Conviction
"Throughout the trial, he said, he was guided by his father’s favorite verse of Mormon scripture: Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good. “I have gone through a process of very thorough analysis and searching, and I have prayed through this process,” he told me. “But I don’t pretend that God told me what to do.”"
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/02/romney-impeach-trump/606127/
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;"
Matthew 5:44 KJV
""I don't like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong," President Donald Trump said during his speech at the breakfast.
"Nor do I like people who say, 'I pray for you,' when they know that that's not so,” he added, taking an obvious shot at Pelosi, who often says she prays for the president."
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/06/nancy-pelosi-trump-prayer-breakfast-111511
Now I've tried to avoid politics as a whole on my personal blog. I have another outlet that I usually try to wade through the ideas I have for policy and how they are demonstrated on both sides of the aisle. But following the votes in the senate and the president's comments during the prayer breakfast I felt myself compelled to say something.
Now I may not be a theologian or scriptorian to many, but I feel I've paid my dues enough to say something here. This may be colored by the fact that my opinion on the matter is similar to both Romney's and even Pelosi's in these matters. But regardless of that coloring or bias I feel absolutely compelled to say something here, and I hope and pray it's the right thing to do.
Christ encouraged us to turn the other cheek, when sued for a coat give a cloak also, and when compelled to carry a pack a mile to go twain. That was just part of the Sermon on the Mount. One of the greatest sermons given from the literal savior of the world. And a passage of scripture that should be followed to the letter by anyone claiming to be a christian.
Now I know many of us fall short of this and many other admonitions of scripture. A quick trip down memory lane would readily reveal many of my foibles. As would it for any of us. That's not what I'm going to address here, and I will tread as lightly as I can while still addressing a frustrating elephant in the room.
That elephant is the fact that we have a President publicly courting a religious vote and claiming to be an adherent, while also publicly denouncing the basic tenets of what that entails. Praying for one's enemies, for the very person who persecutes you is a basic tenet of christian scripture. It's also a principle that is shown throughout scripture, the Israelite praying to change the heart of Pharaoh for instance. This is something that has been taught to me from childhood. That's what so jarring about hearing someone who confesses Christianity, not like it.
I don't know the heart of Nancy Pelosi, or even of Donald Trump, I struggle with how to phrase my sentiments for that reason. Now not knowing the heart I err to believe it is possible to pray for one's enemies. I have. I continue to do so. And with such an admonition's central status in the Sermon on the Mount, I hope it's ignorance and not opposition that motivated the President's comments.
Which leads to the next criticism from the President. The charge that people are using faith to justify something that they know is wrong. It is a charge that I vehemently disagree with and oppose. For a multitude of reasons.
Firstly, I don't think that Romney is fronting his religious conviction. I think he is, as he says deeply religious. His morals and values are informed by living this conviction. The decision he came to in that vote will not benefit him. He is going to pay consequences. And so he lives by an adage of a him, "do what is right, let the consequence follow."
This leads me to the second point. Trump as a man before he entered office lived a life of infidelity, practiced business in a manner of questionable ethics. These things are undeniable. He views things in a transactional manner. His desires and wishes, both personal and for his business or country stand above all others. I struggle to see the president as a man of conviction. I hope I am wrong, and it's something I'm missing.
These two paradigms are brought to head here though. And it's extremely troublesome to me to see that the president chose the prayer breakfast to do this. A time when people of all faiths have an opportunity to come together for country. But that wasn't the case. A man accused someone of hiding behind faith. I can't stand behind that.
Who of these two men would you turn to when you had a question of faith? That's what I'm debating here. Romney assumed responsibility for his vote, he didn't place it as a revelation or from God. He quotes scripture and hymns to support his process for the arriving at the decision he made. That's why I think Trump's accusation is groundless here. We are discussing a secular decision of real import and difficulty. And to hear someone who has never lived by a true religious conviction attacking someone who shares both your convictions can make your blood boil.
Now I'm not writing this to inspire more conflict, to pass condemnation, or to bludgeon others of my faith into my way of thinking. I truly believe that those who share my faith will come to differences of political opinion. I believe that we all have to find a way to bring about changes we find in scripture, and there are various secular avenues to do so.
But why I am writing this 1000 plus word blog post is to get to this point. We can't attack faith anymore. Regardless of what faith. We need to support faith, expressions of faith of any brand or branch in the public sphere. Whether it is a different denomination of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, or even the spiritual feelings of the atheist humanist or agnostic among us. We need to to find ways to disagree with the decided policy, action, or decision that comes from faith without attacking the faith itself.
I know of myself that spiritual answers come from a spiritual source. Faith comes from living the expectation of the faith. Hope and faith are earned by passing through the darkness. I don't know pain, what revelation, what prayers brought about another persons faith. Nor do I know how that's impacted their political goals or the policy they pursue. We don't know the heart.
I hope as we continue through life though, that we share that faith, that spirituality with others. That we, to quote scripture, hide not our light under a bushel.
I feel myself going down a different path than I once thought I would. I truly feel a spiritual influence in that path. One that I would love to talk to anyone reading this about.
