They pick up an old comment by Nancy Pelosi, with her saying it is the Democrats who are doing the Lord's work.
And, the debate is on. Is it the Democrats who are doing the Lord's work, or the Republicans?
Now, I do not doubt that there is a right and a wrong on many a social issue. Should we allow abortion? Should we deport those who cross our borders illegally? And, so forth.
But, I cannot help but think how the second greatest commandment is to love thy neighbor as thyself. I cannot help but notice how Christ would have us love our enemies as ourselves. I cannot put down the thought that we are to love those who despitefully use us.
Those are the commandments that divide who is a Christian. If we are to ask, who are the greater followers of Christ -- the Democrats or the Republicans -- it only seems fair to ask, which are following that second commandment the best?
And mark this: Much of that is going to boil down to how they are treating each other.
In today's America, there might be no place where two sides are more at odds with each other than in the political arena. Love your enemies? If you were to ask most people who their greatest enemies are -- and if they sat back and thought about it long enough to give honest answers -- they might confess that is those who belong to the opposite party who they hate the most.
When we rant, we often rant about those with opposite political views. So, it follows that if we have enemies, they are in the the political arena, as much as they are anywhere else.
So, if we are going to live that commandment that says, Love thy enemy, we must need to love those of the opposite political party.
The test of our Christianity is to be found in the political arena, as much as it is in any other part of our lives. If you would know how you are doing on that second great commandment, examine how you are doing in your treatment of those in the opposite party. Love your enemy? Love those who despitefully use you? How are you doing with Republicans, if you are as Democrat. And with Democrats, if you are a Republican?
These two sides are at great variance with each other. You will find great opportunity for applying the Lord's great commandments if you belong to one of these political parties.
There is in another book of scripture, verbiage of how people returned railing for railing. So, we should find that we are doing the same today. We castigate and condemn each other.
I even wonder if it all reflects on the pride of our nation, and how haughty we have become. We set ourselves up as better than the other, and suggest it is we who are righteous and upright, not those of the opposite political party. We look down our nose at the other, even as a person possessed of pride looks down upon another.
It is one of the hallmarks of a humble person, that he will consider his faults. Few in the political arena will ever do this. Not only will they not consider the issues open-mindedly, but they will not take criticism from the other party with open minds. Never, would a Republican say and ask, "Nancy Pelosi says it is the Democrats who are doing the Lord's work, not us. Are there some ways in which this is true?"
Such introspection does not come to those blinded with pride. Pride doesn't confess faults, but only strikes back when a criticism comes.
It is time we reflected on how far down a path we have gone. As a nation, how far astray from the principles of Christianity are we? We certainly don't love each other, and that is one of the basics of Christianity. How prideful are we? Pride can be the downfall of a nation. A patterns of pride, and cycles of pride might once have been upon this land. What, then, of the modern inhabitants? What of us? Have we become so proud as those the Book of Mormon warns against?
It may have spoken of the proud as wearing costly apparel and of having exceeding riches. Still, I see vestiges of pride in what we have become.
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