AMY LARSON
Staff Writer
It is interesting how intertwined politics and religion have become.
I was having a talk with a friend a couple months ago, and he made me think about some things that I have been wrestling with since. For instance, does Jesus say anything about politics?
In society today, there are many ideas about what sort of political role a Christian plays, or if a Christian have any tie to politics at all.
I wonder what kind of political stance Jesus would take if he were walking the earth today. I find it hard to believe that he would align himself with any specific party.
Though this aspect of his character is frequently overlooked, Jesus was remarkably political. You will not find “Republican” or “Democrat” in the red letters of the Bible, but some of the teachings of Jesus can easily be applied to politics.
For instance, Jesus said to “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (5:43-44). I wonder how often Christians do this — I certainly don’t do it as much as I should.
I realize Christians are also human, and therefore imperfect, but it seems that we make little or no effort to even make this teaching a part of our political lives.
For example, since we are at war, do we pray for those we are fighting against? Should we even be fighting at all? I’m not saying we should not defend ourselves, for I don’t think Jesus advocated extreme pacifism either, but I wonder what consistently being at war with some country, or almost at war with some country, says about our “Christian nation.” Furthermore, when was the last time we prayed for our enemies?
Our media stations remind us of how little value we place on the people on the other side of the battlefield; those hurt on the Iraqi side of our war on terror are very rarely mentioned. Jesus’ politics are not just applicable to war — Jesus also stood for social justice.
Consider the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10.
A Jewish man is hurt while traveling, and all the people who it seems should help him, do not —perhaps they were convinced someone else would do the job.
Finally, an unlikely Samaritan man takes care of the man, generously paying his recovery bills.
Are we like those who so cruelly pass by the hurting? We see the thousands of people killed in the genocide and pass by.
Perhaps it doesn’t even start on such a massive scale — perhaps it starts with the fact that I simply see the hungry homeless person on the Third Street Promenade and walk past. What am I doing about the 80,000 people who sleep on the streets of Los Angeles each and every night?
We are one of the wealthiest nations in the world — no matter your socioeconomic status, the fact that you are a U.S. citizen makes you automatically more affluent than most on the planet — yet we seem to give so little.
I pray that I will grow more like the Samaritan, helping those different than myself not for any gain, but simply because they are in need of assistance, and I am called to love my neighbor as myself.
Maybe we cannot change our nation’s political landscape overnight, but gradual change is still change all the same. Instead of going with the flow, ask questions. Why are we in the political situation we’re in, and exactly what is at stake?
Politics, in their truest form, follow less of party and more of an idea — an idea that things can be better for all people.
Jesus was a gentle political radical. May we all follow his lead.
09-14-2006
