It is easy to say that religion should be kept out of politics and politics kept out of religion. But where do we draw the line? Abortion is a political issue. It has also been a religious issue for hundreds of years at least. Marriage is now a political issue. But it has always been a religious issue. There are many other political issues that have religious implications. Religion has been preaching politics since before politics came into existence.
0 Comments
We've been told we should not take the name of the Lord in vain. This commandment is often interpreted to mean "no swearing." Using offensive language is indeed wrong, but misusing or abusing the name of the Lord is worse. Whenever we do something to serve our own vanity, and we do it in the name of the Lord, we are breaking that commandment. Not all self-esteem is created equal. Self-esteem is selfish when it is based in pride. This kind of self-esteem is actually detrimental to ourselves or others. Our ability to make rational decisions is limited by how much information we can gather and process within the amount of time we have available. We can only process so much in our minds at one time. So, we estimate; we guess; we assume; we do the best we can. Few decisions we make can be considered purely rational. Repeatedly the Lord commands us to be of good cheer. A cheerful countenance is developed from the inside out. The more we choose to live after the manner of happiness, the more our countenance reflects that internal joy. A cheerful countenance radiates to those around us, helping others share in that joy. Telescopes of the highest quality can see light from far, far away. Galaxies and other heavenly bodies previously unknown can now be seen. Some scientists speculated that since they could see nothing in certain places, there was nothing else to be seen. By making the telescopes more sensitive to different kinds of light, parts of the sky that had been blank filled with stars and galaxies. Before the Fall, Adam and Eve were in a state of innocence, meaning they knew neither joy nor pain. Though the lack of joy is undesirable, the blessing of ignorance is good: no pain. Because of the Fall, we, like the Savior Himself, gain knowledge one step at a time. Our ignorance methodically melts away. To most of us, hope seems to imply uncertainty. But in scripture, hope is accompanied by any level of surety. At its lowest level, hope may be all we have when we don't necessarily believe something to be true. We hope it may be true. This unsure hope can lead to faith when our hopes are confirmed. Scripture is inspired of God, but it isn't the words themselves that are true. Truth is found in the meaning behind the words. Because of this fact, many educated and scholarly opinions are formed--in contradiction to each other. They can't agree on what the scriptures mean in every case. "He that doeth righteousness is righteous," says the Apostle. Regardless of faith, social class, or political leanings, good is inspired of God. Every time. |
What is this site?
This is a website where short thoughts on gospel topics are regularly posted. If you'd like to have new thoughts come to you rather than having to check the site regularly, you may want to use the RSS Feed.
|