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A response to David French’s open letter to Trump’s Evangelical defenders.
We Romanists are, after all, an inviting church, very much for sinners: Come on in, the water is warm, and there’s no need to wear the scarlet letter. Anyway, about David French’s post calling out President Trump’s “Evangelical defenders,” I have some thoughts. From the perspective of those of us who, by reputation, rarely read the Bible, there seems an awful lot of moral points scored by David. Good. But his post was marinated in overwrought sauce, and I’d file it in the category of the perfect being the enemy of the good and all similar stuff.
So I feel moved (if by the Spirit, good; I hope not by my breakfast) to respond with three little points, made by a believer, a sinner, who aspires to the Kingdom of Heaven, who accepts that it is not unto this orb.
One is that David’s take reflects how some quarters of conservatism have been deeply infected by the be-all, end-all of presidential primacy. In all matters. Growing up, when we remarked “holier than the pope” about a guy, it was meant to be a jab (it doesn’t work well any more under Pope Francis!). But now, the once-jab seems more like . . . a definition and even an expectation: We (believers) seem to want more moral guidance, pronouncements, behavior — salvation! — from an American president than we do of the true shepherds of our souls, whether it be the parish priest, the rabbi, the bishop, the minister. Maybe it is because of the clergy’s sub-contracting of its natural earthly responsibilities that we look to elected officials for void-filling? Anyway, yin to yang, as our society politicizes more and all. (My old man: “That S.O.B. would politicize a bowl of cornflakes,” which makes no sense and plenty of sense.) Our centers of faith — in my case, Catholic parishes and diocesan bureaucracies — have relinquished attention to their duties, such as the charitable works of mercy, and have rendered them too unto the Caesar and his regulators.
I stand athwart this nonsense — presidential fetishizing, duty-abandoning — and yell Stop! And I also advise the college of cardinals to remove any American president from the ballot at its next conclave.Read the rest from Jack Fowler HERE.
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6 comments:
Dear Jack,
I too disapprove of anyone acting like a political leader is their savior.
However, the idea that you should thus be glad you're a ROME catholic is twisted to the extreme. You show no sanity at all. Jesus told us to render under Caesar the things that are Caesar, he did NOT tell us to become Casesar as the Pope is doing and has done in many hundreds of years in the past.
NOT WELL DONE, rube.
I suspect there are also Roman Catholics making silly statements overly praising Trump. And certainly NOT all protestants are being such pathetic suckers. Liberty University was 80+% opposed to Trump, so please take back your bigoted, ignorant, and foolish remark.
Thank You
Dear Jack,
Your Pope has a golden throne; it was just so unpopular he hides it now.
You don't know what you're talking about. Sorry. Better luck next time.
People who did treason were drawn and quartered. But your Pope tortured
people for disagreeing with him, who thought the Bible said faith is
necessary (and it is) salvation. The printing press resulting in the People
being enabled to see what we were taught by Jesus, and your Pope made
up his own BUNK.
For example, Jesus said, "And call no man your father upon the earth:
for one is your Father, which is in heaven." MATTHEW 23: 9
The ROMAN catholic is taught to call the Pope "father." You are NOT
fortunate at all.
***faith is necessary for salvation
Dear Jack,
Your Pope has a golden throne; it was just so unpopular he hides it now.
You don't know what you're talking about. Sorry. Better luck next time.
People who did treason were drawn and quartered. But your Pope tortured
people for disagreeing with him, people who thought the Bible said faith is
necessary (and it is) for salvation. The printing press resulted in the People
being enabled to see what we were taught by Jesus, and your Pope made
up his own BUNK.
For example, Jesus said, "And call no man your father upon the earth:
for one is your Father, which is in heaven." MATTHEW 23: 9
The ROMAN catholic is taught to call the Pope "father." You are NOT
fortunate at all.
Dear Jack,
I missed your point about expecting a Christian to be morally clean. Not everyone is a fan of going to heaven where people only have imputed righteousness. We want actually good people to be in the heavenly kingdom.
