How Does Eschatology Shape American Politics?

Religions > Bible > How Does Eschatology Shape American Politics?

LINK TO THIS PAGE

rating : 0 | 0

Page 1 of 1

Topic:	Religions > Bible
User:	"Pastor Dave"
Date:	05 Oct 2007 03:57:48 PM
Object:	How Does Eschatology Shape American Politics?

How does Eschatology Shape American Politics?
by Tyrone Cropper
The relationship between Eschatology and politics is
a controversial one. In this articles will look at how
eschatology has shaped politics here in America.
It is also interesting that other country's such as Iran
has use striking parallels of theology to shape their
politics as well.
First will look at how theology has shaped politics here
in America, then will look at some interesting parallels
of theology that has shaped politics in the Middle East
in recent years. Unfortunately, the role of eschatology
in influencing politics has received little attention these
days. The United States has a long tradition of separating
church from state, but an equally powerful inclination
to mix religion and politics. Religion plays an important
role in American politics. Throughout the nation’s history
political leaders have used religion to galvanize support,
structure policy agendas, and justify political actions.
Similarly, religious leaders have taken their faith into
the public sphere.
Religion has been a key player in American politics,
undergirding many social and political movements.
Much of this article has to do with the impact religious
institutions and actors have on politics.
Different theologies may translate into different
world views, political orientations and policy agendas.
Premillennialism is one type of Christian eschatology
that is potentially politically significant because
proponents suggest that the theology forecasts the rise
of a political and religious leader (the Antichrist) who
sweeps over the geopolitical and economic landscape
ushering in the end of days.
Eschatology (the theology of the last things) or the study
of the End Times is one element of Christian theology
that has profound implications for politics. Premillennial
elites also suggest that disasters and political turmoil of
the present put us on the cusp of the final era in human
history. Furthermore, this theology has been popularized
in New York Times best selling books and is held by some
prominent figures in the Christian Right.
American leaders have wisely avoided the topic of
eschatology and politicians are rarely asked about
their religious belief in the end time and how that
faith impacts their politics. Religious institutions
like churches, synagogues, temples and mosques,
as well as organizations like faith based charities
play a vital role in the politics society.
As long as religion plays a role in the identities of
people, it will play a role in politics. Religion has
always been a major force in U.S. politics, policy,
identity, and culture. Religion shapes the nation's
character, helps form Americans' ideas about the
world, and influences the ways Americans respond
to events beyond their borders. In our country
and other country's as well Religion and theology
and Politics are intertwined greatly.
THEOLOGY IN THE WHITE HOUSE
President Ronald Reagan, appear to be true believers
in doomsday theology.
"In the 38th chapter of Ezekiel, it says that the land of
Israel will come under attack by the armies of the ungodly
nations. For the first time ever, everything is in place
for the battle of Armageddon and the Second Coming
of Christ isn't far off. It can’t be too long now. Ezekiel
says that fire and brimstone will be rained upon the
enemies of God’s people. That must mean that they
will be destroyed by nuclear weapons" (Ronald Reagan,
recounted by James Mills, president pro tem, California
Senate in San Diego Magazine, 8/85).
Pat Robertson and most of the politically inclined
dispensationalists speak about the Soviet Union in
this vein. It is indicated that President Reagan shares
this view also. James Mills of the California State
Senate reported on 1971 conversations with the then
Governor Reagan (San Diego Magazine, August 1985).
Mr. Reagan referred to the Ezekiel prophecy, noting
that "Gog, the nation that will lead all the other powers
of darkness against Israel, will come out of the north.
Biblical scholars have been saying for generations that
Gog must be Russia". And since the only powerful
nation on the north is "Russia", the question is settled.
Earlier it did not make sense, said Mr. Reagan. "Now
it does, now that Russia has become communistic and
atheistic, now that Russia has set itself against God.".
In 1983 Jerry FaIwell attended National Security briefings
and discussed plans for a nuclear war with the U.S.S.R.
with top officials. Arrangements for the meeting came
from then President Reagan (See Grace Halsell, Prophecy
and Politics, p. 47).
Bush claims to be guided by Jesus when he makes
political decisions, including, presumably, the decision
to go to war in Iraq. Evangelicals have been crucial in
both his election victories – some say, the decisive factor.
We are not talking about a handful of fringe lawmakers
who hold or are beholden to these beliefs.
Some of these men had political clout and regular meets
with influential national politicians which is the most
dangerous element. These politicians are just the
powerful tip of the iceberg. A 2002 Time/CNN poll found
that 59 percent of Americans believe that the prophecies
found in the Book of Revelation are going to come true.
Nearly one-quarter think the Bible predicted the 9/11
attacks.
Since 1990, when Saddam Hussein of Iran invaded Kuwait,
there has been a dramatic increase in the interest in Bible
Prophecy, especially related to Armageddon. Mistakenly,
most people (including Christians) believe Armageddon
is a final political / social / religious battle between the
nations of the Earth where nuclear weapons are exchanged.
HOW EVANGELIST HELP SHAPE FOREIGN AND
AMERICAN POLICY.
The State of Israel has no better friends than American
evangelicals. The close tie between evangelicals and Israel
is important: It has shaped popular opinion in America
and, to some extent, U.S. foreign policy. To understand
how it developed, one must know something about how
many evangelicals interpret Bible prophecy and what
difference their beliefs have made in the world of politics.
Why do evangelicals care so much about Israel? How
did this special relationship develop? Many evangelist
like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson have find memories
of sitting in Sunday school rooms, staring at maps of the
Holy Lands and listening to Bible stories (about a rebuilt
temple) week after week (Most of us have at one time or
another). They believe the return of Jews to the Holy Land
and establishment of the state of Israel are proof of God’s
promises to biblical patriarchs. In many way, they think
the Promised Land belongs to the National state of Israel
as much as it did to Biblical Israelis.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200601050004 Isn’t that
amazing? I’ve never found the verses in the Bible that
says that I am to be a cheerleader for Israel over any
other nation.
Most of those who gathered in Washington to show their
support for Israel believe that the Holy Land will be ground
zero for events surrounding the second coming of Jesus
Christ. God's dealings with Israel are the key to the
Dispensational system. When the Jews rejected Jesus,
as the prophecy said they would, God unexpectedly