And it's for that reason I hope to inspire a different feeling of national prayer. That we do pray for each other, even those in opposition, or those that truly persecute us. That prayer for me, is that we understand each other, and we have more empathy. It's what I think we need. I think it's what God and my Savior expect of me.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/02/romney-impeach-trump/606127/
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;"
Matthew 5:44 KJV
""I don't like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong," President Donald Trump said during his speech at the breakfast.
"Nor do I like people who say, 'I pray for you,' when they know that that's not so,” he added, taking an obvious shot at Pelosi, who often says she prays for the president."
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/06/nancy-pelosi-trump-prayer-breakfast-111511
Now I've tried to avoid politics as a whole on my personal blog. I have another outlet that I usually try to wade through the ideas I have for policy and how they are demonstrated on both sides of the aisle. But following the votes in the senate and the president's comments during the prayer breakfast I felt myself compelled to say something.
Now I may not be a theologian or scriptorian to many, but I feel I've paid my dues enough to say something here. This may be colored by the fact that my opinion on the matter is similar to both Romney's and even Pelosi's in these matters. But regardless of that coloring or bias I feel absolutely compelled to say something here, and I hope and pray it's the right thing to do.
Christ encouraged us to turn the other cheek, when sued for a coat give a cloak also, and when compelled to carry a pack a mile to go twain. That was just part of the Sermon on the Mount. One of the greatest sermons given from the literal savior of the world. And a passage of scripture that should be followed to the letter by anyone claiming to be a christian.
Now I know many of us fall short of this and many other admonitions of scripture. A quick trip down memory lane would readily reveal many of my foibles. As would it for any of us. That's not what I'm going to address here, and I will tread as lightly as I can while still addressing a frustrating elephant in the room.
That elephant is the fact that we have a President publicly courting a religious vote and claiming to be an adherent, while also publicly denouncing the basic tenets of what that entails. Praying for one's enemies, for the very person who persecutes you is a basic tenet of christian scripture. It's also a principle that is shown throughout scripture, the Israelite praying to change the heart of Pharaoh for instance. This is something that has been taught to me from childhood. That's what so jarring about hearing someone who confesses Christianity, not like it.
I don't know the heart of Nancy Pelosi, or even of Donald Trump, I struggle with how to phrase my sentiments for that reason. Now not knowing the heart I err to believe it is possible to pray for one's enemies. I have. I continue to do so. And with such an admonition's central status in the Sermon on the Mount, I hope it's ignorance and not opposition that motivated the President's comments.
Which leads to the next criticism from the President. The charge that people are using faith to justify something that they know is wrong. It is a charge that I vehemently disagree with and oppose. For a multitude of reasons.
Firstly, I don't think that Romney is fronting his religious conviction. I think he is, as he says deeply religious. His morals and values are informed by living this conviction. The decision he came to in that vote will not benefit him. He is going to pay consequences. And so he lives by an adage of a him, "do what is right, let the consequence follow."
This leads me to the second point. Trump as a man before he entered office lived a life of infidelity, practiced business in a manner of questionable ethics. These things are undeniable. He views things in a transactional manner. His desires and wishes, both personal and for his business or country stand above all others. I struggle to see the president as a man of conviction. I hope I am wrong, and it's something I'm missing.
These two paradigms are brought to head here though. And it's extremely troublesome to me to see that the president chose the prayer breakfast to do this. A time when people of all faiths have an opportunity to come together for country. But that wasn't the case. A man accused someone of hiding behind faith. I can't stand behind that.
Who of these two men would you turn to when you had a question of faith? That's what I'm debating here. Romney assumed responsibility for his vote, he didn't place it as a revelation or from God. He quotes scripture and hymns to support his process for the arriving at the decision he made. That's why I think Trump's accusation is groundless here. We are discussing a secular decision of real import and difficulty. And to hear someone who has never lived by a true religious conviction attacking someone who shares both your convictions can make your blood boil.
Now I'm not writing this to inspire more conflict, to pass condemnation, or to bludgeon others of my faith into my way of thinking. I truly believe that those who share my faith will come to differences of political opinion. I believe that we all have to find a way to bring about changes we find in scripture, and there are various secular avenues to do so.
But why I am writing this 1000 plus word blog post is to get to this point. We can't attack faith anymore. Regardless of what faith. We need to support faith, expressions of faith of any brand or branch in the public sphere. Whether it is a different denomination of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, or even the spiritual feelings of the atheist humanist or agnostic among us. We need to to find ways to disagree with the decided policy, action, or decision that comes from faith without attacking the faith itself.
I know of myself that spiritual answers come from a spiritual source. Faith comes from living the expectation of the faith. Hope and faith are earned by passing through the darkness. I don't know pain, what revelation, what prayers brought about another persons faith. Nor do I know how that's impacted their political goals or the policy they pursue. We don't know the heart.
I hope as we continue through life though, that we share that faith, that spirituality with others. That we, to quote scripture, hide not our light under a bushel.
I feel myself going down a different path than I once thought I would. I truly feel a spiritual influence in that path. One that I would love to talk to anyone reading this about.
And it's for that reason I hope to inspire a different feeling of national prayer. That we do pray for each other, even those in opposition, or those that truly persecute us. That prayer for me, is that we understand each other, and we have more empathy. It's what I think we need. I think it's what God and my Savior expect of me.
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