Sunday, July 28, 2013

A Personal Covenant with Christ

I wrote several articles critical of "Covenant Theory." Covenant Theory presents history as a series in which chosen groups have had covenants with God against evil masses of gentiles and servants of Satan. This approach to The Covenant is a form of radicalized religion and it leads to a closed society.

In contrast, when people seek a Personal Covenant with Christ, they tend to become open, honest and valuable members of society. A society in which a large number of people are seeking a Personal Covenant with Christ tends to be a robust, open and welcoming society.

The difference between a society in which individuals are seeking a Personal Covenant with Christ and a society in which political leaders claim a Collective Covenant with God is the difference between individual rationality and group think.

The problem is not religion. The problem is with group think.

The history of radicalized anti-religion shows that group think is as dangerous in anti-religion (if not more so) as it is with religion.

Anti-religious group think is usually worse than pro-religious group think because it denies people their natural impulse to seek peace with their maker.


The politically ambitious seek power by dividing and conquering. The politically ambitious love promoting the angle that their group is either more righteous or more intelligent than the opposition on which the leaders project false images.

The politically ambitious love radical divisions because the division justifies a politics of rewarding friends and punishing enemies.

The politically ambitious simply religion (or anti-religion) as a path to power. Remember, Machiavelli taught the prince that he must appear religious while not being religious.

The paradoxical aspect of using religion to grub power is that the rogues who use religion to create division and gain power end up becoming the very image of evil that they project on the people they oppress.

The leader who claims a Collective Covenant with God in a quest for power often undermines the aspirations of the followers seeking a personal covenant.

While seeking a personal Covenant with Christ or speaking of a Global covenant with God is often beneficial, people should be wary of anyone claiming that their group has a Covenant with God and that they are in conflict with the evil outsiders who do not. More often then not, the political rogues taking this tact are using religion for personal ends. Their efforts often result in the very evils they claim to stand against.

It is group think that kills, not individual spirituality.

2 comments:

Chris said...

I am very Catholic. I think Jesus judges all. The big issue is promoting Jesus. The cuture is the enemy. This issue is not that important.

Chris
Owner Cel Financial Services
IRS Registered Tax Return Preparer
Registered bonded California CTEC Tax Preparer
Please visit my website for all your Fillmore Income Tax needs.

y-intercept said...

I have to agree. This culture war issue will not restore America and it does not put us on a path to solving problems like the health care challenge.

Unfortunately, this is the direction that Glenn Beck and the right is taking.

The current Glenn Beck tour is "The American Covenant." The tour claims that the US Constitution was revealed as part of a collective covenant to restore the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days.

If this is the direction that the Conservative movement is taking, then I am forced to talk about it.