I can't speak for God, but it seems to me a lot of people can. My minister, or ex-minister, told the congregation he was a Republican and I realized the implication was that God was a Republican too, else why would he bring politics into a house of worship? That shattered my confidence in his sincerity, but what made me leave was a particular sermon where a speaker said the Bible tells us to be "violent" for God. The word he used in the literal sense, over and over again, and justified with irrelevant Old Testament scripture was "violent", like violence was a good thing. It wasn't about a passion for Christ, or even anger. It was a call for, and justification of violence done in the name of Jesus Christ.

 

Instead of a call to emulate Jesus Christ, we were called to emulate terrorists, that we should be prepared to fight a violent holy war against those who hate our faith. It was a chilling, twisted reading of the scriptures; something you would never hear from the "turn the other cheek" and "love thine enemies" Prince of Peace. It was, however, something you always hear from the misled. 

The misled. That reminds me: don't let me get started on the speaking in tongues "bla la la la la" nonsense I heard every week. It was painful to watch. It was as if God couldn't see right through them, as if God couldn't see inside His own house. As most Christians know or should know, if they ever bothered to read the Bible: speaking in tongues is suddenly speaking in a real foreign language one could not possibly know.

It is considered a miracle. It was a useful miracle for those early Christians who would go out into distant foreign lands to preach the gospel. Speaking in tongues is not some idiotic gibberish professed to be the tongues of angels that can be summoned at will, by either the parishioner or pastor. You cannot preach the gospel in the tongues of angels, not unless you have an audience of angels. So would you dare God to read your mind while you're babbling like an idiot, and deny it's not all for some pathetic attempt to impress a wayward pastor or fellow members of the congregation? Would you dare God to read your intentions and sincerity? Apparently, some do, and it is manifested by these antics.

Jesus said: "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation...These signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well" (Mark 16; verses 17-18). In other words, speaking in new tongues is a miracle. Yammering "bla la la la" and jumping from foot to foot with your arms in the air in front of a congregation is not, because I suspect anyone could do it. Speaking in a tongue you do not know, like say, German, French, Mandarin, etc., now that is a miracle. Speaking in new tongues is a miracle Jesus equates with drinking poison and suffering no ill effects, or handling serpents, or healing the sick by touch alone.

Peruse, if you will, Acts 2: 1-11: "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: 'Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs--we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!'"

Would an Almighty, all-knowing God see through the transparent "bla la la la" antics we see today? particularly when they are done in His name?

The Pigsty of Man

But I digress. Now, if God can create the universe, and crush nations with His word alone, would God even let the Democrats exist? Would he not say in the Bible we should worship him, perhaps through Ronald Reagan or some other patron saint of the GOP? why would God affiliate himself with either party, if he determines the fate of Democrat and Republican alike?

The simple point is this: to affiliate God with any political party is to imply the Almighty is a fallible and impotent man; and nothing more. Men need political parties to change the government, God does not. After all, God created the world. It is, to the objective observer, the most cynical and manipulative behavior of godless, not pious men. God creates nations and destroys them. God can create a party, and destroy it with his word alone. God does not need ministers to get more voters. God can make millions of voters from a pile of stones. It's an insult.

Again, I cannot speak for God. All I know is that there is nothing more divisive than political parties today, and fellowship is gone when you introduce politics, and all its stench, into a house of worship. It is clear to my old congregation, which was the poorest I have ever seen, that the pastor is wealthy and getting wealthier. And somewhere I read that it is easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven.

But they will say God blesses the righteous with riches, and cite verse after verse, and I will counter that Jesus was homeless during his ministry; "that foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head". And that said, how is the servant above his master, that riches are to be expected and due in a holy ministry? they will try to counter in one way or another, or simply ignore me because no self-professed Christian can trump this card: there is no one more worthy of emulation than Jesus Christ.

I am reminded of the since disgraced pastors and ministers who canvassed votes for the GOP, convincing them we should pre-emptively attack a nation, and kill hundreds of thousands that hadn't attacked us because the Lord favors nations that protect Israel. But the ulterior motive was oil and those involved admit as much now. It had nothing to do with protecting Israel, and even if it did, we have a little something in the Constitution called the Separation of Church and State.

If God is a Democrat, or it was implied that he was, the same question would apply. Jim Jones of the People's Temple, before he sent his followers to Jonestown for a mass suicide of some 1,000 people, went around San Francisco using members of his congregation to canvass votes for Democratic candidates. The ulterior motive was clear: the Democrats were using religion to manipulate voters. Politics are the pigsty of man. How could any self-professed Christian, Jew, Muslim, Mormon, et al think for one second God could be reduced to our level?

Well, there is the thinking that God was created by man. And if that is the case, then God can be Democrat or Republican or a member of any party you want.

But that's not a Judeo-Christian concept, it's an atheist one. And if that is the case, those who affiliate God with any party may as well state the obvious... they have something in common with the atheists they continually revile: they don't believe in God either.

Personally, I'm a poor example of what a Christian is or can be. I am no better than the people I criticize. It just grates me, it tears me apart to see this behavior because it makes all Christians look ridiculous. It's clear these people haven't read the bible and are engaged in nothing short of ritualistic mass hysterics perpetuated by leaders whose own faith can be called into question.