Going Upstream

The priest at church related an interesting parable story:

A man standing by a river noticed a man drowning, jumped in, rescued him, and brought him back to shore. Minutes later, again he saw a man coming downstream, drowning. He jumped in and rescued him too. After a third time, the man stood by the shore with the three that he had rescued. They saw another man coming downstream and called out, "why don't you save him!?" The man replied, "you do the same. I'm going upstream to find out why people keep falling in the river!"

The message is clear, but acknowledging that the message is clear is also acknowledging that there is a difficult, practical mission that we as people need to carry out in how we address the problems we see in the world. I wish I could say I know just what to do and have the courage to carry it out, but I don't. But I'm working on it.

Also, someone stood up in church and asked the priest in church, "What should we do come November", and he replied:

"You had better inform your conscience. The church says that you have an obligation to inform your conscience and vote as each of you truly believes is right."

Thank you, Fr. Barry.

Politics and Salvation (AARGH!)

I was reading an article about a pastor in a Christian church today, and it angered me. Here is what he had to sayabout a previous election:

"I'm not going tell you who to vote for, but if you vote for this particular person, I question your salvation. I'm sorry."

I'm not going to post who he was talking about, because it really doesn't matter. (If you want to know, just read the article. Hey, you might have voted for him! Also, if you do, keep in mind that this is the rather liberal Huffington Post) Just the mere notion that people might be voting out of fear to save their own personal eternal hindquarters instead of for the good of the people of their country and the world really makes me queasy. I wish I could say that it was just this one particular pastor, but I have heard the same things in person coming from pastors at churches I have been to. To think some pastors think that they can make people vote one way or another with stuff like this! I just wish they weren't so right.

And how about this:
"I hate criticisms towards the President, because it's like criticisms towards the pastor -- it's almost like, it's not going to get you anywhere, you know, except for hell. That's what it'll get you."

As a Christian, I have to say, this is not what salvation is about! God gave us salvation so that we could do the right thing (or at least try to, to the best of our ability) without worrying about gaining someone's approval, and without the weight of the mistakes of the past dragging us down. This is what I believe. Salvation was never meant to be earned. It was given first so that everything else we do could be a response in gratitude and goodwill and grace, not a duty or a debt. (I assure you, alliteration absolutely accidental)

So before my God, I will say that this election, I will make my choice and vote for the candidate that will best serve the world and all its people with the gifts that the United States has been given, regardless of what it means for my personal salvation. Why can I say this? Because, God, you did the same in Jerusalem 2000 years ago.

Religious people everywhere, have faith, be a part of your religious community, listen critically to your pastors and councilors, but when it comes to thinking, remember that God gave you your own mind too.

note: yes, this is Pastor Ed Kalnins from the childhood church of Rep. VP candidate Gov. Sarah Palin. But this post is about the pastor, and salvation and politics, and not Gov. Palin. I like to believe that anyone we would put in the candidacy is fully capable of thinking for themselves. Same goes for Sen. Barack Obama and Pastor Jeremiah Wright. Evaluate them yourselves on the merits of their own thoughts and actions.