WARNING: If you are conservative in any way, shape, or form, I HIGHLY recommend skipping this post. Or if you're sensitive to foul language, because I make no guarantees that I'll be able to keep it rated G. Actually, unless you're a commie liberal freak like me, just stop right here. No good can come of it, except for you choosing to send me a nice pipe bomb for Christmas, or perhaps some kind of scathing comment.
Speaking of comments, I think I won't be publishing any on this post. After all, it's only a rant. 
I'm so done with people. Just call me Mrs. Hermit. Mostly, I'm done with conservatives, but particularly conservative Christians. (sorry to roughly 85% of my readership...can't say I didn't warn ya not to read this post!)
Ever since Election Day, my conservative McCain-anite counterparts have been more or less unbearable. Now, I'll allow that President-Elect Obama did not have my vote either, however there are certain things about politics that Christians need to come to terms with:
(emphasis mine)
Romans 13
Submission to the Authorities
1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
And then here:
1 Timothy 2
Instructions on Worship
1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
Ok c'mon people. How about instead of all the complaining, the posturing, the self-righteous indignation...
We do as the Lord asks.
~Whoa. Back that truck up.~
Yeah I know, how dare I. But I do.
If I had a buck for every time I've heard something to the effect that now is our nation's time of judgement, or someone "questioning" Mr. Obama's Christianity, I could take my fam and buy a nice lil island somewhere. Ah peace and quiet.
It's time to get real, folks. Either live out your faith, or shut up. Stop grandstanding like a pouting 3 year old who didn't get his lollipop, and do what the Bible tells you to. And no, praying for Obama's assassination does NOT count, asswipe.
Aside from all the politalk, it all boils down to this: conservatives know they're better/righter/godlier than the rest of us. But I ask, is that true? If they show they can't do much more than run their mouths after a defeat, really, how much better are they? Isn't that the kinda behavior us liberal bastards are supposed to indulge in?
Ah but I digress. So much to rant about, so little caring.
The truth of the matter is when I face the Lord at my demise (hopefully not by holiday pipe bomb), I'll probably be one of those wanna-be Christians who are turned away. May as well tell the truth and shame the devil as they say. But the flip side of that is that I just cannot bring myself to be more like them. I used to want that. Hell, I used to try to behave like that, think like that, talk like that. It worked for maybe 4 months before I became increasingly disgusted with myself.
I won't say I'll never be one of those conservative types. When it comes to God and what He can do, I've learned to never say never. I will say that I'm praying to never have my head shoved so far up my butt that I'm incapable of having compassion for anyone around me, or getting crazy-frothing-at-the-mouth offended at every single thing that's not within my definition of morality. Lord, please! If He decides one day that I need to be hopping on the conservative Christian bandwagon, hopefully He'll grant me the grace to remember where I've come from so that I can retain the characteristics I hold dear. If not, well, hopefully someone (Mr. P.) will flame me in a blog rant.
After all, it's only a rant.
Til next squeak,
6 Squeaks from the Maze:
I could not wait to read this post after the warning!! ;-)
Hugs, yo. 'Sall I'm gonna say.
Oh good - you did allow for comments.
I just love you!
I've had the blessing of not being surrounded by the types you are ranting about here... but let me assure you, despite my generally conservative voting record (on social issues mostly) I too cannot stand the sort of behavior you are fed up with and I too frequently refer to the Romans 13 and 1 Timothy 2 verses both to keep myself in check and to respond to others.
Though, just wanted to point out that the blade cuts both ways. I think I hear as much belly-aching from liberally-inclined folks as I do from conservative... I just find that they're just not as likely to wear their faith on their sleeve as they whine.
Thank you again for speaking the truth.
Thanks for your comments guys.
I wasn't going to put through any cmments originally, but figured what the hey? May as well. Surprisingly, I have yet to be flamed.
I haven't heard much from my liberal cohorts, mostly because the few of us that are on the boards I'm on most don't really speak for fear of recrimination. I can imagine that what you say is true though, Laurie.
>It's time to get real, folks. Either live out your faith, or shut up. Stop grandstanding like a pouting 3 year old who didn't get his lollipop
***
Amen to that! And it wasn't always true, by the way, that BEING a conservative Christian meant that you were a raving lunatic who thought you could could tell God to elect your chosen official just because you wanted that to happen, despite recent events to the contrary. Jimmy Carter is one of my favorite politicians of history. Why? Because he was a Christian and made no secret of that, but still chose to live his faith quietly and without wearing it on his sleeve. (AND he kept it out of his politics, something I find admirable.) He's still one of my favorite people, in part because he really does "walk the walk," so to speak. Regardless of where one's spirituality comes from (or if you have any beliefs of that sort at all), it should never enter into politics in the way that it has done so in recent years especially. We used to at least make an attempt to separate politics from religion, and the US does after all advocate "separation of church and state." I think we need to return to that.
Hey TLV! :)
When it comes to the separation of church and state (and funny you should mention that...Mr. P. and I were discussing it last night) is that I find people fall into 2 basic catergories on it.
In group 1, they want your church, then your state, and never the two shall meet. Hey, I can get down with that. Neither has any real business telling the other what to do. My only exception is perhaps the state should step in if people are in danger of getting hurt. However, I do recognize that as a very slippery slope that leads to the revocation of religious rights. So, back to separation...total separation.
The in group 2, they want the state to keep it dirty commie liberal nose out of our church thankyouverymuch, but the church has the right, NAY, obligation to dictate to the state what is right, wrong and everything in between.
Funny how such a concept can be warped to fit ones needs huh? I think the founders are probably spinning in their graves.
>My only exception is perhaps the state should step in if people are in danger of getting hurt.
I have two rules when it comes to spirituality/religious beliefs. One is, you can believe whatever you want -- literally anything, AS LONG AS what you believe: one, doesn't harm anyone, and two, doesn't try to control anyone. (Now, a lot of conservative Christians especially would say that neither of those things are true about their religious beliefs, but I think it's trying to control someone, certainly, when you sit there and say that if they don't believe just as you do, they're going to go to hell.)
For me, as long as those two rules are followed, okay, fine. You violate either of those rules, though, and all bets are off. It should never be legal to use your religious beliefs to harm someone else or to control what they think, say or do.
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