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[[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/de/doku.php/jn_de_2010_01_25|Deutsche Version]] [[Start|| Wiki Start]]
[[topics_collection_ii|| Topics Collection ii ]]
======Politics I ...======
Monday, Jan 25, 2010. Should faith get involved in politics? Should politics
be involved in faith issues? What is the relation between the two?
In Christianity, the relation between faith and politics, between faith and
power, between the church and the state, has a long history. When we browse through
the history of different countries, when we go back into the eras of our own
civilization, we find all different kind of solutions which have been reality.
We find brutality and violence in the name of faith. We find suppression and
injustice - in the name of Jesus. When I think about history, I often have to
remember the sentence which Jesus once said:
"For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many."
(Matth. 24).
In the name of faith many things have been done, many things which are not the
will of God and not in the spirit of Jesus. Politics is an area, which has been
burned many times when it comes to faith.
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Today, when the topics faith and politics are mentioned, we usually think first
about the religious right. In some countries, such as the United States, religious
politics is usually a special kind of conservative politics. People do not care
so much about the bible or Jesus - though some of them might well be dedicated
Christians, but more about special social habits, about particular social rules
which are thought to be a consequence of the bible or of faith. It is interesting,
for example, that the religious right resists a general health insurance - which
is considered to be a key Christian topic in other countries. Do you realize,
that when we start to talk about politics, we can quickly get between the various
fronts which have been set up and are well established now for many years, in
many countries.
However, politics IS important. As Christians, we need to get involved in politics.
We need to take up the challenge. Politics in western democracies and beyond
is about getting involved. It is about a public discussion of good solutions. It is about
an efficient organization of things which are important for everyone. Christians
need to be involved in this discussion. The ideas and principles,
which Jesus has planted into our hearts, are of crucial importance for every
society. Love, justice, solidarity, help, mercy, trustfulness etc etc ... what would
a society be without it. What would politics be if the key guiding principle would
not be justice? What if politics is mere a fight about resources, but not guided
any more by love for the humans it is working for.
I do not have an idealized image of politics. We are all human, Christians and
Non-Christians alike. We all fail in many things, and we need to sit together and
find solutions. We need the public debate. We need the right to have our say in
freedom. We need the right to build parties, to work with them and in them, and to
move our state forward. And we need the freedom to live in the spirit of Jesus,
to work towards justice. To love and to fight for our society. Yes, we need Christians
to be involved in politics on all levels. We will explore this in more depth over
the following days here in the Jesus Network.
[R.W.E.P., jesusnetwork.eu]
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