DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
Don’t Talk Religion or Politics
© NaimaLett.com/blog



President Barack Obama & former Governor Mitt Romney square off tonight 10/3, 6PM-P/9PM-E

“Don’t talk religion or politics.”

I bet we’ve all heard that advice, or experienced firsthand why it’s survived over the years. Discussing religion or politics brings out a passion in people that can immediately turn a friendly conversation into an all-out brawl.

I don’t understand it. Why can’t we agree or disagree civilly?

I was in a recent conversation with a couple of pastors when the topic of the presidential race and the candidates’ religious beliefs came up. Disappointment does not begin to describe what I felt as these guys unraveled before me. One pastor got so ice with me that I had to remind him that we are still one body in Christ, a family. We don’t have to agree, but we do need to learn how to love each other through our disagreements.

I don’t agree with my own blood brothers about everything, but we still respect each other and handle our disagreements in a way that does not allow deep-seeded disdain to go unchecked. And why is there disdain? Why should I expect anyone else to see life through my personal grid? It’s more likely that we’ll see things differently.

As followers of Christ, we need to get it together.
Yes, I said it.

News flash:
Jesus is neither Republican or Democrat.

Neither one of the 2 parties fully reflects all of Jesus’ teachings. There are some on one side and some on the other. And if any church tells you that God’s party is one or the other, it’s a lie. Yes, I said that too.

God is the Creator of the ends of the earth. He isn’t an elephant or a donkey. He made them. We use His word to discern and make decisions about which candidates to vote for, but let’s stop this nonsense of hating each other in the name of God and politics.

At His last supper, Jesus tells His disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35

The Apostle John expounds upon Jesus’ message in 1 John 4:19-21, “We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”

It is not possible for us, as followers of Christ, to hate one another because of our political affiliations, and truly love God. If a Christian Republican hates a Christian Democrat or a Christian Democrat hates a Christian Republican, I dare say neither is very Christian at all.

We can disagree on which leader we believe will turn the economy around, create more jobs, better education, conserve energy, enhance foreign relations, end wars, etc. But if our disagreement becomes venom, hatred, unforgiveness and bitterness, we’ve crossed the line.

Jesus Did Not Get the Memo.

Whoever created the old adage, “Don’t talk religion or politics,” probably did so because he/she knew we’d act a fool when trying to discuss either. But Jesus didn’t get that memo. He talks religion AND politics. He shows up on the scene on some, “The kingdom of God is at hand,” and turns people’s paradigms upside down.

Maybe, if He didn’t talk religion and politics, He wouldn’t have been falsely accused, beaten and crucified. But even the threat of death couldn’t drown His love for us. He loved us so much He sacrificed His life, and was resurrected so that we could be reconciled back to God.

If we name His name, if we count ourselves as His followers, let’s see if we can find ways to love each other that much – sacrificing for one another – instead of mudslinging, name-calling, eye-rolling, and slandering for the sake of one political party or another. We can passionately disagree, but let’s find ways to disagree gracefully.

We do it all the time with our sports teams. My oldest brother is a die-hard Georgia Bulldogs fan. My second oldest brother graduated from Georgia Tech. They do not see eye to eye when it comes to their teams, but they don’t vilify each other. I know that’s an oversimplification, and politics involve decisions that affect our livelihood, but I still advocate that we should be able to converse about any matter without turning into the WWF.

Wake up, Fam.
We are not each other’s enemy. We have an enemy of our soul who is taking folks out. We’re on the same team. Let’s act like it,
Naima

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