Skip to main content

A Political System Predicated on Hate

In the United States we have a polarized political system predicated on hate.  Now, this is nothing new, and I'm sure that this is not a malady that is unique to our nation, but this issue has become more pronounced in the Age of the Internet.  

Republicans and Democrats, from elected officials to commonplace voters, openly declare that they do not like their own candidate--they simply hate the other candidate.  

Consider sitting President, Donald Trump.  With few exceptions, his supporters generally do not view him as a man of virtue or truth, but, rather, as a vanguard against the forces of Liberalism, Marxism, religious persecution, etc.  

They don't love Trump; they simply hate the alternative to Trump.   

The other side of the aisle is even worse.  

There are essentially zero human beings on this planet who truly believe that Joe Biden would lead this nation effectively. Rather, his own party views him as a vanilla candidate, the elder statesman who, once in office, would be pliable, liable to manipulation.  They are willing to put him into office because they are confident that he would tow the party line, reversing the policies of the erratic Trump, for whom their hate is sometimes literally driving them to riot.

Regardless of where you stand on social and political issues, and no matter what happens in November, I think we can all agree that choosing our leaders based on hatred of the alternative is not a sustainable model.  That is, after all, how we arrived to our current position.






Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

4 Reasons I Affirm Paedocommunion

If you have interacted with me on social media, you know that I have always been outspoken on the issue of Paedocommunion .  It is a theological position and a liturgical practice about which I am passionate.  Having been raised, and having raised my children, at the Table, I cannot imagine attending a church that didn't allow PC.  I hope that when I am old and gray, I will still be an advocate for bringing little children to the Sacrament. Throughout the 12 years that I have had this blog, I have written scattered thoughts on the topic, but it appears that I have never written a concise summary of my reasons for affirming PC.  I was thoroughly convinced that I had, but I can't seem to locate it, so I guess I never did.  So, to rectify the omission, here are four reasons I hold to PC. 1) Paedocommunion is Biblical.   Any discussion of the topic should start here, and I would hope that both sides of the debate would make this assertion.  However, let me clarify what I mean when
Post a Comment
Read more

1 Corinthians, the Covenant Hermeneutic, & Paedocommunion

As an adherent to Paedocommunion  (hereafter PC), I have always found it painfully ironic that Credocommunionists use 1 Corinthians 11 to withhold children (among others) from the Table.  One can imagine St. Paul shaking his head as he watches theologians using his discussion of unity at the Table to divide the body at the Table.  You're missing the point! he would say in exasperation.  Not only does 1 Corinthians 11 not forbid PC; I would go so far as to say that there is no better defense of PC in the New Testament than the epistle of 1 Corinthians. Credocommunionist logic is pretty straightforward.  1 Corinthians 11:28 says, "Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup."  If, they argue, one is unable to fulfill the exhortation to examine himself, then he may not eat of the bread and drink of the cup.  This is a pretty logical deduction, right? Credobaptists would adamantly agree.  Acts 2:38 says, "Repent and be baptized...&quo
Post a Comment
Read more

Why do you go to church on Sunday?

Why do you go to church on Sunday?  I would assume there are many reasons, but what is the primary reason that you get up on a cold, snowy Sunday morning and get your butt to church?  Further, why has the Church of Jesus Christ consistently gathered together on Sundays (among other days) for the last 2000 years? Throughout my 34 years of church attendance I would have proffered a variety of answers to that question.  As a child I'm sure I went to church because I had to, to see my cousins (who happened to be my best friends), to get bread and wine (weekly communion for the win), etc.  As my faith matured in adulthood these reasons remained, hopefully deepening, but to them were added concepts like rest and theological training. As I moved into Anglicanism I was struck by the deliberate focus on worship .  Why do Christians gather on Sunday morning?  To worship God!  Are teaching and fellowship important?  Absolutely!  Are they aspects of worship?  Certainly!  Is either the primary
Post a Comment
Read more