The churches I attended would embrace war metaphor. They would talk about how we are in a battle, and I agreed with them, only they wouldn't clarify that we were battling poverty and hate and injustice and pride and the power of darkness. The left us thinking that our war was against liberals and homosexuals. Their teaching would have me believe I was the good person in the world and the liberals were the bad people in the world. Jesus taught that we are all bad and He is good, and He wants to rescue us because there is a war going on and we are hostages in that war. The truth is we are supposed to love the hippies, the liberals, and even the Democrats, and that God wants us to think of them as more importatnt than ourselves. Anything short of this is not true to the teachings of Jesus.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Religious teachings often misdirect conflict toward people rather than internal or systemic issues.
- In plain terms
- The church taught fighting liberals instead of fighting real issues like hate and poverty.
- What can you take from it?
- Focus on loving others rather than viewing them as enemies.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Who do I view as my enemy?
- How can I love those I disagree with?
Another view
Believers may still feel threatened by cultural changes.
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What I believe is not what I say I believe; what I believe is what I do.
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