#faith and politics

[glj2025]

Should Christians Be Involved in Politics, and Is the USA a Christian Nation?

Written by Junior A. Goizueta Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are my own and do not represent any organization or group. This article examines the topic logically, based on personal insights and research, rather than advocating a specific position. The intersection of faith and politics has long been a point of contemplation for Christians. In a nation as religiously diverse as…

[dkcdude]

Vote with Your Heart for Your Heart

Introduction As you may have noticed, Election Day in the United States is in just a couple of days. But fear not, this will not be a political post. As hard as it is to believe, there won’t even be any political ads anywhere in this article. Believe me when I say that I understand how easy it is to feel overwhelmed by the weight of our choices in this election. The debates, the ads, the news…

[locustheologicus]

We Catholics are taught by our Church that we should vote. This is a civil responsibility and one that our Church considers an important expression of faithful citizenship. Pope Francis expressed consern about the state of democracy especially with low voter turnout and populist temptations to vote unreflectively.

More recently, Pope Francis recognized the difficulty with the American election but still called on us all to be involved and to form our conscience for this election.

Recognizing these social concerns and the important upcoming elections that have the potential to move us closer to authoritarianism or the democratic process, the church is asking all of us to be involved and vote. The Jesuit magazine, "America" offers the following six suggestions for conflicted voters.

Prepare a personal scorecard: Where do the candidates stand on pro-life, anti-poverty, immigration, foreign policy and religious freedom issues? ...the process can help clarify a Catholic voter’s thinking before stepping into the booth.

Split your ticket:  A split ticket sends a clear message: We want both sides to address problems in a bipartisan manner, not with extreme proposals.

Assess each candidate’s character and leadership skills: A candidate who is willing to lead, reach across the aisle, strongly consider opposing views and respect the rule of law in decision-making can be vital in achieving the common good—an important Catholic principle.

Remember that you do not have to support the candidate you vote for on every issue: There are many ways to exercise your rights as a citizen in the public square besides voting, such as attending rallies, writing letters or participating in coalition or community groups.

Talk to fellow Catholics: It is worth talking to family, friends and acquaintances about the election through a Catholic lens. Even if you disagree or even argue with someone, this provides another guidepost for your decision process.

And finally, vote, even if it is a difficult decision: For some Catholic voters, neither major candidate is satisfactory, and you must “hold your nose” to vote for one of them—or at least say a prayer before doing so.

These are great points for all Catholics to ponder as we prepare for election day. Regarding the fifth bullet point, talking to fellow Catholics, I advise us all to take seriously the idea of promoting cordial diologues based on an ethic of mutual respect for one another. In the past I have promoted the "Civilize It" Campaign from the USCCB, a campaign to get American voters to participate in the electoral process with the dignity that flows from our Catholic values. The Jesuit social ction thinktank, The Ignatian Solidarity Network, offers Catholics a different opportunity. This campaign is more follows Ignatian spirituality and is more friendly towards sociel media engagement. It has Catholics take the pledge below and then widely promote their political enagement.

[trendynewsnow]

A Cinematic Journey Through the Vatican's Papal Election

A Cinematic Escape Amidst Political Turmoil In the face of the chaotic unknown and the overwhelming dread that often accompanies it, people find solace in various forms. Some escape into a bottle of wine, while others reach for comforting snacks. A few choose to channel their stress into healthier outlets, such as brisk walking or indulging in sound bath meditation. For me, however, the ultimate…

[biblepreacher]

War & Politics: Conquer Evil with Good

We are continuing our series answering the questions of "war & politics". In this post we talk about how to conquer evil with good, which is a crucial point in my framework. For this reason, this post is larger and deeper in scope than the others.

One of the most compelling axioms of our time is the saying “when good men do nothing, evil prevails.” When we look around and see what is being done to babies, how our children are being mutilated, and our society is becoming cruel, desperate, and corrupt, I think we yearn from the deepest recesses of our soul for justice. We look for answers that tell us what we can do about the evils we see…

[watchmakermori]

manifesting the worst tory election result in history tomorrow. like to charge reblog to cast and reply to send the tories to a shadow dimension for 3000 years

[rebel-girl-queen-of-my-world]

Attention Christians - THIS is what Jesus would do. Put his body on the line, speak truth to power, and demand justice for the starving and oppressed. 🙌

Thank you, @christiansforafreepalestine, for being an example of true decency and faith in action.

“Our scriptures say ‘woe to you, who eat while others go hungry!” they called out to senate staff.

