Saturday 15 May 2010

Politics - the real issues

I think it is naive to assume that Christians must be naturally aligned to any particular party, that said I also find it quite difficult that some can subscribe to some of the parties on offer!

There are many problems with party politics in that people assume that the stereotypes they rely on are either no longer valid (or perhaps never were) or are merely stereotypes and have no truth behind the image held. An excellent 'for instance' can be found in the views of the person who told me that I had to vote Labour as they were the party of the working man and looked after the poorer people. Another person told me that Conservatives were the party of the ruling classes and that a vote for them was a vote for public schools and chinless wonders.

The problem is that voting for a stereotype is, as I see it, a potentially unintelligent vote! Unless you've read the manifestos (which this time round I couldn't even get copies of), at the end of the day you vote for stereotypes or personalities rather than policies and thus deserve all you get!

People ask me about voting 'Christian' and what doing so does. Well it makes a statement that you are a certain type of Christian but apart from that, sadly, it doesn't seem to make any difference. To remedy this there needs to be a clear position on each of the 'tension-builder' topics. This means pro-life issues and all the other issues relating to sexuality, ecology, immigration, poverty (home and overseas), aid, health care, benefits and the welfare state (to name but a few areas of 'Christian' concern). Even when we've done this we are left with a problem in that we still have the issues of employment, taxation, commerce, industry, housing, Europe, global relations and more beside to contend with. Sadly, we don't often see these in the 'Christian' agenda or mindset.

Interestingly, some see Europe and the antichrist as inexplicably married together and thereby bring together even more wobbly bits to the table as well.

Looking at what Geneva was as a Christian state I have to agree with the chap who could not, "Think of a greater hell on earth than Geneva with Zwingli, Calvin and Co."

In the world, not of it. Interesting words, because we are called to be light and salt and this recipe must be part of the political and social realities of the place we find ourselves inhabiting (until He comes!).

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