Religion of fear versus faith, hope, and love
James Dobson’s organization has sent out a really scary letter about all the terrible things that will happen by 2012 if Barack Obama becomes president. You can download it and respond to it here.
A Jewish group has sent out a similar letter, evoking the holocaust no less, which you can read about here.
Fear is a powerful currency, both in religion and politics. But according to a reputable source, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.
Speaking of power, love, and self-control rather than fear, Jim Wallis again gets a home run with this piece on Joe the Pastor … Great quote:
Joe the plumber is mostly asking what could happen to him, but pastors have the obligation to ask their congregants to go deeper than that. In Faithful Citizenship, a helpful pamphlet published for the 2004 election, the United States Catholic Bishops wrote, “Politics in this election year and beyond should be about an old idea with new power — the common good. The central questions should not be, ‘Are you better off than you were four years ago?’ It should be, ‘How can “we” — all of us, especially the weak and vulnerable — be better off in the years ahead? How can we protect and promote human life and dignity? How can we pursue greater justice and peace?”
Another great post on the side of sanity … Bob Carlton’s here.