Saying “Congress won’t eat until Gaza eats,” over 60 Christians from across the U.S. are nonviolently blockading the Senate Cafeteria to pressure the Senate and their staffers to support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, restore aid to UNRWA, and end military funding to Israel. #CFPAction

[universoulreiki]

There is an increasing polarity in the political world and how many feel we should address the problems facing us. The temptation to separate people and parties into "Good guys" and "Bad guys" is strong. Archangel Sandalphon delivers an in-depth look at how to best shape our choices and alignments, policy by policy and candidate by candidate. We're encouraged to turn away from fear-based political actions and towards heart-centered ones.

Channeled by Daniel Zafer-Joyce on 12-6-22 at Castle Rock State Park, Los Gatos, CA

If you would like to schedule your own private channeling for guidance you can do so at this link:

https://bit.ly/41ufEGA

If you would like to contact Daniel directly with questions you can use the contact link at universoulreiki.com

Follow on Instagram at @Universoul_Reiki for early glimpses of upcoming messages.

Music: Ambient Nature Music | Nature by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/

Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Creative Commons CC BY 3.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

[a-boat-on-the-sea]

Jesus was a brown-skinned, Middle Eastern man, who spent his early childhood as a refugee. He spent his life telling people to give all their belongings to the poor. If he knocked on the door of many Republicans, they would get one of their guns and shoot him in the face.

[serpentface]

Faiza performing the Kagnoma Odo (pretty literally 'lion dance'), a weapons dance and one of the more important ritual duties of Odonii priestesses. A relatively new addition to this traditional dance involves the musket as the primary weapon, which is fired mid-twirl into the ground at the climax of the dance. Faiza is experiencing an 'oh fuck' moment because her shot is more than ideally diagonal, but she’s being so cool with it.

This is a wholly ceremonial performance at the onset of the pilgrimage, performed in full regalia and lion skin (of the small, semi-domesticated strain) but no armor. It’s also distinctly a display of political allegiance between the powerful and beloved Odonii priesthood (and its loyal military) with the increasingly reviled and destabilized imperial family, with Faiza prominently wearing a bracelet of the royal serpent, which was gifted (along with the musket) by the usoma Stavis Amanti himself (Usoma is the Wardi word for king, which has been retained in the context of emperors).

The Kagnoma Odo is the ultimate demonstration of the Odonii as an embodiment of the Lion Face of God and living vessel of military might and sovereignty, demonstrating her fitness and proficiency with weapons and as a spiritual unifier for soldiers. It is accompanied by drumming and occurs in stages, running through the three keymost weapons used in war- the spear, the sword, and the musket. The musket is of the most significance, given the weapon has developed a particular esteem as the ultimate embodiment of might and superiority. Assistants (almost always other priestesses, occasionally high ranking soldiers) load and prime the musket to be fired at the climax of the dance, where it is shot into the ground as the priestess leaps out of range of the shot. The firing signals the end of the dance and the rite itself.

While not the utmost exemplar of trigger discipline, only fully inducted and senior (and therefore very thoroughly trained) Odonii are permitted to perform the dance, and injuries during actual performances are quite rare (though are known to occur during training, more than a few Odonii have burns and wounds on their feet).

The most important renditions of this dance are performed upon declarations of war and before battles (in this case, generally done in full armor along with the lion pelt). It is also done during some trainings (while a dance, it is carefully choreographed to include naturalistic maneuvers of the weapons involved and helps soldiers limber up and learn to move their weapons). It is regarded as an impressive and motivating sight and a morale booster, and, seen at a distance, potentially intimidating to enemies.

A special variant of this dance is performed as means of fully incarnating the Odomache, which is done in full nudity with the body covered in the blood of the freshly sacrificed lion and cloaked in its raw pelt (the lion has become the corpse of Odomache in the moment of death, as part of its recreation of God's sacrifice). Her public, full nude appearance once (and only once) in this act is what allows the Lion Face of God to incarnate within her. Those in attendance see the spiritually vulnerable, naked human body obscured with the sanctified and deified blood and cloaked in the sanctified and deified skin. It is a merger of the contradictions of mortality and divinity, the boundaries between the two indistinct in flickering firelight and the flash of musketfire. She is witnessed by her people, dangling in between humanity and divinity and leading them in dance, and and is thus transformed.

[femboypussy420]

trying to counter bullshit from antis is so hard bc it's like.... well the problem is your argument is rooted in conservative anti-sex politics that harm marginalized people disproportionately. but the Problem is also that you believe in thought crimes in a way that is ableist and harms those w OCD and similar intrusive thoughts. but the PROBLEM is that you consider consumption of fictional content containing certain themes on par with real world abuse and violence which is offensive to survivors. but the PROOOOBLEM is that you care more about the punishment of perceived harm than preventing real world harm and center punitive measures over anything that would bring real justice. but THE PROBLEM IS

[locustheologicus]

What reason can there be to vote for Trump?

