Political parties

Originally posted by @kellyjay
I wish politics would stay out of religion too.

But politics is a religion.

If you don't believe in God, then you still must pick a shepherd. For the atheist, they have people like Hillary with the hope of a "collective salvation", but only in this extremely short and troubled life.

Even those who purport to believe in God, like Suzy, would rather side with the DNC on such topics as abortion than siding with the Bible and the church. For Christians like Suzy, the state super cedes her faith. If Bernie Sanders told her to run out and take the mark of the beast, my guess is she would be the first in line.

Religion and politics have a lot in common. Both are a belief system in which we create a "savior" and a "devil". Neither can be proven right or wrong, which is why you see the same old political junkies pushing their same ideology endlessly, no matter how many times they have failed in the past.

When you see the Pope running around preaching a gospel of global warming and government redistribution, while ignoring such things as abortion on demand, which the church officially recognizes as genocide, and condemning Trump for building a wall, which is something Nehemiah did in the Bible, you have to ask yourself, what in the hell is going on here?

On a historical note, it used to be that a collectivist made people think that they were a god so that the people would serve them and the state, then when that no longer worked, they made people believe that they alone spoke for God, and when that no longer worked, they made people believe that there was no God, thus making themselves a god and supreme authority once again. In the process, an untold number of people became slaves, were killed, fought in endless state wars, or worse.

In short, God gives us freedom and it is only man who takes that away.

Originally posted by @whodey
But politics is a religion.

Not if religion is defined as the worship of a supernatural being, which seems appropriate on a Spirituality Forum.

The rest of what you typed would have supported 'religion is politics' rather than the other way round.

Originally posted by @fmf
Not if religion is defined as the worship of a supernatural being, which seems appropriate on a Spirituality Forum.

The rest of what you typed would have supported 'religion is politics' rather than the other way round.

You have to worship something or someone.

It's just human nature.

We are all sheep in desperate search for a good shepherd.

Originally posted by @whodey
You have to worship something or someone.

It's just human nature.

We are all sheep in desperate search for a good shepherd.

But religion is about supernatural phenomena and beings. Why render the word meaningless just because certain behaviours or characteristics are mirrored in non-religious human activity?

I can understand the wordplay in an occasional article or as a bit of rhetoric in a speech, but I don't see why the perfectly good word "religion" has to be distorted and then parroted as if the distorted definition is anything other than a debating trick.

Especially here where half of the people are actually religious. In your unoriginal efforts to be facetious, you muddy the communication rather than add value to it.

Originally posted by @whodey
You have to worship something or someone.

It's just human nature.

We are all sheep in desperate search for a good shepherd.

No, we don't.

You do, yes. You need constant guidance. But "we" don't.

Originally posted by @great-king-rat
No, we don't.

You do, yes. You need constant guidance. But "we" don't.

You don't see the need for government?

Originally posted by @fmf
But religion is about supernatural phenomena and beings. Why render the word meaningless just because certain behaviours or characteristics are mirrored in non-religious human activity?

I can understand the wordplay in an occasional article or as a bit of rhetoric in a speech, but I don't see why the perfectly good word "religion" has to be distorted and th ...[text shortened]... our unoriginal efforts to be facetious, you muddy the communication rather than add value to it.

There is a religious aspect to politics as well. Centralized governments tend to deify their leaders. That is why people like Lennon and Mao were put under glass. It was so they would always be with the people to revere. They are presented as "enlightened" and "intellectual" and "caring", and then forever made immortal through mummification under glass. After all, that is why we give them all that power. It's because they are god like.

Progs play the same game but in a different way. Their leaders are always the "best qualified" and their opponents are bumbling idiots.

Originally posted by @whodey
There is a religious aspect to politics as well. Centralized governments tend to deify their leaders. That is why people like Lennon and Mao were put under glass. It was so they would always be with the people to revere. They are presented as "enlightened" and "intellectual" and "caring", and then forever made immortal through mummification under glass. After all, that is why we give them all that power. It's because they are god like.

I disagree. I think it is a trite and gimmicky use of the word. It would appear you find it insightful.

Originally posted by @whodey
You don't see the need for government?

I most certainly do see the need for a government.

What an odd Whodey-esque question.

Originally posted by @whodey
You don't see the need for government?

You think the role of government is to provide spiritual guidance to people?

Originally posted by @whodey
You have to worship something or someone.

It's just human nature.

We are all sheep in desperate search for a good shepherd.

You don't have to do any such thing, it is most definitely not adult human nature.

Originally posted by @kazetnagorra
You think the role of government is to provide spiritual guidance to people?

It's the role of the people to provide spiritual guidance to the government.

Originally posted by @great-king-rat
I most certainly do see the need for a government.

What an odd Whodey-esque question.

I thought you did not need a shepherd.

What gives?

Originally posted by @avalanchethecat
You don't have to do any such thing, it is most definitely not adult human nature.

The government is a shepherd dingleberry.

They will help protect you and feed you and cloth you, etc.

Originally posted by @whodey
I thought you did not need a shepherd.

What gives?

Do you see the need for government, Whodey?

What about the police force? Or the military? Or hospitals?