permafrost wrote:
While I get a lot of stuff in the email which shows no origin..
this came from a Quora post and the author is backed up by a religious scholar..
I do not know enough to post it, but sound a ring of truth to me..
A study shows that most Orthodox Christians and Catholics vote Democratic. How can a Christian vote Democratic?
David Reynolds, studied at Nunawading High School
Answered Jun 6 · Upvoted by Alberto Valenzuela, MA Religion, Loma Linda University (1987)
I think that this is going to be an unpalatable answer for you.
There is a fair degree of biblical evidence that people who vote Republican are not actually Christians, and well might be the ones damned to Hell.
I know that’s a very confrontational thing to say, but let me see if I can justify it scripturally.
Jesus spoke often about the poor, and about how we treat them. He also spoke a number of times about the perils of being rich. Republicans are the antichrist of those two issues. If you want a government that reflects Christianity, these two things must be front and centre.
The two “Christian” platforms that Republicans cling to, are abortion and homosexuality. Jesus did not speak of these at all.
So we ignore what He did speak of, and place emphasis on something He never spoke of. A thinking person should ask why.
Now, to the salvation aspect. A born again Christian places their trust in a salvation based primarily on the texts of the “Romans Road”- “For all have sinned…”, “The wages of sin is death”, “If we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus Christ…” Romans 3:23, 6:23, 10:9&10. etc. Effectively, I pray a prayer and “believe and repent” and I’m let off the hook.
It’s worth noting that these are letters written by a former pharisee named Paul who never met Jesus in the flesh, and these are letters to a church in Rome, not to us. But born again Christians will bank their eternal salvation on this.
However, Jesus gave his own salvation message. Out of His own mouth. There are a number, but these are my favourite three…with particular emphasis on the last:
Matt 19:24: “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."
Luke 16: 19–31. Lazarus and the rich man.
And may all time favourite. Matt 25: 31–46. The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats.
Two interesting things about this last one:
a) Jesus is very clear that if you don’t care for the poor (the least of these), you’re going to eternal punishment. It doesn’t seem to matter what prayer you prayed.
b) the “goats”, those who are going to Hell, are surprised, and are calling Him “Lord”. Therefore, they thought they were Christians, but were not. Think about it in the context of your question,
Finally, the logical follow up questions should be, “how did so many people get suckered?” And “why do evangelical churches place so much emphasis on letters to an ancient church by a former pharisee, while effectively ignoring the very words of Jesus…their actual founder?”
The only answer I can see is, that it’s an easier sell. Scripture warns us about charlatans like this, and that many will be deceived. It’s not just the salesman’s fault, the buyer needs to be responsible too. Read the words of Jesus again, and rethink your question.
I apologise for the very confrontational nature of this answer, and wish you well in your journey.
While I get a lot of stuff in the email which show... (
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There are just a couple of minor, very minor problems with your statement regarding abortion and homosexuality. First Jesus pretty much followed the Old Testament in his teachings. I think if he differed from those Scriptures he would have specifically said so. Jesus does not deal with the unborn, but the Old Testament does. Jeremiah 1:5 " I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appoited you as my prophet to the nations. "
To me that says that God recognizes a Fetus as a human Being.
On homosexuality, Leviticus 20:13 -" If a Man also lie with Mankind as he lieth with a woman ,both of them have committed an Abomination, They shall surely be put to death. Their blood will be on them. "