I have made it clear that I am obviously voting for Harris. Yet I must confess that It boggles my mind why anyone at this point is supporting candidate Trump. I am sincerely asking this question in the hope of sparking a conversation on what is it we stand for. I have recognized candidate Trump as a failed businessman with a successful flare for self-marketing who has bamboozled many of us into thinking that he is an image of success. The article above shows that actual economist see candidate Harris as have a better economic platform for our nation.

While each of us has different views on the particulars of various economic policies, we believe that, overall, Harris’ economic agenda will improve our nation’s health, investment, sustainability, resilience, employment opportunities, and fairness and be vastly superior to the counterproductive economic agenda of Donald Trump.

As far as I can tell he is simply a narcissist who lives on personal adulation and power. What has he actually done that merits any national consideration? How is it that this is a close race?

As I mentioned in a previous post, I will be voting for Harris but not because of issues. I will vote for her because I consider Trump a threat to America, our political system and core values. Because of all this I have also committed, with this election, to vote straight democrat. My reason for this is because overall the Republicans have allowed Trump’s candidacy to undermine our political system and they must be held responsible for this.

Having said this I will say that I am looking to see what Candidate Harris does stand for and see what issues I do agree with. One of the criticisms on Candidate Harris is that people don’t know what she stands for. Perhaps because of the toxic political environment we find ourselves in we have witnessed more defensive character bashing than actual issue discussion. With Trump it isn’t easy to find concrete issues outside of mass deportations, a tariffs based economy and support for IVF’s.

As for Harris, this unpacks some of the issues that she stands for.

Faithful Citizenship raises the following two principles that are an overarching lens for my evaluation on socio-economic issues.

The dignity of the human person is the foundation for a moral vision of society, [therefore] we seek to prevent and remedy any aspects of an “economy of exclusion,” which “does not hesitate to exploit, discard, and even kill human beings,” and to work instead toward an “economy of communion” rooted in ethical concern.

We must “place at the center of all political, social and economic activity the human person, who enjoys the highest dignity, and respect for the common good… While the common good embraces all, those who are weak, vulnerable, and most in need deserve special concern, which the Church describes as the preferential option for the poor. Laws and policies must prioritize those who struggle to make ends meet and must preserve the social safety net and promote decent jobs, affordable housing, and childcare.

With these Catholic social values in mind I raise the following policies from Candidate Harris that I support because of them.

Economics:

First-ever federal ban on price gouging on food and groceries.

Secure new authority for the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to investigate and penalize companies that unfairly exploit consumers.

Increase a tax deduction for new small businesses to $50,000, up from $5,000.

Help minority entrepreneurs and others by providing 1 million fully forgivable loans.

Strengthen the manufacturing sector by creating a new “America Forward” tax credit. It would be targeted at investment and job creation in key strategic industries

Taxes:

Expansión of the child tax credit to as much as $3,600, up from $2,000, and call for it to be made permanent.

Add a new child tax credit of up to $6,000 for middle-class and lower-income families

Restore the American Rescue Plan’s enhancement of the earned income tax credit, known as the EITC.

End federal income tax on tips

Raise the corporate tax rate to 28%, up from the current 21% rate set by Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Raise the long-term capital gains rate to 28%, up from the current 20% rate, for those earning more than $1 million.

Supporting the Billionaire Minimum Income Tax proposal, which seeks to ensure that those worth more than $100 million pay a federal income tax rate of at least 25% on their income.

Housing:

Provide up to $25,000 in down-payment support for first-time homebuyers. The down-payment support would apply to working families who have paid rent on time for two years, with more generous support for first-time homebuyers. The plan would also provide a $10,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers.

Building of 3 million new housing units. To spur construction, she would provide a first-ever tax incentive for builders who build starter homes sold to first-time buyers.

Lower rent costs in the US by blocking landlords from using algorithm-driven price-setting tools to set rents and discouraging wealthy investors from buying up properties and marking up rents in bulk by removing tax benefits for investors who buy large numbers of single-family rental homes.

Health Care:

Builds on the Biden administration’s efforts to reduce prescription drug costs. Including the expansion of the current $35 monthly cap on out-of-pocket costs for insulin and the upcoming $2,000 annual limit on out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs generally to all Americans.

Accelerate the speed of Medicare’s drug price negotiations so that the costs of more medications come down faster.

establish a Medicare at Home program, which would provide home health aides to enrollees who cannot independently handle activities of daily living.

Reduce the number of “ambulance deserts” by increasing funding and technical support for emergency medical technicians and first responders

Immigration:

Crackdown on asylum claims meant to continue reducing crossings at the US-Mexico border. Harris has said that she would maintain Biden’s crackdown on asylum claims – and potentially go further.

