By Joe Rector
The first thing I want to make clear is that I am a Christian. No, I’m not the best one, and I hope I’m not the worst. Still, I believe in the teachings of Christianity and that Jesus was the son of God, in other words, God in God. With this disclaimer, I’ll begin my views on what is going on in this world and ways the belief system is being destroyed by men.
The difference in denominations demonstrates the many different directions people have taken in practicing a rather simple religious philosophy. Some sects claim to know the “truth” exclusively. For the most part, these groups are ones that have parted ways with the mainstream. By nature, these sects are exclusive and hold strict moral views on how their believers should live their lives. Only their interpretations of scriptures are considered correct.
Yes, along with the conservative sects are those who are liberal. They take scripture as something by which to live, a road map that offers many different routes for arriving at the ultimate goal. To many members of these groups, Jesus is the ultimate prophet who was inspired by God but who is not necessarily God in the flesh. This belief by those liberal groups seems to make Christ and his ministry little more a suggestion than a pathway for living.
As ridiculous as it might sound, a feud between the federal government and the pope is underway. Pope Leo, who is the leader of Catholicism and an American, has condemned the war with Iran. Most folks don’t want Iran to have a nuclear device on hand. Meanwhile, our government has never concretely defined its goals for the war it started. Is it for oil? Is it intended to end terrorist cell groups? Is it to protect the world from the Iranians?
What is most concerning to Americans is the posts from the president in which he claims that the military will destroy an entire civilization. At the same time, social media posts in which Trump is depicted as Jesus and then another in which he and Christ are sitting side by side infuriate Catholics and others around the world. All the while, the reasons for this war to begin and the goals that it will achieve remain a mystery. What people around the world do see are skyrocketing prices for gas and groceries and all other items.
Separation between government and religion should be enforced. They don’t work well together. God does not choose sides in wars. Such needless violence breaks His heart. Jesus urged all of us to do two things in this life to follow his teachings: love God with every fiber of our existence and to love our neighbors. If we can ever reach the point that those two things guide our lives, this world will find the peace it wants. If we don’t, mankind’s outlook for the future is dim. The choices have always been ours.