One reason for our protestant reformers was that heads of state in europe's "Christian" nations had a formal mistresses system, and the debauchery was unbecoming of followers of Jesus who believe Him and turn away from sin, not embrace it. Jesus said his disciples are those who DO what he teaches them.
Charity never faileth. Those seeking God's providence, like our nation, need to pray AND REFORM our conduct to behave like actual disciples of Christ.
Trump not a bigger liar than FDR. But #3 man to Pope among the vast multitude of rapist catholic priests. We must not tolerate what is intolerable. "It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones." Luke 17: 2
Adultery is another way to harm children and it can also cause children to be born without parents there all through their lives to admonish and to nurture them all their lives. Turning away from sin means to go and sin no more. Repentance is not a license to sin. Only the penitent are saved.
How do we know if we're penitent? First, feel remorse for the sin. Then attempt to repay and apologize to those we've wronged, and make restitution. Ask God's forgiveness, and confess major sins to a spiritual counselor privately for private wrongs. Then go and sin no more. NO MORE. Don't brag about doing adultery, for example.
1 John 1: 8 "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
Trump told Playboy Magazine that Jesus is more egotistical than they knew, as though he was privy to special knowledge of Jesus. However, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, and he told us not to wear lots of gold and excessive adornments. Jesus taught that it is idolatry to say we are better than another simply for being more rich than they are.
Americans traditionally are not fans of vanity, it is the gateway to pride, envy and all sin. Religion is what we do, not what we say, nor merely an affiliation.
It is complicated to choose a president, and Americans rightly were furious at the choice we had in 2016. It was not much of a choice. It would be great nonsense to forget the reality of our dangers. Also important is gratitude for the good Trump does.
It is most important to diligently detect wrongdoing. I pray for our diligence and remind everyone that JFK told us to NEVER stop expecting the Right to prevail, it is VITAL advice.
We need the best man to represent our nation. Beware how you measure this, it will be measured to you on Judgement Day. This means if we condone murder or sympathize with murder, we will be judged a murderer. If we believe immorality makes a person a stud, we will be considered immoral and filthy by God. Do the math.
When the wicked rule, the people mourn.
Dear Jack,
Unlike the barber, the President is our chief law enforcement officer. It is not like getting a haircut to vote for our president. He also directs our military forces.
Some think the evangelical, who needs faith alone, is more forgiving than those who require a formal sacrament to repent and / or to buy indulgences to repent. In that system it seems that the rich are allowed more sinning than the poor?
Jesus rather suggested that to find heaven the rich were like a camel with a large treasure load attempting to enter Jerusalem going through the small gate of Jerusalem called 'Eye of the Needle.' After the main gate was closed at night, a camel could only pass through this smaller gate if it was stooped and had its baggage removed.
I also do not accept that being very forgiving of horrifying sin is as pleasant as you make it sound. Could that KIND of forgiving cause the catholic priest perps to offend more and more little ones? I shudder to think that people find sin a perk. How nice of catholics to go easy on the priests that rape children? I don't buy it. Living in sin is not a perk or lucky. A sin means someone is harmed.
Compartmentalism is sometimes a problem or sin. It is not fortunate to delude people into a false security. We are on probation and Jesus told us: "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able."
Jesus does not give us a heavy burden. And God helps those who help themselves, not those who are working for Satan in destroying souls. Don't be deceived, because that means we failed the trial of faith. It is not at all a good excuse. The whole point is to not be deceived.
How gentle God's commands, how kind his precepts are. Sin leads to misery and death. True penitence and repentance, the turning AWAY from sin, is the path to happiness. We don't do anyone any favor to encourage blindness, in other words spiritual ignorance and famine. Feast on the Word of God. Study, ponder, and pray. Be watchmen on the wall and help others to spiritual safety. Satan does desire to sift our soul. Dare to be true. STRIVE!!
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