postponed Jesus' return, started putting together a new
people, the church, and unplugged the prophetic clock.
Thus, for its entire history, the church has existed in
a prophetic time warp, what dispensationalists call the
"great parenthesis".
God must remove the church from the earth before
focusing attention again on the Jews. After Jesus comes
for his saints in the "Rapture" (1 Thess. 4:13-17), the
prophetic clock starts ticking again. Once the church is
gone, Daniel's Seventieth Week (the "great tribulation"
of Matt. 24, 2 Thess. 2, and Rev.) can begin, after which
Jesus will return with his already raptured saints to defeat
Antichrist, the great persecutor, and establish his
millennial reign.
Tune in to any of America's 2,000 Christian radio stations
or 250 Christian TV stations and you're likely to get a
heady dose of Dispensationalism, an End-Time doctrine
invented in the 19th century by the Irish-Anglo theologian
John Nelson Darby. Darby wasn't the first premillennialist
author to leave his mark. While there are many divergent
End-Time theologies and sects, the most politically
influential are the dispensationalists and Christian
Zionism. http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article5897.shtml
Even secular people who normally ignore the Bible may,
during times of crisis, pay attention to someone who uses
the Bible to explain what is going on when the world seems
to be falling apart. The dispensational views about Israel
and the course of history have influenced popular opinion
far beyond the boundaries of the dispensational movement.
By the time Lindsey wrote The 1980s, conservative American
evangelicals were finding their political voice and that
we are what dispensationalist writer Hal Lindsey calls
"the terminal generation". Such teaching attracted more
followers in times of stress, as it offers one explanation
for disturbing world events. American evangelist use
current events in the newspapers like hurricanes hitting
Florida, gay marriages in San Francisco, the 9/11 attacks
and Iran’s Nuclear ambitions as proof that the world is
spinning out of control.
Hal Lindsey's 1970 End-Time "non-fiction" work,
The Late Great Planet Earth, is the classic of the genre;
the movie version pummels viewers with stock footage
of nuclear blasts, polluting smokestacks, raging floods,
and killer bees.
William Blackstone, a fundamentalist lay preacher in the US,
wrote a 1882 bestseller, "Jesus Is Coming", and in 1891
organized the first campaign in support of a Jewish state
in the Middle East. Premillennialists in the British
imperial government included Lord Arthur Balfour and
Prime Minister David Lloyd George, who were the first
to officially promise a Jewish homeland with the 1917
Balfour Declaration.
In the US, premillennialist teaching has spread through TV
and radio evangelists and, most recently, the "Left Behind"
novels and prophecy websites. American Protestant
Dispensational fundamentalism --by means of the wildly
best-selling Left Behind series of novels--is having an
impact (both direct and indirect) on US foreign policy,
especially in the Middle East.
One of the strangest teachings from proponents of
Dispensationalism is the assertion that the ancient
Jewish temple will be rebuilt. It is understandable why
some Orthodox Jews would desire to have a rebuilt temple,
but logically it makes little sense why so many Christians
are clamoring to see a third temple. Revived Sanhedrin
discusses the temple. No doubt Mr. Lindsey is a fine
Christian but his teaching are full of errors and both
theological and political concerns. This fatalistic
scenario distorts the political and biblical realities,
of millions of readers, and has become a major barrier
to a genuine peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
"Before the Six-Day War, dispensationalists were content
to sit in the bleachers of history explaining the End-Time
game on the field below, pointing out events and identifying
players, but after expansion of Israel into the West Bank
and Gaza, they began to get down onto the field and be
sure the teams lined up right, becoming involved in
political, financial, and religious ways they never had
before."
"The danger is that, when people believe they 'know' how
things are going to turn out they act on those convictions.
Christians and politicians who are under the spell of such
potent prophecies cannot be expected to worry about the
environment. Why care about the earth when the droughts,
floods, and pestilence brought by ecological collapse are
signs of the Apocalypse foretold in the Bible? Why care
when you and yours will be rescued in the Rapture?
And why care about converting from oil to solar when
the same God who performed the miracle of the loaves
and fishes will destroy the word? Such believes in the
end time by politicians who use that faith to guide their
legislating should frighten you."
The stakes are higher than many Americans understand.
The influence of Religion cannot be overstated particularly
as it pertains to the end time and the system of government
they set in motion. When studying Bible Prophecy, it is
essential that the various prophecies are understood in
their correct context and application. Since the Bible is
God's Word, and 30% of that Word has to do with prophecy,
Christians have a significant interest in this area?
In Lindsey’s article, he is clearly very excited about the
prospect of a rebuilt temple. He asserts that plans to
rebuild the temple are part of Bible prophecy. The big
question is does Bible prophecy talk about a rebuild
the temple?
Political Problems of a Rebuilt Temple
Christ replaced the old covenant temple and temple worship.
Sacrifice for sins are not atoned for through the blood of
bulls and goats at a temple, sacrifice for sins were
accomplished once and for all through the sacrifice
of Christ.
"The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into
the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long
as the first tabernacle was still standing. This is an
illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts
and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the
conscience of the worshipper. They are only a matter
of food and drink and various ceremonial washings –
external regulations applying until the time of the new
order. When Christ came as high priest of the good
things that are already here, he went through the greater
and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that
is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by
means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered
the Most Holy Place once and for all by his own blood,
having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats
and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those
who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they
are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the
blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered
himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences
from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve
the living God!" (NIV).
The Dispensationalist temple theology runs directly counter
to what is taught in the book of (Hebrews 9:8–14).
In our next article will look at one central religious
theology that framed politics in the Middle East ...
"Islam has always contained a powerful eschatological
element" ...
--
If you wouldn't say it in person, why say it online?
To email me, just remove the underscores.
.

