A sharing of pastoral, priestly, personal, spiritual, social, and political, insights and commentary on contemporary, and historical, life, and faith, experiences. Anonymous Comments to any of my blog posts will not be published, or acknowledged; only deleted. 'Come out of the darkness and into the sunshine'. I put my name to what I blog, be honest,and "fear not", and do the same yourself...........fr.tdp
Sunday, November 4, 2012
"RED STATE, OR BLUE STATE, JESUS ?"............
With the political landscape of the United States of America having become a 50/50 nation between affiliation and support for the Democrats and Republicans, as a tug of war between Conservatives and Liberals, has intensified, over the past twelve years, divided into Red States and Blue States with less than a dozen Purple States, the polarization it has caused has spilled beyond the political and governmental realm and exists in the religious and spiritual spheres of American life and relationships as well. John Blake, a blogger on the CNN Belief Blog wroye about this on Friday, and I put some of his thoughts and a quiz he has constructed with the assistance of pastors and religion professors to gauge some of the defining characteristics of the politically polarizing differences and divisions we are experience in the context of our individual religious identity and philosophy and whether we see ourselves and the issues before the USA and the World through the lens of a, "Red State Jesus, or a Blue State Jesus", as Catholic-Christians ? I add to his query, are we perhaps advocates of neither of these, but a 'Purple State Jesus' ? John Blake admonishes us in his blog post that while some Faith based Liberals may see Jesus, as a Champion of the Poor, who would be willing to tax the Wealthy more while Faith based Conservatives think Jesus would be more concerned with Abortion and Same Sex Marriage. He also forewarns his readers that even Jesus' followers in the Biblical accounts of his Public Ministry did not always agree on Who Jesus is or what he stands for. Blake quotes Professor of Religious History at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. who says, "Jesus did not leave clear instructions. He was a man who said many things that were quite cryptic. All Christians tend to pick and choose some of His Teachings over the other". I do not view Jesus' words as Professor Worthern calls some of them as, "cryptic", but open ended; causing us as Disciples to choose the "narrow way" of Holiness and Fidelity to Gospel Values, or the easy and worldly way of self interest. Blogger Blake's conclusion is that most of us who are Christians in America are a bit Red State Jesus, and a bit Blue State Jesus. I found that to be true after taking his quiz, but also that my responses are predominately not of a Red State / Blue State Jesus, but that of a Purple State Jesus, as the majority of my responses were to agree with both possible answers, to some degree. My answers to the ten questions as to what defines Jesus as a matter of Personal Belief and a member of the Catholic-Chtistian Community of Believers were 1 Red State Jesus response; 3 Blue State Jesus responses; and by my own definition as I believe in a part of both possible choices, 6 Purple State Jesus responses. You can find the Red State Jesus, Blue State Jesus, Quiz and take it yourself on the CNN Belief Blog. Pondering John Blake's blog post and the quiz he created, I think a shift in the current Red State, Blue State, political - religious polarization in the USA would be well served by moving toward a Purple State Jesus approach that is not my way or the highway, but compromise and consensus building for the Common Good of all American Citizens and Believers. In asking Who Does Jesus Want Us To Be ?............tdp
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
WELCOME TO MY BLOG
I AM GLAD YOU ARE HERE VISITING MY BLOG, "INSIGHTS INTO LIFE AND FAITH BY FATHER TROY DAVID POWERS"
ENJOY READING MY REFLECTIONS ON CURRENT AND HISTORICAL CIRCUMSTANCES FACING THE PEOPLE OF GOD IN THE WORLD.
TELL YOUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS TO JOIN YOU HERE.
GRATEFULLY YOURS,
REVEREND FATHER TROY POWERS
ENJOY READING MY REFLECTIONS ON CURRENT AND HISTORICAL CIRCUMSTANCES FACING THE PEOPLE OF GOD IN THE WORLD.
TELL YOUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS TO JOIN YOU HERE.
GRATEFULLY YOURS,
REVEREND FATHER TROY POWERS
Followers
Blog Archive
-
▼
2012
(756)
-
▼
November
(55)
- UNITED STATES SENATE VOTES TO END INVOLVEMENT IN A...
- ROMNEY, OBAMA, LUNCHING AT THE WHITE HOUSE TODAY.....
- SACRED HEART OPPORTUNITIES AND PERSONAL FRIENDSHIP...
- COMMEMORATING REVEREND MONSIGNOR HUGH MCTAGUE........
- PRESIDENT OBAMA'S JOB APPROVAL RATING UP FOLLOWING...
