Small Gods ~ Elephants, Donkeys, and Porcupines, oh my…

Greetings Dear Reader,

In case the title is not clear, I am talking about political small gods.  We have seen how the elasticated officials who work for us serve themselves in most cases.  Just that they grow wealthy in the job is enough to make me consider that there is little altruism in government.

Still, it is our fault.  We back our party in fear of the other party or because we believe that our ideals will be reflected in their actions.  We ignore character flaws and moral ineptitude so that our party can win.  Please be certain that if you are thinking I mean a specific party, you are wrong.  I find very little that I can support in most of the politicians that are in any party.

There is something further though.   If I am a Christ-follower, I am obligated to pray for and respect whoever is in office.  It is our responsibility to be good to our political servants.  Nothing about politics sets anyone above us.  We are still to treat the offices with respect.  We are required to love every politician even if we disagree with them.

Instead of doing this as an act of obedience to the Father, we rant against them in anger and make our political leanings a small god.  We use politics to hate and reject.  Politics become that by which we judge, condemn, and marginalize others.  If any plank in any political platform rejects the idea of loving the Father or loving other humans, I must not unconditionally support that platform. 

All of the arguments that we give to justify supporting things that go against these commands are the wood we use to build an altar for our small political gods.  We are required to stand apart in all things.  That for which we stand must reflect Christ, not Christianity.  Our faith must be in the Father and not men.  We must accept that it is the Father who determines the outcome of every election and respect and pray for our elected officials.  If we do not, we are not following Christ.  We are worshiping the small god politics and it will always betray us.

Great American Novel – Larry Norman (1972) 

I was born and raised an orphan in a land that once was free
In a land that poured its love out on the moon;
And I grew up in the shadows of your silos filled with grain,
But you never helped to fill my empty spoon. 

And when I was ten you murdered law with courtroom politics,
And you learned to make a lie sound just like truth;
But I know you better now and I don't fall for all your tricks,
And you've lost the one advantage of my youth. 

You kill a black man at midnight just for talking to your daughter,
Then you make his wife your mistress and you leave her without water;
And the sheet you wear upon your face is the sheet your children sleep on,
At every meal you say a prayer; you don't believe but still, you keep on. 

And your money says in God we trust,
But it's against the law to pray in school;
You say we beat the Russians to the moon,
And I say you starved your children to do it. 

You are far across the ocean but the war that’s not your own,
And while you're winning theirs, you're gonna lose the one at home;
Do you really think the only way to bring about the peace,
Is to sacrifice your children and kill all your enemies? 

The politicians all make speeches while the newsmen all take note,
And they exaggerate the issues as they shove them down our throats;
Is it really up to them whether this country sinks or floats?
Well, I wonder who would lead us if none of us would vote. 

Well, my phone is tapped and my lips are chapped from whispering through the fence,
You know every move I make, or is that just coincidence?
Well, you try to make my way of life a little less like jail,
If I promise to make tapes and slides and send them through the mail. 

And your money says in God we trust,
But it's against the law to pray in school;
You say we beat the Russians to the moon,
And I say you starved your children to do it.

You say all men are equal, all men are brothers,
Then why are the rich more equal than others?
Don't ask me for the answer, I've only got one:
That a man leaves his darkness when he follows the Son 

Wishing you joy in the journey, 

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good. 

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"The politicians all make speeches while the newsmen all take note,
And they exaggerate the issues as they shove them down our throats;" - Larry Norman