User: "Mark T moi@earth000000000025"
Title: Re: How Do Escargot Shape American Politics?	05 Oct 2007 06:29:21 PM

"Pasta Dave" <ananias917_@_gmail.com> wrote:

How do Escargot Shape American Politics?
by Tyrone Crapper

The relationship between Escargot and politics is
a controversial one. In this articles will look at how
escargot has shaped politics here in America.

"In oil we trust" - USA Policy
--
"All things are probable. Try to believe." - Mark 17:1 (MTV)
"Really! Try to believe even if it's bloody stupid and irrational." - Mark
17:2 (MTV)
"Why? Because I said so, that's why! Don't ask questions. Just
believe." - Mark 17:3 (MTV)
--
My Blog - MARK T - my thoughts on Christianity & links
http://www.blognow.com.au/strooth/
FUNDY FUNHOUSE -
http://fundamentalistfunhouse.blogspot.com/
- a resource on the current Fundamentalist Dark Age and Christian
fundamentalism.
My Soundclick Page - download my original songs in mp3 format
http://www.soundclick.com/marktindall
.

User: "duke"
Title: Re: How Do Escargot Shape American Politics?	06 Oct 2007 06:49:36 AM

On Sat, 6 Oct 2007 09:29:21 +1000, "Mark T" <moi@earth000000000025> wrote:

"Pasta Dave" <ananias917_@_gmail.com> wrote:

Don't give up your day job. Anyone that quotes the bible according to mtv also
barfs the rest of your garbage in this post.

duke, American-American
*****
"The Mass is the most perfect form of Prayer."
Pope Paul VI
*****
.

User: "Mark T moi@earth000000000026"
Title: Re: How Do Escargot Shape American Politics?	06 Oct 2007 06:24:11 PM

"duke" <duckgumbo32@cox.net> wroteth:

"All things are probable. Try to believe." - Mark 17:1 (MTV)
"Really! Try to believe even if it's bloody stupid and irrational." -
Mark
17:2 (MTV)
"Why? Because I said so, that's why! Don't ask questions. Just
believe." - Mark 17:3 (MTV)

....

"The Mass is the most perfect form of

.... cannibalism????
Have you eaten your chocolate Jesus this week?
When's the Pope going to restart the Inquisition?
--
My Blog - MARK T - my thoughts on Christianity & links
http://www.blognow.com.au/strooth/
FUNDY FUNHOUSE -
http://fundamentalistfunhouse.blogspot.com/
- a resource on the current Fundamentalist Dark Age and Christian
fundamentalism.
My Soundclick Page - download my original songs in mp3 format
http://www.soundclick.com/marktindall
.