- TIME TICKING AWAY ON AVERTING THE FISCAL CLIFF.......
- ALL CULMINATES IN THE SUPREME KING OF CREATION.......
- LARRY HAGMAN, "JR EWING" OF TV'S "DALLAS" DEAD AT ...
- CELEBRATING OUR NATIONAL DAY OF THANKSGIVING BEYON...
- AMERICAN THANKSGIVING DAY 2012............
- A HAMAS-ISRAEL CEASEFIRE ANNOUNCED BY EGYPTIAN AND...
- JUST BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF ...
- THE EMERGING CATHOLIC DIVISIONS IN AMERICA, AUSTRA...
- PRESIDENT OBAMA ON A POST ELECTION PRE THANKSGIVIN...
- SENATOR RUBIO MAKES FIRST 2016 POTENTIAL PRESIDENT...
- GENERAL PETRAEUS' PRIVATE TESTIMONY BEFORE CONGRES...
- SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN ATTACKS LACK OF BENGHAZI INFOR...
- PRESIDENT OBAMA 'S FIRST POST ELECTION NEWS CONFER...
- PRESENTING @ R.C.I.A. ON CREED AND SACRAMENTS........
- A GROUP OF U.S. BISHOPS SEMINAR WITH BLOGGERS ABOU...
- VETERAN'S DAY 2012............
- PRESIDENT DECLARED WINNER OF FLORIDA AND ITS 29 EL...
- THREE DAYS AFTER THE ELECTION TURNING THE FOCUS TO...
- CATHOLIC VOTERS MARGIN OF PREFERNCE MATCHES NATION...
- WHO DID THE CATHOLIC VOTERS CHOOSE IN THE 2012 PRE...
- THE MORNING AFTER THE ELECTION THAT IS 2012..........
- PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA DELIVERS HIS RE-ELECTION VI...
- AWAITING WORDS FROM GOVERNOR ROMNEY IN BOSTON........
- PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA RE-ELECTED TO A SECOND TERM...
- WISCONSIN WON BY OBAMA............
- OBAMA WINS PENNSYLVANIA............
- 6 PM PACIFIC 9 PM EASTERN TIME STATE VOTING CLOSUR...
- CBS NEWS PRESIDENTIAL PROJECTIONS AT 5 PM PACIFIC ...
- OHIO VOTING CLOSED IT'S TCTC............
- WEST VIRGINIA TO ROMNEY............
- ROMNEY WINS IN INDIANA AND KENTUCKY; OBAMA WINS VE...
- FIRST STATE CLOSINGS AND VOTE RESULTS............
- A FIRST IMPRESSION OF THE DAY'S VOTING COMING SOoN...
- FLORIDA VOTER IRREGULARITIES ALREADY BEING REPORTE...
- 3 YEARS... 6 MONTHS... 18 DAYS... 60,000...... AND...
- VPOTUS IN LINE WITH HIS FAMILY TO VOTE IN DELAWARE...
- MSNBC's "MORNING JOE" STARTS A SUPER-SIZED SIX HOU...
- GOVERNOR CUOMO JOINS GOVERNOR CHRISTIE IN ALSO ISS...
- AT THIS LATE HOUR ON ELECTION EVE, THE OBAMAS IN I...
- CNN'S LAST POLL OF POLLS ON THE PRESIDENTIAL PREFE...
- "RED STATE, OR BLUE STATE, JESUS ?"............
- THE FINAL NBC NEWS-WALL STREET JOURNAL PRESIDENTIA...
- THE 31ST SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME THAT WOULD OTHERW...
- THE ROMNEYS RALLYING IN TOSS UP STATE COLORADO.......
- LIVING GOSPEL VALUES LIKE ST. MARTIN DE PORRES.......
- NOVEMBER NATIVITIES ON THE SECOND DAY OF THE MONTH...
- THE HERITAGE OF CATHOLIC-CHRISTIANS COMMEMORATION ...
- MAYOR BLOOMBERG DECIDES TO ENDORSE PRESIDENT OBAMA...
- NOVEMBER OPENS WITH A FAITH FOCUS ON THE SAINTS OF...
- PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNING RESUMES TO THE HOMESTRETC...
-
▼
November
(55)
2 comments:
Its very much informative and helpful. Thanks...
Taxi Service to Philadelphia Airport
YOU ARE VERY WELCOME PHL TAXI. I AM GLAD TO KNOW MY BLOGGING ABOUT THE RED STATE, BLUE STATE, PURPLE STATE, JESUS - HELPS YOU. THANKS FOR COMMENTING............tdp
Post a Comment