Question Title | Posted By | Question Date |
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Separation of church and state: And a related topic - Persecution | Len | Sunday, January 16, 2005 |
Question: I feel that "mixing" politics and religion is a bad idea. I cling to two quotes from the Bible "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's" and "Be in the world, but not of the world." In addition to that, I believe that ... To the degree that a society is 100% of a particular religion, the odds of persecution of almost anyone are greater. I presume you are familiar with the individuals that were arrested and charged with felonies in Philly for picketing a gay convention. PA recently adopted a law that included gays as a protected class against hate crimes. In theory, 4 of them could get from 10 to 45 years in prison. My more conservative sister argues that our society is becoming more intolerant of Christianity and soon we will be persecuted mercilessly for our beliefs. She uses the Philly situation as a prime example. I contend there to be a greater ability to be evangelists of Christ in the US today than ever before. With the ability to utilize media and internet, Christians have "never had it so good". I use the same event to make my point. The US is one of the most tolerant and least persecuting societies in the world. I can practice religion without even the slightest thought that I will be persecuted for it. The fact that some people (Christians) are being prosecuted because they persecuted a specific group, simply makes my case. If gays can be protected in a society that is still largely opposed to gay rights, then how much more true is it that Christians are (and will be) protected in a society where 2/3 of the population claim to be Christian? In other words, the very fact that the US has become LESS tolerant of any type of persecution of ANY group, assures us that EVERY group will be protected - not the least of which is Christianity. So, I see it as further evidence that society is not becoming less tolerant of Christians, but rather more tolerant of EVERYONE (which includes Christians). True or not? Len (The 2000 limit really hurts me!) |
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Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM
An essay from Louis de Wohl, a devout Catholic, writing about 40 years ago say much the same thing:
The Church officially teaches that if we tolerate sin we are an accomplice to that sin. Tolerance is not love. It is a form of condescending pride and arrogance toward the person one is "tolerating". Love rejoices in TRUTH and RIGHTEOUSNESS we are told in 1 Corinthians 13. No where does God say that love "tolerates".
I also recommend reading the essay: Three Secret Strategies of Satan. This essay explains the overall effect of tolerance in the worldview called Plausibility. This Plausible (tolerant) worldview is the fundamental cause of nearly all the problems we have in our society and in our Church.
Other books by D'Souza and Sowell go into greater detail of this persecution upon our society. And also: How to Win the Culture War: A Christian Battle Plan for a Society in Crisis by Peter Kreeft
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