by Harry Tournemille

Created on: February 28, 2007   Last Updated: May 11, 2007

While I empathize with the sentiment expressed in the original article by Phil Liaboe, I do take some exception with his original statements re: the political affiliations of Christ.
In all fairness, Christ's entire life was a political affair. Comments like "Jesus Christ was not a politician" and/or "Christ never went to the Roman Government and demanded legislation be passed to give money to the poor, or widows, or the oppressed" are only true because such venues of debate were not available at that time. One could not just go to the Roman Senate and express opinion. But, Christ was political, to be sure.

The political weight of Christ's words and actions are evident in the gospels. He was born into a religious sect that believed in holiness through the meticulous following of a wide range of laws. When Christ began to preach a different path to holiness, namely through him, the political unrest that resulted ultimately led to his crucifixion. He created mayhem in this regard; his views were completely revolutionary. There was very much a "left" and a "right" side of the spectrum in those days, even though it would not fall under the same definitions as today.

To me, the real problem is that religion breeds prejudice. This problem cannot be solved. As soon as you have a set of religious doctrines that claim to be superior to another set, prejudices will result. Some people hold their prejudices lightly, keeping them controlled. Others however, turn their prejudices into hatred. And this is why religion should never be allowed to influence government. In fact, it is immoral for it to do so. There is nothing objective about religion, nothing that allows for a clear and balanced look on social issues. Too many innocent people get hurt.

We can all follow Christ's calls for love and peace, for helping the poor and downfallen. But, both sides of the political spectrum have been known to do this; Republicans and Democrats alike. This is not the issue. The issue is whether or not the moral parameters required to make decisions on social issues should stem from religious statutes or ethics from another source.

For me, education is key. People need to familiarize themselves with both sides of a debate, not just their own. I've found that my opinion on various subjects has changed drastically over the years and I embrace this change. Archaic, oppressive ideals, blended with generations of religious-induced prejudices, do nothing but reveal a person's ignorance to the rest of the world. We need to learn.

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