Continue overseeing diplomatic efforts in Central America.

Pull together the Partnership for Central America, which has acted as a liaison between companies and the US government. Her team and the partnership are closely coordinating on initiatives that have led to job creation in the region.

Climate Change:

Work to Reduce climate pollution by 2035 – a requirement of the Paris climate agreement.

Continue supporting the policies of the Green New Deal in considering sustainable infrastructure and opportunities.

This is not an exhaustive list but these are a list of her domestic policies that very much concern me as I consider the future of our nation.

In the spirit of voting your conscience I hope that all Catholic Americans reflect on the values of their faith and consider how they will vote their conscience.

[monacodarling]

Cant stop thinking about how paradoxical Charles and Max are I mean the narrative is there right but

Max growing up in a harsh condition—almost to the breaking point. Wanting nothing but to be the best. Conditioned to be alone. Used to being lonely.

Charles growing up in a loving family. Support from the family, having friends, growing up with different people hes still friends with today.

Max growing up under public scrutiny. Nothing like a famous father whose expectations you have to live up to. You can say he was born to race. That was his sole purpose.

Charles growing up wanting to be the best. The adoration and belief and faith from his family.

Max finally drawing boundaries with his own father. Christian and other people stepping in. Years of understanding. Finally in F1 in Red Bull.

Charles and his grief. One loss after the other. Finally in Ferrari, although a bit too late.

Max and his teammates—Carlos, and Daniel, and Pierre, and Alex, and Sergio. Some people he really start to let in, and be genuine friends. People like Lando start to come in. His demeanor slowly changes as people get to know him who he is and his love for animals.

Charles and his teammates—Seb and Carlos. Seb as someone who’s gotten to know what it’s like living with grief. Grief being a part of you. How much promises and faith weigh you down. Charles is very accessible. Kind and open to people. But he holds most at a distance. Like this is only where you get to only know me. This as far as you can go.

Max, doesn’t care what the public thinks, used to him being painted the villain, as someone who is angry and mad and raw all the time. But proves you can be as hungry and greedy as you can be, and only have a few people at your back. He’s fine with it. He’s used to be alone, he’s genuinely grateful of the people who’s been with him through thick and thin over the years. At the end of the day, he does things for himself. Because if being the best is his purpose in life, to make people happy, then that’s what he’s going to be. And if he’s tired of being the best, he can go because he knows there are people no matter who he is, they’ll be there.

Charles slowly suffering with the burden of the tifosi’s faith, his promise to Jules, his dad, to Anthoine. Charles wanting to be hungry and greedy but can’t stand of losing someone, of people abandoning him. Like I feel the more reckless and desperate he gets, it’s because he’s pushed by his own want. Sometimes what he needs to do and who he needs to be versus who he really is messes up his own vision of what he wants. He needs to be the best because it is a debt to be paid. And as long as it goes unpaid, he ignores the blood, he ignores the pain, he ignores the gnawing loss and sadness because he deserves it. He’s not winning, and he keeps on losing, and he is afraid if he’s unable to win, people will leave him. It’s either he leaves first, or he makes people leave, or in the end, he’s sure that people will leave him. He doesn’t know how to be alone.

Max with the faith in himself.

Charles’s faith of others towards him. Never from himself.

And I think that’s beautiful.

[biblepreacher]

War & Politics: Can Christians Serve in Political or Military Vocations?

Having argued that Jesus is Lord, which gives him alone the right to order his Kingdom, and that there is one authority over all to which we must answer, which means there aren’t different standards for “secular” and “religious” spheres, and having argued that God has both reserved vengeance for himself, now it’s time to ask the question that has divided how Christians engage with questions of…

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Close to 250 faith leaders from across Ontario are pleading with the provincial government to reconsider its “deadly decision” to shutter 10 of its 17 supervised drug consumption sites (SCS) by March 2025 and create legislation that would prevent any new locations from opening. On Tuesday, several members of the faith community delivered a letter to Premier Doug Ford and Ontario’s Minister of Health Sylvia Jones that urged them to reconsider this plan, which also includes limiting other harm reduction measures like safe supply and drug decriminalization. “We urge you, Premier Ford and Minister Jones, to reverse this decision, and to follow the advice of the expert reports which you yourselves commissioned,” the signatories wrote in their letter.

Continue Reading

Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[theweeklydiscourse]

Some Atla fans are deeply unwilling to engage with the fact that their beloved series may bear the marks of being written by two white men in the early 2000s. They can’t conceive that the show might’ve been anything less than perfect and that there are certain problematic elements within it that are consistently overlooked by the fandom at large.