politics

okay, so i want to write a word or two about the one thing i know ministers are not supposed to discuss... politics. don't worry, though. i am going to stay as neutral as possible about my own political affiliation. i am not going to support or tear down any of the candidates. i just wanted to raise some questions. perhaps it will evoke some thought if there are any of you out there still reading this blog.

i was reading something about evil recently that got me thinking. shirley guthrie wrote,

important as it is to take the social context of evil into consideration, social explanations do not get to the heart of the problem of evil. they do not explain how or why social structures themselves become evil. moreover, instead of solving the problem, blaming a familial or social system for evil can make it worse. we do not have to take responsibility for our own lives, nor will we be able to do so, so long as we can blame our parents or someone else for our faults and problems. we cannot encourage and help others to take responsibility for their own lives or to challenge a repressive social system so long as we allow them to continue blaming family background or "the system" for their faults and problems. on the other hand, those who believe that evil can be overcome by changing a particular social, economic, or political system forget that when the oppressed who have no power get enough power, then the oppressed usually become the oppressors, doing unto others what has been done to them. evil does not end; it only changes managers and forms of expression. (christian doctrine, pg 177)

i will be the first in line to say that things need to change in american politics. perhaps we should be very weary of those promoting drastic change, though. i think we need to ask ourselves a few questions.

1) what is the purpose of the government?
i think one could give numerous correct answers here, but i do not think that one of them is to give handouts.

2) do we really trust the government enough to give it more power to regulate?
i think that this should be a no brainer. we blame the government for the mess we are in, yet we want to elect officials who want to give the government more power to fix the mess that the government supposedly created in the first place. this seems somewhat nonsensical to me.

3) is the problem really the government?
i think that the government certainly isn't helping things; however, is the problem government or the people of the democracy? it seems interesting to me that blaming the government for problems of the u.s. isn't really getting at the heart of things.

having said that, i think that we take a long look at ourselves. perhaps the government is not the problem. perhaps the problem is our own sinfulness. although america has been very generous in times of need, it seems we are becoming what others countries have seen us as for so long (maybe a self-fulfilling prophecy)... greedy, egocentric, conceded. what happened to the people that made this nation great? the people who worked their butts off and didn't demand higher wages and better benefits. please do not misinterpret me. i am not saying that i do not believe in fair wages, but i do not think that a bus driver should be making over $100,000, as they are in pittsburgh. we have been become a bunch of greedy whiners who wonder why it costs $15 to ride the bus two blocks.

if we think we can just change the government and fix the problem this country is having, we are sadly mistaken. we will not eliminate the problems. they will only change "forms of expression." this country will implode in on itself as we elect officials who cater to our greed.

maybe we should give some thought to this... perhaps our nation wouldn't have so many economic problems if unions' demands wouldn't keep running companies to the ground or out of the country, or if people wouldn't keep living beyond their means, or if parents would impress on their children the need for the education they have been freely offered. this is just a start... further, perhaps we wouldn't have problems oversees if america hadn't failed the first time in places like afghanistan. if we hadn't crapped out but actually rebuilt the country after the russians were run out. instead, we decided our job was over and left it helpless to serve as a breeding ground for terrorists. it would be nice if we actually learned from our mistakes for once. it looks as though we are just doomed to repeat them.

or maybe we should just blame our government for people taking out loans that couldn't be repaid. perhaps we should tax the crap out of companies and individuals who actually are working and making money. perhaps we should just demand that the government keep dumping money into our failing education systems and promise to leave no child behind. as if dumping money into a problem ever fixed it. i could go on... maybe we should all just play dumb and continue to ignore the real problem... ourselves.

despite these things perhaps we should recognize one thing. we have seriously messed up when we put our hope in this world. my friends, barack obama is not a savior, nor is john mccain. come january 2009, it is my bet that things have not changed... at least not for the better. gas prices will continue to rise, producing higher food prices and everything else for that matter. politics will be politics. life will go on. the fact is real change only comes from one place, and that is where i choose to place my hope. maybe it is time we recognized that and allowed the One who can change things to begin with us.

cheers (and a hope for a better-not-just-different tomorrow),
jw <><