Am I a staunch republican or an outrageous democrat?
A tea partyer or just a partyer?
Conservative, progressive, socialist, anarchist?
Rich man, poor man, beggarman, thief?
This will sum up my politics whichever side you take.
public domain – bing image list
Isaiah 58 (Abridged)
True Fasting
… ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’
“… on the day of your fasting, you …
exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
You will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
The Old Testament
Who will rise to these politics?
Who will pass laws and set policies to share and help?
Who will stand with:
the poor, the needy, the ones wanting to learn,
the veteran, the elderly, the student, the disabled,
the immigrant, the sick, and the helpless.
who will pay for and repair:
our roads, our water and water’s pipelines, our clean air,
our electrical grids and Internet, our police and firemen,
our teachers, hospitals, schools, libraries, parks, and airports.
Who will give and not take?
Who will help and not say, let them help themselves.
Who will reach out a hand….
These are my politics.
Randy Mazie
The Writer's Village 
Amen—the New Testament on politics
Romans 13:1-7 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
Matthew 25:32-46 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.
James 4:1-12 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?
Okay shutting up now because I could list these forever.
x,
Becca
Becca,
Wow. There is a whole ‘nother side to you. Thank you. Would never know that lady or not is mostly lady. I’m impressed. Thanks for your quotes. If I may comment…
I read your Bible quotes as:
* directing us to submit to our rulers, obey our governing authority, which according to these scriptures, comes from God, and ultimately to submit to God.
* Timothy urges us to pray for all things, including our rulers.
* Mathew says that the sheep are the one who help the needy;
* James seems to read that we sin when we do not help others, we are shutting out God, and not guarding the spirit within us.
Please see my thoughts along these lines in a previous entry entry of mine here. Isaiah 10: 1 – 3
xxx’s Randy
Ahh Randy, I am a wife, a mother, and a Christian. I write humor and satire because I feel God gave us a funny bone. I feel that often people forget that. If you notice, I mostly make fun of myself and I try to never be mean. Even in my sarcasm it really isn’t directed at someone. Most of my post have an underlying point. I like to write on many levels.
I am going to read your other post you linked.
x,
Becca
Thank you for telling us, and me, more about you. I love your humor, and your raucousness.
It is always nice to round out a “humorist” (which I think of myself as in a lot of my writing – and I see your work as, too) with the rest of their “story” – with more about their lives.
Thanks,
Randy
You might to read this to get a little insight into my thoughts. http://rebecca2000.thoughts.com/posts/christianity-and-submission
It is a great read and along with the comments which I have printed out so that I can spend more time reading all of them.
But for the moment I want to reprint a portion of what you wrote and extend the thought a little further along for me. I absolutely agree with what you wrote, and yes, the Bible, does say what you have cited, I agree not only because it is there but because it is just common sense, common decency, and true love:
Often my Christian friends bring up that women should submit to their husbands. Now I have no issue with that. The Bible does say that in fact.
What I do have a problem with, is churches teaching only that text. Why are they not teaching this one? “Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: likewise also the wife unto the husband” (1st Corinthians 7:3) Benevolence meaning compassion, kindness, and goodwill. Colossians 3:19 talks about husbands not being bitter toward their wives. So men need to watch their tempers. But if you want a direct quote look at Ephesians 5:21″submitting yourselves on to another in the fear of God.” The truth is God isn’t telling men or woman to be more submissive. It means to show equal respect, love, grace, and reverence directed toward each other in love for him.
I love 1 Corinthians 13:
1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
These same principals need to be adopted and applied politically – and currently in our politics, I see very little love and a lot of greed, economics, self-centeredness, me-ism and nothing for you, crony-ism, and so on.
It is once again and, maybe as always, a den of thieves.
Politics and marriages need to be worked in order to submit and to thrive
Randy
These are my politics too….
This is real Christianity!
and real tao, real love, real compassion, real meditation, real nature, real action.
Thanks for stopping by, reading and commenting. Randy
I am glad you are confident to state where you stand. I respect that in a man.
I think labels cause irreconcilable differences, like the ones we see in Congress. I prefer to describe how I feel, and what I think, and offer analogies and alternatives, and mediate; which I think was what part of what this country coming into being was based on.
I am a conservative anarchistic spiritual progressive zen socialist who drinks tea at a party but prefers communal beverage offerings.
Randy
Wow Randy! What’s your last name? I Want to write it on my ballot for President!
Wonderful sentiment. Wasted vote.