Do you think churches should be politically active and encourage their members to protest, etc.?

Question

Last month as part of my Sunday School Classes community service project we attended a liberal church in Milwaukee, WI.
The members shocked me. The whole mass was filled with political messages and talk against the war (not for PEACE sake but for political reasons). My jaw dropped during the service on MANY occasions and I was MAD at the end of the mass. It was like going to a Democratic Fund-raising event or a Barbara Streisand concert! I attend a more Conservative Church I admit it BUT we do not get involved in politics (except gay marriage and abortion issues which I think are moral issues and not political anyway).
What do you think of a church like this? I disliked it intensely. They would not be uncomfortable at OUR mass at my church - where we concentrate on GOD and being a good person!

I did NOT sign ANY of their petitions...

I had to stay for the entire mass. I am the TEACHER and I was there with my 9th grade class. I could not get up and walk out - AND - it IS church!

Answer 1

I actually stopped going to my regular church for the same reasons, but opposite slant. Before the 2004 election, the pastor said that every good Christian should vote for Bush and that he was chosen by God to be the leader of our Christian nation. The door swings both ways. I, personally, find this, in both instances, despicable. It is the job the Church to teach us the difference between good and evil, to help us on our journey to redemption, not to issue ultimatums from the pulpit.

Churches should teach their members to be politically active, as long as it is for the right reasons - working for Peace, compassion, and tolerance. There is no political agenda involved, it is the Christian agenda. To blatantly put support behind (or pull support from) politicians, however, should not be tolerated. If Christians are unable to recognize the difference between good and evil, and make decisions based on those differences, then all those hours spent in Sunday School, church services, summer camp and "all day singing and dinner on the grounds" picnics were a sorry waste of time.

Answer 2

Church should be about charity, faith, and love. Politics doesn't serve any of those purposes. Most political debate hinges on reason and logic, rather than religious principles.

I also see issues with clergy shepherding the church into a political agenda that serves the clergy, and not the community or the church members. Who decided what and who to vote for? And why? Does the Bible explicitly advise for or against political activism?

I believe the Bible says that "we are not of this world..." or somesuch thing.

Answer 3

Politically "active" churches are supposed to lose their tax exempt status (as should the NAACP). The beliefs of one's particular church are interpreted by each member who is able to exercise free will. However, most go their own way. If Catholics (of which I am one) followed their religion, there would not be a Democrat in the house. Being pro-abortion is totally unaccepted by the Catholic church, yet 1/2 of the parishioners vote Democrat. How misguided is that?

A sad state of affairs indeed.

If one follows the beliefs of their religion, then political preaching is not necessary. One's belief in their religion should assist them in determining the appropriate view on political issues.

Unfortunately for some, "free will" leads one to misguided conclusions.

Answer 4

My chuch asked us to think about certain things before we went out and voted. We are constantly asking our prayers to be heard for peace in the middle east. My priest spoke of the holocaust denial during advent. But I think that it depends on which churches you decide to attend, and how many are poltically active. My priest is pretty young (about 40) and college educated, before he went to seminary. So he might be a bit more involved in these types of issues than some other priests.

EDIT: Gay marriage and abortion is very much a political issue! Laws are being made and debated concerning these two things. Nobody told me to vote for a democrat, and in fact, I felt that I needed to vote republican because of the whole abortion thing. But the reality is that presidents don't control abortion or gay marriage, so I voted the church lines on the war thing. Pope John Paul SPECIFICALLY said that war is against the church! And I never felt I should vote FOR Kerry (who was a catholic)

FTR, I am VERY uncomfortable at conservative churches, which is why I didn't attend mass for 15 years, until I realized that ONE SIZE does not fit all, and I have as much right to my religion as conservative believers do. RLP, you can't think that it isn't the other way around? Well hopefully I changed your mind on that.

Answer 5

No. I think the primary activities of churches, no matter what denomination, is to lead people to Christ by preaching the Gospel and ministering to their spiritual needs. Helping people with material needs is important also, such as establishing a soup kitchen or providing clothing to poor folk. But I don't advocate churches getting involved in politics. There are too many spiritually hurting people in the world, the church should concentrate on the primary mission of the church. Preaching the word, leading people to the Savior.

Answer 6

If churches want to participate in political action then they should have to register as PACs AND PAY TAXES.

The Libs continually while about the rich should have to pay more taxes, how about the rich churches, why should they be exempt with all their holdings. Just for grins and giggles, guess who owns the Watergate?

Clue: Their leader lives in a District or Rome, Italy.

Answer 7

Yes, but with a caveat. As long as they pay taxes. When you get a tax break, you give the government a reason to control your actions. Even though I don't agree with controlling the speech of a church, I do support government cash having tough terms so as to discourage it.

Answer 8

Why didn't you just walk out then? I've read some of your posts. I have difficulty believing you would actually sit through a service like that or even dare to cross the door of a "liberal??" church.

Answer 9

Seems a tad unseemly and not in keeping with a concern about your eternal soul. Seems like they're consumed by interest in the temporal, and have no cares about the soul.

How sad, that people have let their church become a campaign office.

Answer 10

No, and this is usually a problem of churches saying "vote for bush" and etc. They have a tax exemption based on their existence as a nonpolitical nonprofit entity. if they violate that, they better start coughing up the cash.