4.26.2005
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If not your faith, then what...
Will inform your decisionmaking as an elected official? In a poll taken by the reliably liberal and secular Washington Post-ABC News Poll, this question was posed to some members of the public:
Well, then, the religious nut writing here asks, if one doesn't reach down to one's faith for answers, what is your ultimate authority as to what is right and what is wrong? Atheists may insist on a variety of codes of behavior, ethical statements, and, who knows, even cite the Golden Rule (Matthew 22:39), although they of course would not consider this as coming from God in the Person of Jesus.
Well, an atheist has no anchor, unless he's a closet believer. For those of us out of that closet, who are believers in God, we may not agree on very many things, but, by God, we should believe that if there is a God, and He created the universe, then He is bigger than anything else. Then He is the ground of our being. Then He is the Author of that which we hold true. Then He is, with certitude, a better authority for what we should be doing in our lives.
So, what would be so wrong with using our faith as the basis for "making policy decisions?" Unless one viewed God and one's religious beliefs as ephemeral and unworthy, what better grounding could there be for policy decisions, or any other kinds of decisions? Short answer: none that I could imagine.
Speaking for myself, it would be an affront to my faith if I could, somehow, ignore what I hold true in my approach to quotidian matters. Not that I don't do this. It's what could otherwise be called my sinful nature. Why sinful? Because when I ignore God in my decisionmaking, this effects a separation between me and God. Which is another way of saying that I am sinning.
In short, why should we think it desirable for a political leader to sin, i.e. to ignore God, when he or she makes decisions? We should not.
| technorati tag | Christianity|
Do you think a political leader should or should not rely on his or her religious beliefs in making policy decisions?The result was unsurprising, with a majority (55%) saying, no, faith should not be relied on in making policy decisions.
Well, then, the religious nut writing here asks, if one doesn't reach down to one's faith for answers, what is your ultimate authority as to what is right and what is wrong? Atheists may insist on a variety of codes of behavior, ethical statements, and, who knows, even cite the Golden Rule (Matthew 22:39), although they of course would not consider this as coming from God in the Person of Jesus.
Well, an atheist has no anchor, unless he's a closet believer. For those of us out of that closet, who are believers in God, we may not agree on very many things, but, by God, we should believe that if there is a God, and He created the universe, then He is bigger than anything else. Then He is the ground of our being. Then He is the Author of that which we hold true. Then He is, with certitude, a better authority for what we should be doing in our lives.
So, what would be so wrong with using our faith as the basis for "making policy decisions?" Unless one viewed God and one's religious beliefs as ephemeral and unworthy, what better grounding could there be for policy decisions, or any other kinds of decisions? Short answer: none that I could imagine.
Speaking for myself, it would be an affront to my faith if I could, somehow, ignore what I hold true in my approach to quotidian matters. Not that I don't do this. It's what could otherwise be called my sinful nature. Why sinful? Because when I ignore God in my decisionmaking, this effects a separation between me and God. Which is another way of saying that I am sinning.
In short, why should we think it desirable for a political leader to sin, i.e. to ignore God, when he or she makes decisions? We should not.
| technorati tag | Christianity|
posted by John Luke at 5:53 PM
Welcome. My name is John Luke Rich, (very) struggling Christian. The focus here is Christianity in its many varieties,
its fussing and feuding, how it impacts our lives and our society, with detours to consider it with other faiths (or lack thereof).
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