"...I decided it was time to explore places of worship. Being a secular Jew, my first step should have been a temple. However, the synagogues around here are practically recruitment stations for Obama (aside from the Orthodox ones, but I don't speak a word of Hebrew). So I decided to experience church on Christmas Eve.
Checking out churches online, I found almost none that offered political neutrality. Most heralded their progressive credentials, welcoming the transgendered, but not conservatives.
I was pleased to find an Episcopal church whose website focused on religion, not ObamaCare. I left a message for the priest that I was looking for a church that didn't press a political agenda because I wasn't a liberal.
I received an icy reply from the priest, the Reverend Lucy, who said with barely-contained disgust, "I don't think you should check us out."
Her response left me shaken and angry. I understand that leftists despise conservatives. I have seen that creepy look of pure hatred when I naïvely told a leftist friend about my political conversion.
But an Episcopal priest rejecting me during the holiest time of year? Isn't anything or anyone sacred?"
No, Robin, nothing is sacred. At least when it comes to leftists whose only focus is to destroy anyone who doesn't agree with them.
This is exactly what happens when politics control religion. The life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ gets drowned by the social justice crowd. Notice I said "when politics control religion." This is different than when religion controls politics. It may seem confusing or splitting hairs, but I see the Catholic Church's commitment to defending the rights of the unborn as an example of the latter.
Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, encouraged U.S. Catholics to express our faith when debating politics. I know Catholicism has not shied away from continuing to uphold the dignity of life whether arguing the case for the unborn's rights or rejecting euthanasia as a valid option for a person in ill health. These issues are a perfect example of how a thinking Christian allows their faith to direct their actions in society.
The same could be said for a liberal Catholic who believe in pro-choice and same-sex marriage. However, there is a difference. Liberalism has taken the place of God within these "diverse" churches. And as far as being "tolerant," they fail miserably, showing an amazing level of intolerance toward those who do not share their views. When you get right down to it, those who are more traditional usually show a great deal of restraint toward those who differ with their beliefs. Leftists only show visceral hatred such as "Robin of Berkley" experienced.
The Church of Jesus Christ has been created to preach the gospel and save souls. That is its first and primary role. Liberals will twist the gospel and claim it's about "justice" but yet conveniently forget that God, who is holy and just, extended the gift of grace to us by judging the sin of the world and allowing His holy and perfect Son to pay the price. And it was a raw, bloody, nightmarish judgement of death by crucifixion. One way you know you're in a leftist church: they either minimize or deny the crucifixion and its meaning.
I don't have a problem with churches caring for the poor, feeding the hungry, or working to help those in need. I believe we are called to minister God's love to this world. But I do have a problem when a church makes those activities its primary purpose for existence. I definitely have a problem when such a church condemns a soul searching for salvation as "undesirable" because they don't hold the same leftists views. In fact, I'll come right out and say that such a church is no church at all but an auxiliary organization of socialism.
When politics trump religion in a church, the process of sanctification goes out the window. Instead of focusing on becoming holy, that church focuses on egalitarianism - which is a warped way of saying that life should be fair for everyone.
When did Jesus Christ say that life was to be fair? What I remember more than anything are His words, "The world has hated Me. It will hate you, too, if you follow Me." He and His disciples both experienced and spoke about suffering. Where are the lessons in a leftist church about redemptive suffering? Zilch. It's all about a sense of entitlement and avoidance of personal responsibility.
Look, if I'm a drug-addicted prostitute, it's no one else's fault by my own. If I'm a victim, I'm a "victim" of my own stupid choices. Period. I believe in churches encouraging such a person to seek God and turn from a sinful life but I don't see how it would help if she was given money and yet no Biblical counsel or challenge to seek first the Kingdom of God and receive the Sacraments.
When the Samaritan woman approached Jesus at the well, did He give her training on how to recognize abusive personalities or a class on boosting her self-esteem so she didn't hop from man to man? No. Instead, Jesus gave her first what she really needed: the Water of Life. Only after the conversation about the Water of Life did He ask her about her living situation.
This is a pattern with our Savior and Lord. He was more concerned with the state of someone's soul than with their finances, their homes, or their social status. What was paramount to Him was ministering first to their need for salvation. Healing or feeding crowds were only vehicles in which to transport a person to behold God and notice their need for His forgiveness. I've noticed over the years that churches get in trouble when they deify the vehicle, not God.
Robin later wrote an email to this Episcopalian priestess. "In this holiest of seasons, I wish for you a change of heart, an opening of the heart, to those who come to your door. Because when someone makes a phone call to you -- which isn't easy -- they are in need of God. Don't you, as a minister, have a sacred duty to respond with God's infinite love and mercy?"
There was no response. Because when you're a leftist, Robin, the liberal ideology takes precedence over everything else. Including a soul in need of salvation.
Oh, and by the way - Robin ended up celebrating Christmas eve in a Catholic church.
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