The president has instructed the IRS not to mess with churches who get political. He wants us churches to speak our minds, right?
Here goes.
The other day I was talking to my cousin Patti and feeling impassioned by some action of Trump’s. I forget which one. And Patti, out of left field, calls Hillary Clinton a liar.
Naturally, I respond, “And Trump isn’t a liar?”
And she says, “Not as big a liar as Hillary.”
So I demand, “Who says?”
And she says, “Fox television.”
Suddenly I got the answer to a problem that has plagued me for months now, which is: “Why would 80% of white male “evangelicals” vote for a shallow, unscrupulous, (I could go on but why bother) fellow.”
The answer came because when Patti mentioned Fox, I remembered that I get most of my news from sources such as the New York Times, the L.A. Times, and the Washington Post, all of which are at least inclined toward the liberal, the progressive, and the Democratic party.
I have tied Fox news, Rush, Dr. Laura, James Dobson, but too soon gotten tired of shouting at the tv or radio.
Still, although I consider myself a good critical thinker (having taught that subject for years), I understand the “facts” that inform my opinions come from sources favoring certain agendas. So I asked myself what was wrong with this picture, and here’s my conclusion:
I don’t know of any source for information in any way political that isn’t biased. Perhaps the absence of a bias is humanly impossible.
But, just suppose there was a media source whose only bias was a sincere devotion to framing news and opinion in the context of the teachings of Jesus. A media presence with no attachment to the traditions of any particular church or denomination, with no intention to directly evangelize, or to cater to a congregation, or to demonize anyone, or to make money for any purpose. A source dedicated to nothing but the truth for it’s own sake.
If that wouldn’t set us free, I don’t know what would.
My father in law tells me all the time that ” it’s what you know that gets you into heaven,” as if a cosmic Jeopardy game show in the sky that gets you in. The more I think about it though, maybe he’s right. The media tells us what to think 3 times a day, but what do you know? What really is important?
That’s a very cryptic comment about what you know getting you into heaven. I mean, for example, which heaven. On earth, or in eternity? And what kind of knowledge is called for, I’d like to know.
My problem with her response is that she immediately mentioned Hillary. When anyone does that to me now, I ask them to tell me, without mentioning Hillary’s name, why they voted for Trump. More often than not, they can’t–or they try to get around it by saying something utterly insane like “because he didn’t cause Benghazi.” Dear God.
Fun to hear from you, Marcia.