Posted on 06/23/2020 4:17:56 AM PDT by Kaslin
If you are a Jew or Christian in America, the seriousness of your Judaism or Christianity is now being tested.
People look back in time and wonder how religious people, especially religious leaders -- specifically, the clergy -- could have failed in times of moral crisis. The failure of most rabbis, priests and pastors to speak out today -- when the risk to personal safety is so much less than it was in communist and fascist countries -- should provide the answer: Religion doesn't have all that much impact on most religious people. During comfortable times, it provides two essentials to a happy and fulfilled life -- community and meaning -- but when tested, it often fails like an umbrella that fails to expand just as it starts to rain.
America is being taken over by violent mobs; a vast amount of destruction and stealing has taken place (with little police intervention and the apathy of our political leaders). Why aren't all clergy delivering thundering sermons about the Seventh Commandment, "Thou shalt not steal"? Does it now come with an asterisk?
A central part of a major American city has been seized and occupied by people who hate America and its values, including its Judeo-Christian values. Heard any clergy (aside from some evangelical Christians) speaking out against it?
And most ominous by far, for the first time in American history, free speech -- the mother of all freedoms -- is being widely suppressed, not by the government but by the press, the universities, the high schools, the elementary schools, all the giant internet media, Hollywood and virtually every major business in America. Christians and Jews place repentance at the center of their theologies, yet there is no place for repentance if you did or said one insensitive thing -- real or alleged -- even if it was 20 or more years ago. Yet all we get from American religious leaders on this matter is ... silence.
The freest, least racist, most opportunity-providing country in history -- "the last best hope of earth," in Abraham Lincoln's words -- is smeared as "systemically racist"; all white people are declared "racist"; and the statues of the greatest Americans, including George Washington and even Abraham Lincoln, are toppled and/or defaced. And all we get from most American religious leaders is either agreement or silence.
It leads this religious American to ask the question the anti-religious ask: Of what use is religion?
Take the claim that being "colorblind" is racist.
If you are a religious Jew or Christian -- let alone a rabbi, priest or minister -- do you believe that? Do you believe that the human ideal is not to be colorblind? Do you believe that the ideal is to see every person, first and foremost, as a member of a race? Is that what you learned at seminary? Is that what you have taught from your pulpit all of your life?
I doubt it. I assume that, until as recently as a year or even six months ago, you have always believed and preached that we are, in Martin Luther King Jr.'s words, to measure people not by "the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
Isn't it fundamental to all Bible-based religions that we are all created in God's image, that God has no race and that Adam and Eve, from whom we all descend, had no race? If you are a Christian, do you see Christians of other races first as fellow Christians or first as members of their race? If you are a Jew, do you see Jews of other races as anything other than fellow Jews? Does God?
So, why the silence? Why aren't all rabbis, priests and pastors telling their congregations and telling America -- in tweets, on Facebook, in letters to the editor, on television and radio, in opinion pieces -- that there is one race, the human race, and that the only antidote to racism is to deny that race determines our worth, not to affirm its significance?
Does an ideology that affirms the significance of race have an honorable pedigree? Has it ever led to anything good? Isn't that exactly what Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan advocated?
So, how are we to explain this tragic failure of religious Jews and Christians -- and their clergy -- to speak up against looting (aka stealing) and for freedom, for America, for Western civilization and for being colorblind?
The answer to this question also goes to the core of what it means to be religious. At the center of our two religions is the notion of fear of God: "Fear God, and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). But what is now apparent is that most Jews and Christians fear the left, fear The New York Times, fear being shunned by "friends" on Facebook and mobbed on Twitter more than they fear God.
That's what this moment comes down to. Jews and Christians who fail this test will not only lose their freedom, lose the great American hope for mankind and lose the West; they will have also lost their souls.
Most Christians have become fat happy & lazy who could care less about anything other looking good & sounding spiritual.
It’s sickening. Nobody preaches about sin or 10 commandments or “deny yourself take up your cross & follow Me”.
It’s “God blessed me with a huge house I can’t afford but it impresses the Bible study”. Or “God doesn’t care what you do. Just confess”
This is idolatry & pride.
The church as we know it, as we grew up in is disappearing. Home churches will be the norm.
From 1948...
The majority of churches are businesses. Period.
At this point too many have nothing to do with the Body of Christ.
I have accepted what’s happening now as God judging America. And I believe that good will come from this, because either people will wake up, turn towards God and revive America’s promise — or we’re fast approaching the End Times.
Either way, all is well.
Bkmrk.
I happen to be part of a Torah Observant Messianic congregation. We fully believe that Yeshua is the only way to salvation, but we also believe the Torah and the 10 Commandments are just as viable today. We do as much as we are able concerning the commands of Torah (obviously can’t do animal sacrifices...not needed and there’s no Temple anyway). But, the defining thing is what Yeshua did for us on the Cross.
My pastor (jokingly calls himself a ‘rabstor’) has never swayed about abortion, homosexuality, or the idiocy that is currently going on with the Left. He’s as conservative as the day is long, and I am glad to know my fellow churchmembers agree with him. Are we perfect? Nope.
I, too believe that part of this ‘spiraling out of control’ is part of G-d’s plan to ‘separate the wheat from the chaff’. He know’s what He’s doing, and I have to trust Him on this. It may very well be that things are going to get really bad, and may very well be dangerous for Christians and Jews in the not-too-distant future.
The role of the church in our society is to afflict the comfortable. Once that task is accomplished the church can proceed to comfort the afflicted.
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A Socialistic Gospel
For the Masses.
Icky parts Deleted.
All milk,No Meat.
We had to stop going to shull after two separate rabbis used the service to damn Trump. Total Leftards.
Told a slovenly staff member at a hospital which I worked,"Negligence and apathy and your smoke breaks are not going to heal anyone." I was written up for that one however the apathy and rot is so predominant now I can see people watching it all burn while standing in a bread line
I'm over my expiration date so can't do much anymore but you're right. Western society has been rotting for decades.
We ‘FRgirls’ are in step and agreement!!
We are Methodist. John Wesley Methodist! They were going to take our temperature but are leaving that to us, THANK GOD! As you say, what would happen if I had a temperature?!!!
We had talked of a home church for years as well as small gatherings during the week for Bible Study and prayer. Well, COVID and closed church services forced us to do this. I want to tell believers- this has been an amazing Holy Spirit time for our group!!! An Acts church in which we are able to abide by The Word, do works that our spirits are filled with the triune godhead, and just really LOVE without all the politics! We are 13 people from 5 to 80 and the children are hearing what is taught!!!!
We have communion. We believe that it doesn’t have to be blessed by a man/pastor/elder, that when we ask, Jesus will bless our table!!!....we know He has!!!!
SO DO NOT HEASITATE TO HAVE A SMALL GROUP!!! The Holy Spirit will be attending also!!! Praise God from whom ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!!!
What in the world are you talking about!?
Are there only well known left-wing “churches” where you live? I can name 5 conservative churches off the top of my head in less than 10 seconds in Fairbanks. Not all Baptist either.
Come on! Look for the Truth, and you will find it and those who follow it.
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