Writer and evangelical Christian Jim Wallis wrote a cautionary tale for the “secular left” on the Huffington Post, in the wake of the Democratic victory in the midterm elections. He felt it necessary to point out that the secular left did not win, we were just seen as the marginally better choice by the vast majority of Americans who let Christian morals be their guiding compass in all things.
As you can see, nice Jesus is just as intent on theocracy as the harsh Jesus that has dominated politics for the past six years.
Sorry to bust your bubble, Jim. But this vote was a rebuke on the POLICIES and LACK OF OVERSIGHT by a radical, neoconservative government. According to the polls, even fundamentalist Christians voted against their Republican reps to punish them for corruption, and for needlessly killing young American men and women overseas. This election was about GOVERNMENT, not God. But to this secular humanist, that seems to be the problem. Even the "nice" Jesusists can't seem to stomach a government that doesn't defer to their religion.
Even Jesus himself (according to the Book) said "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's." The reference was to the emperor's picture on a Roman coin, and the advice was to a follower who was complaining about taxes. I have always read this as not being just about money, but about the symbol of government. The rebel Hebrew Jesus was saying to worry about the afterlife, government was a secular problem.
Let's make sure we keep government a secular, human problem. be very wary of those who would caution us to not leave their particular Christian morals out of government. One religious sects' morals are almost sure to oppress another group's freedom of belief if woven into legislation.
Churches, go forth and do your good works! But stay out of legislation. Myth and magic make bad, bad law
