Politics > Truth

Politics is greater than truth. There I said it. This may not be what everyone wants to hear or believe, but it is how seemingly everyone acts. I, for the record, do not believe this way. However, much of what I see people doing is ignoring the truth to get their political ideologies out there.

Many people claim to be open-minded. That is rarely the truth. Open-mindedness to most people is that they are open to their own ideas but closed to anyone else's opinion. I can assure you that everyone believes something that is not true. That includes me, though my wife will not believe that I truly mean it. 

It seems like everyone likes to argue and I am not an exception. No one really wins arguments. How many times has an argument about politics changed your opinion? I have changed my view on a few things, but not because of arguments. I changed them my looking at things from more than one side of the story. If someone were truly open-minded, we would not watch or read only things that agree with our point of view. 

As a Christian, I try to find the truth even when others ignore it. People seldom regard finding the truth as a good thing when that truth opposes their views. Not everyone wants to believe the truth. They prefer their original thoughts to be right. Why let the truth get in the way? This is America. You have the right to be wrong.

This brings me to another point. Many Christians seem to confuse their place in politics. They believe the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are equal to the Scriptures. They fight for their United States rights even if it opposes what God has spoken in the Bible. Last time I checked, this place is a temporary place for us. We think more about our rights here on earth instead of building treasure in heaven. We worry more about what the President or Congress are doing (or not doing) more than we concern ourselves with sharing the truth about Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us to obey God rather than man, but we hold onto these man-made rights calling them God-given. Yes, I am an American. Yes, I am thankful for our freedoms and rights, but there is a difference between being a Christian and being an American.

I remember when Jesus was running for political office in Jerusalem. Wait a minute. That did not happen. In fact, I do not recall Jesus speaking about politics unless asked. The Bible is clear about what we should do politically. 

Romans 13:1-2 tell us we must obey those in the governing bodies. It does not differentiate what leaders we must obey. It does not say obey if you agree with them. This is hard for close-minded people. "If so and so invited me to the White House, I would not go." Chances of being invited are slim, but the attitude behind these sentiments is unbiblical. Yet even Christians will say these types of things. The Bible says, "1Peter 2:17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king." Whether this president, the last one, or the next one, do you honor the president with your words and hearts. 

I Timothy 2:1-2 tell us to pray for our leaders so that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty.  Pray for our leaders, not criticize. It does not say pray that they die or become ineffective. Pray that they do the right things so we can be at peace. 

Politically speaking, I have my views and I do occasionally discuss them. I hope that my arguing days are over, but I truly doubt it. I just pray that politics never become more important to me than truth. 

Let the truth be greater than politics.