throwing in the YouTube videos, the internet postings, and the media, the only thing we have not seen the candidates doing is relieving themselves. Which of itself is a good thing. Yet the more information I hear, see, and read, the more confused I get. Partly because most of what I see is irrelevant to the election. I would like for the president to be healthy, but I honestly do not care what his dietary habits are. Would I like the president to be Christian? As a Christian, sure I would. But it is not a deal breaker if he or she will do their best to run the country fairly.

The main problem I have with elections though (other than that this one is going on way too long!), is that their does not seem to be much difference on the issues. Not one candidate does not adjust to changing tide of public opinion. No candidate’s position on just about anything is the same now as it was back when the fiasco began. The Democrats start out resolutely Democrat. The Republicans resolutely Republicans. By the time the general election comes, the lines begin to blur.

Personally, that drives me nuts - I do not know about you. As long as it is good for the country and its citizens, what difference does it make if it is conservative or liberal? If a person says something a conservative does not like, he is branded a liberal and dismissed. It is the same the other way around. Which is ridiculous. A good idea is a good idea, regardless of who said it.

A bill does not pass Congress simply because it is a beneficial bill. It all depends on the party being in control getting it passed. Which means what the public thinks the passing of a bill means is only a small part of the story. There are things tacked onto bills that common people are never even aware of. At least not until long after the fact.

And so candidates keep making promises, very few of which they are sure they can keep. The voters make their choice based on who makes the best promises. Only time will tell if the candidate elected is truly the one who should have been. Although there is no real way of ever knowing unless they are an outstanding president. How often does that happen?

As we come into the holiday season, days before Christmas, reflection is automatic and mandatory. Especially with the new year on its heals. And I think about this - God gave his son for our forgiveness. But not after Christ’s work was done. So we are celebrating his birth. If God can forgive us after all we have done and continue to do, why can we not forgive each other, get over it, and get along?

Just a thought.

Peace be with you.

Blog Info and Steroids

Trying to keep posting to a blog when you are already extremely busy - especially with three teenagers - is an interesting journey. Particularly around the Christmas holidays. Not to mention having a regular newsletter on my website, www.danroark.com, in addition to my regular writing while working on a book. There is only so much of the day in which to write. My past posts have turned into essays which, while interesting, are longer than a blog posts needs to be. The longer pieces are more in tune with the newsletter. Blogwise, it is time to shake things up and see what comes out.

I do not know exactly how much I will actually shake things up, but my purpose is to discuss current events and how they relate to our lives as Christians. Some posts might simply be observations. We’ll see how it goes. If you would like to read more of my writing check my website and while you are there, subscribe to the newsletter. It is free, of course. You might want to check out the store and my books, and coming ebooks.

Now to steroids. That is one of the hot topics in the news today. Specifically, steroids in baseball. Senator Mitchell released his report yesterday which named about 80 players who were suspected of using steroids or human growth hormones (HGH). I was surprised to hear that Roger Clemens’ name was on the list. I was not surprised that his lawyer was quick to call it slander.

However, who is on the list is not my concern. They either did or did not take performance enhancing drugs. My concern is why they took them. It is the same with plastic surgery and botox injections. If you are in an accident, fire, explosion, or the like, that is one thing. You are merely trying to repair the effects of the occurrence. But voluntary operations, I do not understand.

Let me say here that I would consider myself an "average-looking" man. There are parts of me that I would rather were different. But would I have a doctor surgically alter those parts? Absolutely not. I rather doubt that the result of surgical alteration is as good as the patients imagined it would be. There could be complications as well.

Regardless, my point is that I would not have any part of the body God gave me altered as a result of any sense of vanity I may have. There are not two people exactly alike - some close, but no one exactly the same. Given the number of people on earth, and the fact that it has been genetically proven that we all come from the same source originally, what are the odds that we would all be different?

God made me the way I am. For bad or good, I can accept that. Do I do the little things to make my appearance more the way I would like? Sure. But nothing that would make a permanent alteration. There are things I might at times wish were different, but I would not purposely change the body God gave me. With the possible exception of repairing damage someone or something else did to me.

Peace be with you.