Don't Give Up Dear Friends!

That anyone would still support #tfg reveals a misalingment of character, so thorough and complete, as to defy my imagination.

At the every least, Republicans should be shaking their heads in bewilderment, even hanging their heads in shame; but, no, they continue to line up behind the monstrosity, bless his bluster, spin the Big Lie, and hamstring the nation. 

Why not just rename the GOP, the ANP, the American Nazi Party; wear the Brown Shirts and strut around the halls of Congress with jackboots. 

These are not nice people; I visit some hardcore Republican fb pages to take a peek, and evangelicals to boot, and come away sorrowful, in need of a hot shower and a thorough scrub with carbolic soap. There is no thoughtfulness, but only hatred. There is no compassion, but a lot of je-e-sus jabber. 

All of this renews my own efforts to:

1) stay informed with reliable writers who have taken up the apostolic mantle of truth-telling; 

2) keep in mind my own faith-commitments, and why I believe them to be true, and how they sustain me in the face of diabolical lies and disinformation;, 

3) remain prayerful, that strange and mysterious element wherein a single human being realizes the great host of witnesses that numinously live within and without, conveying the light of the universe, from its very origins, to these moments wherein women and men of conscience, and soul, struggle to find the way; 

4) refuse the easy way of ideology and remaining steadfast in using the gifts of The Creator - the mind and the heart - to think, ponder, consider, weigh up the claims and options, and then decide on behalf of things that seem right and just, kind and merciful, good for the nation, for the world, for the soul.

Don't give up, dear friends ... now, more than ever:

𝑂𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑑𝑒,
𝐼𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑡ℎ 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑒ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑑,
𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑙 𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒;
𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒, 𝐺𝑜𝑑'𝑠 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑀𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑎ℎ,
𝑂𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑚 𝑜𝑟 𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡,
𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑏𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟
𝑇𝑤𝑖𝑥𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡.

Are There Differences Between the Parties

To a FB friend, who wonders about the parties, and their respective claims to truth and godliness. 

There are always multiple sides to every social/political/religious question, which is why there is no end to books, opinions, talking heads, and Ph.D. students! 

It's our task to weigh it all, and it's not easy. 

The greatest danger occurs when people in authority not only claim to have the truth, but demand subservience of their followers, the end of all questions, and such. Good teachers, and politicians, too, inspire thought and investigation; power-hungry leaders quash it all.

In reality, of the two political parties, in the last century, from FDR on, the Republicans have clearly aligned themselves with big business, meritocracy, militarism, and a reduction in the social safety net, and have joined their message with zealous evangelicals to reject gender equality, condemn homosexuality, and harbor white nationalism tendencies.

The Democrats, on the other hand, have tended to favor a strong pro-active government, in the style of FDR, for all the people - from roads to schools, from gender equality to marriage equality, from business regulation to banking rules and fair wages, to insure a safe and equitable life for Americans. 

The Dems are far from perfect. As individuals, of course, "all are sinners." But as politicians, and religious leaders, there are differences, profound, marked, obvious, and vital. 

Of a Martin Luther King, Jr. or a Jerry Falwell, who would you choose to be your pastor? 

Of a Nancy Pelosi or a Lauren Boebert, who would you choose to be your representative? 

Of Barack Obama or Trump, who would you want for president? 

Republicans make different choices than Dems, for lots of different reasons - it's those reasons that need to be examined, and brought to light, so that we can think clearly and make good decisions. And to that end, we have substantial resources: good historians, theologians, psychologists, and pundits, to help us do just that. 

And frankly Tim, when a man or a woman stands to defend gender and marriage equality, and a strong social safety net, I believe, with all my heart, this is closer, far closer, to what God desires for God's world.

I may be wrong, but I suspect, you'd prefer to live in the world I envision rather than in one envisioned by Governor Abbott or Ron DeSantis.

Please excuse the length of this reply, but your question is a serious one, deserving as much analysis as I can muster. God's Peace to you and yours.