Is God a Democrat or Republican?
Does he support my favorite football team?
Throughout history, as humans have taken sides in battles ranging from words to politics to war, both sides have generally maintained that God is on their side. It has mattered not whether that side was obviously wrong from our point of view, whether it was a fight for the right to commit human sacrifice, to own slaves, or to support a tyrant. No matter how outrageous the objectives of the conflict has been, both sides have always maintained that God was with them.
It is understandable that conflicts have resulted in both sides proclaiming to represent the will of God. After all, what would happen if your rank and file soldiers feared that they were going against God? How motivated would they be to fight to the death?
Not that much – and that is why leaders have always done everything in their power to convince their supporters that they are doing God’s will.
Perhaps Abraham Lincoln was the first leader in history to openly question this, even a little. He is reported to have said:
“Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side.”
This statement opens up another avenue of questioning. Does God even have a side, or is he too far removed from us to even care?
Some philosophers have maintained that God is not polarized in one direction or another. Many maintain there is no good or evil, that God just lets us have our little belief systems and in the end everything will be just as it should be (whatever that is).
Let us look at what we accept to be obviously true as we seek for greater light here.
Both God and humans are lives possessing intelligence, though obviously God has a lot more of it than you and me.
As we observe intelligent lives in action we see that they always take sides in areas that interest them. Yes, some will maintain that they are above side-taking, or conflict, but when you examine the whole of their decision-making we always discover this is not the case. The person who says he couldn’t care less whether a Republican or Democrat wins will be found to be taking sides in some other area. We may find him rooting for the Seahawks or possibly championing the preservation a species, wanting to save them from extinction.
Life is about taking sides. If there were not such a thing as decisions placing us on one side, or one path over another, then we would die as a species and disintegrate into oblivion.
“Are you maintaining then that even God takes sides?” asks the skeptic. “Where is your evidence?”
The most striking evidence is that the universe exists. In the beginning God had a choice to make, to create or not to create. Obviously he took the side of creation for we see that we are in the midst of a grand universe of all there is.
Then, after he got the universe to appear he was faced with taking another side. Should he place intelligent life within it?
Obviously, he took the side of life for reasonably intelligent life forms live on planet Earth.
Then, many who believe the Bible think that God takes the side that favors love, freedom, peace, helping the poor and comforting the afflicted, to name a few.
So as we move into the modern world Lincoln’s question comes into play. Which side of the various stances is God on so we can join him? Does he support the Democrats or Republicans, conservatives or liberals? Does he like the Mormons, Catholics, Protestants – or maybe he’s a Muslim or Buddhist? Is he a Yankee’s fan or does he prefer the Red Sox?
When you think of it, it seems silly to consider that the God that occupies the entire universe is concerned about our trivial matters. After all, this entire planet is less than a speck of dust in his realm. But there is a hierarchy of lives and those directly responsible for humanity do pay attention as the eyes and ears of God.
The fact that there is hierarchy in all things is referenced in the Bible. It is written:
“If thou see the oppressions of the poor, and violent judgments, and justice perverted, in the province, wonder not at this matter: for he that is high hath another higher, and there are others still higher than these.” Eccl 5:8 Douay
No matter how high we get in the hierarchy of lives there is another higher until we get to the One Great Life we generically call God.
To understand how God or any greater intelligence that seeks to serve humanity would support our views it would be wise to consider how a father or mother deals with their children. After all, Jesus called God our Father, so this is a good way to see him.
Let us take sports, for example. If a father has two kids sword fighting each other his main concern is that they both have a good time and do not injure each other. After all, he loves them both. Who wins the battle is not that important.
There are many things that are of great concern to children that are of little concern to parents. On the other hand, there are some things that are of great concern to parents such as getting their kids established in a positive belief system, career choice, marriage partners, etc.
Even so, it is with humanity. God’s representatives are concerned about our choices in politics if those choices affect our happiness and our freedom. A parent is concerned about a child’s choices that determine his future state of happiness so obviously God would be similarly concerned about his children.
Does this mean that God, or his representatives are Democrats or Republicans? No, but what higher intelligence will do is support a position from either side where the greatest good is the result.
Political thinking is basically divided into conservatives and liberals. Here is the basic rule of thumb that will draw support from a being of high intelligence.
He will support those things, which are conservative, or part of the present or past system that has worked well for humanity and is still beneficial to us in the foreseeable future.
Example: Laws against murder, rape, theft have been very useful in the past and the present and it is logical to keep them in place for the foreseeable future.
He will not support those things we may have held on to in the past but may not work well for us in the present or future.
Example: Speed limits as low as 20 miles per hour were seen as essential when the automobile first arrived. Now all realize that type of thinking needs to be discarded.
On the liberal side that wants change, higher intelligence will support change that will benefit the whole
Example: They would support the advance of technology that would make our lives easier.
On the other hand, they would be against change that would restrict freedom, happiness and be to our detriment in the end.
Example: Allowing our leaders to become dictators and micromanaging our lives.
Most would agree with the above examples. The problem with us humans is that we have strong disagreements in many gray areas and are constantly fighting over who is right.
The greater intelligences look down on us and smile. To them the truth is as plain and simple as the need to have a law against murder, but to humans as a whole it is complicated.
Perhaps our goal should be to raise our intelligence up a notch so we can see with accurate vision. Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a world where we are all on the same page, and it’s a page leading in a positive direction that will benefit us all?
Copyright by J J Dewey
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Why Did God Create the Universe?
Why Would God Permit Suffering?
Who were the beings that appeared to Abraham, Moses and Jacob?
NOTICE: Although posted here with permission of the author, I am not the originator of this content and should the originator eventually see fit to begin posting here, I will leave it to him.