Whom to follow?

 I’ve quit trying to change anyone’s stance on how our country should meet the future. I’m too busy understanding mine. It isn’t that hard to understand. It’s just a bit incongruous. See, I firmly believe in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution when it separates religion from government, further bolstered by Article VI when it states that, “…no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”

 Ah yes. While I believe the wall between our government and any religion should be absolute, I don’t mind if an individual uses—along with wisdom, education, and critical thinking—passages of their (or someone else’s) religious diatribes to form their individual political inclinations. I do.

 Notice, please, that I said, “Individual political inclinations,” and not “governmental administration.” There’s no problem if religious beliefs help a person form political beliefs. The problem I see with so many so-called “Christians” in today’s American society is that they tend to choose, for their political fervor, those passages from the Bible that seem to grant a person of their faith the right to judge and then condemn others, mostly others who aren't like them.

 The Galilean warns against this in one of the religious writings that that help form my politics, The Sermon on the Mount. We’re not going to find more wonderful prose than this. That is why it is so odd to me that none of the self-proclaimed icons of modern American religion ever use it to justify their politics.

 Oh well. I do anyway. I combine it with another passage from the same book of the New Testament, the verses in Chapter 25, (NIV) to wit:

 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ "

I’ve never heard one of the zealots whose politics are opposite mine use this as a foundation for their beliefs. In fact, I suspect that a person could carry a tablet with the words inscribed on it and use it to chase the likes of Franklin Graham and Kenneth Copeland away, much like using a crucifix on a vampire.

 That is why it saddens me so when I see old friends, some of whom even serve as ministers to the Christian faith, and whom I knew once to be kind and generous people, post stringent beliefs in the politics of a man who, knowingly or unknowingly, is the living embodiment of  one who lives a life in direct competition to both passages I have mentioned.

 It saddens me. But life goes on. As the Galilean said, “Let your light shine before others.” That's really all we can do, isn't it?