Waiting For God to Answer Prayers is Like Running for a Second Term
It reminded me of what politicians always say when they are running for their second term in office. Think of the upcoming Presidential election. It looks like everything will be worse when the President runs for reelection than it was when he first ran. Thus, he will be blamed for these failures. He will campaign on needing a second term to finish what he promised to do. It is the same line used in the Bible.
There are other tricks used in the Bible and by the faith for failures. We can't know the mind of God is one. God works in mysterious ways is another. They all add up to, "I need a second term in office to fulfill my promises."
Critical thinking allows one to see the parallel between the Bible and a political campaign. Fortunately even grade school children are exposed to critical thinking today. I read a complaint on a Christian site recently about this training for children. It said this is turning children against Christianity. I don't see how it could not do so.
I think it is hard for the faithful to see that their faith is not something different or special in the variety of forces people encounter in life. Businesses generate propaganda to sell their goods and services. Politician generate propaganda to persuade voters. Perhaps the majority of business and political people think they are serving the public's interest by persuading them to believe their messages. Religions are simply another of these groups that, like the others believes it is helping people, but is pumping out propaganda about itself.
Ultimately religion needs to be subjected to the same critical analysis as marketing in business and politics.
Jon; respectfully; After careful consideration, and observing your often used source of subjects, ie Christian Post, it is easy to conclude it is convenient for you to denigrate Christianity. Like you, I can easily pick apart, and argue against virtually all the authors and topics contained in the Christian post that presents a distorted Christianity. Your first paragraph, first sentence, is a good example. Fortunately, we do not participate in publications which contain such syncretism, aka synthesis, the result of thesis vs antithis contained in most all modern, post modern evangelicals. Sounding good on the surface, but shallow in content,
ReplyDeleteIn fact, Christian Post is so unreliable about the only time I read it is when you reference a topic contained in it.
ReplyDeleteHelper--Thanks for two good comments.
DeleteI agree with you the Christian Post is not all, or maybe even a majority, of the entire sweep of Christianity. But, neither is your version nor the version I encounter in my personal life. And, your version is vastly different than the liberal version I know more about.
The Christian Post is a publicity arm for several factions of the faith. It publishes articles by writers trying to make a name for themselves and it publishes articles that are obviously press releases sent in for the purpose of publicizing various conservative groups of both Catholics and Protestants. Because I've written hundreds of press releases myself the latter jump out at me. Christian Post also has staff writers who promote its quite far right take on the faith.
All that said, if you compare what Senators/Representatives in Congress say when they talk religion, even further VP Pence, it comes right off the pages of Christian Post. Christian Post, then, is the public face of Christianity. It could be called the "Christian Brand."
So as long publications like Christian Post promote pushing their view of Christianity into our laws I will be using it to as the face of the faith. Thanks again for your post.
re."Publicy arm for several factions of the faith. A good example of the syncristic nature of pop evangelicalism.
DeleteRe. "I will be using it to as the face of the faith". But that "face" would be misleading. I simply ask you to qualify those positions as; "some do," "Not all," " There is disagreement on..." etc,
You don't use the Vatican publications as the face of all of Christianity, nor should you without qualifications use Christian post .
Thank you.
Helper "nor should you without qualifications use the Christian post."
ReplyDeleteI'll try to note that. But when someone writes an article that says God will answer all prayers it seems like it is implied it is someone writing an article, not everyone.
Jon, “Waiting For God to Answer Prayers is Like Running for a Second Term”
ReplyDeletePerhaps in the context of Christianity, “running for a second term” describes a campaign to be specifically chosen for glory by god, the electorate of one, to be singled out and “set apart” from the world through spiritual rebirth and regeneration in the holy spirit. Some may say that there is no campaign, no candidate, only the grace of the single divine vote. No campaign, no candidate, no church.