Normally while at church, I just sit there and mope about having to go in the first place. But since my parents require me to go, I might as well make something of it. I’ve decided to take some notes on the pastor’s sermon and write a blog in response. I never voice my own opinions while in church for fear of my parents’ wrath and a good talking to from all the adults in the congregation. So, here’s my voice.
I’m just going to paraphrase a few of his points and state my own arguments.
“Many people came to America seeking religious freedom because America had the blessing of God. Our founders knew that the most Christian thing to do was to allow all people to practice their religions freely. There is nowhere else on Earth where you find the religious freedom that America has. But some people didn’t come for religious freedom. They came for gold, for riches. That power of materialism still vexes our country today. Just look at Bernie Madoff.”
My pastor makes a great point about how America has immense religious freedom, but it was not necessarily the most Christian thing to do. It goes against the bible to practice other religions. The first commandment states; “Thou shall have no other gods before me.” The founding fathers would have made America officially Christian if they wanted citizens to practice Christianity. Instead, they made religious freedom one of the staples of our country.
As for materialism…There are two types of materialism that he’s grouping together. He is stating that all materialism is bad, and that all greed is evil. However there is huge difference between irrational greed and rational greed. The former characterizes Bernie Madoff. This kind of greed really is evil. Madoff was willing to step all over individual rights to reach his ends. This was clearly irrational, just look where he ended up.
The latter kind of greed characterizes the immigrants came to America seeking gold and riches. This is what many people call rational self-interest. These immigrants wanted to make better lives for themselves. Obviously, they thought they could do much better in the United States than they could in their own countries. Is it a bad thing to escape suffering? Should they have stayed right where they were and endured hunger, poverty, and disease?
Good Lord, NO! This is one of my major problems with Christianity; Jesus taught that one should give all things to God and let him deal with things. “Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all you other needs will be met as well. So don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries.”-Matthew 6:33-34.
If God wants us to just let him deal with everything, we would die of starvation. Food doesn’t just present itself to us if we wait for God to provide. We have to go out and get it ourselves. Some people might say, “God doesn’t mean don’t worry about anything, he means do what you can and you will have food.” But then, isn’t the individual who found, killed, or gathered the food the one to commend for providing the food?
“There are politicians that say they believe in God, that they have faith, that they are Christians, but then they say they will not let their religion affect their politics. Wait…are they listening to their own words? I don’t think so.”
I concur with my pastor on this one. When you have certain beliefs, like the belief of God, it’s going to influence every decision you make. Politicians are just trying to avoid getting kicked out of office. They try to please the most people as possible, but mostly they are just walking contradictions.
“There are those that suggest we are better off without any religion at all. To them I say, if you believe this, there’ll be hell to pay. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness cannot be accomplished without God.”
I’d like some evidence for this. People are constantly accomplishing their dreams, and I don’t see God to be in any way involved. These people should be commended for their achievements, not God.
