i wanted to ponder a day before i answered your post to me, i love conversing with you via this medium, let me divide up your response. (its 0530 AM and i should be doing dishes, but in my soul, i must clarify)
from 2006 to 2009, i portrayed one of the most powerful polticians in the 60's, Mayor Richard J. Daley. a play i wrote that was sold out for 400 performances. i'm not writing that to boast, because that was my ministry at the time. the play was on the surface poltical, but had a very coherent Gospel message, and at the end of the day, the LORD saw fit to crush me, and not only crush me, but to open my eyes, at the brazen uncleaness of what we call "politics" today.
many many politicians would come to the play, and ask me to join them afterwards for a "drink" (my drink was a cheeseburger, fries and water, by the by) and out of respect i would go, as well as an opportunity to engage in a frank discussion on public policy, because i believed in the concept of politics as SERVICE, SERVANTHOOD.
i was swiftly disabused that such discussions were on the agenda. When i would attempt to start such discussions, eyes would glaze over, or the the conversation would devolve into the realm of money, power and votes.
Money, power and votes...and then, they got onto the subject they really wanted to talk about......'hollywood', which i had very little interest in discussing, but out of respect, humor them. It was all very disheartening and brought me to the point, where i saw little difference between the republican party and the democratic party....to me, it had all become UNCLEAN, and not even worthy of any discussion.
Was i a 'supporter' of President Obama? no, but i voted for him in 2008, because i did not want Senator McCain to have the nuclear 'football' anywhere near him, especially with Governor Palin a mere heartbeat away from possession of strategic launch codes. That was THE prime reason for my vote.
in 2012, i've come to realize the President is just another servant of empire, of babylon. He continued and even ramped up the defense policies of President Bush. If anyone is under the impression he is 'hostile' to the military, all one has to do is look at the defense budget, or peer into the numerous drone strikes, or consider the 'arab spring' the toppling of Qaddafi, and now the "rebellion" in Syria, all these are American intel ops from start to finish.
consider the NDAA, which is the patriot act on steroids, and absolutely gives muscle to what President Bush started, the shredding of the Consitution.
what i really find most heartrending is akin to this false fence that's been erected in America, both in the secular and in the Body. In the Body, its a fenceline drawn BY MAN, 'the social gospel' versus the 'salvation gospel'...its a LIE, there is only the Gospel, but like a fog, men in their confusion and earthly lust for power or acclaim, have perpetuated this lie, and this includes pastors from the limp mainline protestant churches all the way over to what can be termed "evangelicals".
so within the 'church' itself, you have divisions based on such an unclean endeavour as politics, 'mainlines' dovetail with this false construct of being "left leaning", by giving covering to homosexuals in the pulpit, or neglecting the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and subsequent indwelling of the Holy Spirit, speaking of a REAL INTIMATE relationship with Jesus...its all neglected, but they do speak of care of the poor, the fatherless, the widow...at the same time, the "evangelical" church, is being used by that equally false political construct called the "right wing". Oh yes, the 'evangelical' church will have altar calls, inviting seeking souls to apprehend the Reality of Jesus and Him Crucified, as well as encouraging all followers of Jesus to read the Word of God, which is GOOD, blessed....but at the same time, under this banner, another false construct,they will take up hot button conservative issues, unaware they are being used by the republican party, which will give them lip service on abortion....'lip service' because if they really wanted to deep six abortion, that would have been done YEARS AGO....but they dont. i know why, but i wont speak of it.
they will go after "gay marriage", because its an easy target, they will go after food stamps, another easy target, they will wax nostaglic over the genesis of this once Republic, and speak of how our founding fathers REALLY wanted a stealth 'theocracy', and its just the 'godless left' standing in the way of such 'bliss', when indeed the intent of founding fathers was that we DO NOT form the "Church of America", as they had been privy to the hell unleashed when a nation state forms a 'national church'.
now i regard this whole "chick fil-a" imbroglio as just diversion in a highly scripted play, and some of the actor cast in this hellish discourse are men like Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck.
i was driving to family reunion in Eagle River Wis with my son, and we were flipping thru the radio dial, and here comes Rush, and out of those speakers poured bile, hatred, diviseness, self righteousness...just everything unclean and unholy, and the most terrible sin, using the Economy of God to forward his political scripting.
so as i'm not misconstrued, while at a friends house, they had MSNBC on, and i had the unfortunate occassion to listen to the script that Rachel Maddow was spewing forth, as well as the hell of listening to Bill Maher....
Now, is it permissible?...yes, but it is beneficial? no.
as God revealed to me, its all the spirit of babylon. outside of MAYBE a half a dozen "issues", what difference is there between Democrats and Republicans?...very little because they both are at the behest of two forces, both relating to worship of money, the golden calf, which is idolatry.
the first dread force, they pay allegiance to is the national security state, fore it is this "power center' that calls the shots, and behind that is the military-banking-petroleum-prison complex.
forgive me for speaking in earthly terms, but this is the whore of babylon, and it seems to me, a spirit of madness has overtaken the land, so much so, that crying out to God in my grief, He gave me two simple words, "flee babylon".
that doesnt mean i leave America, it means that i regard all the machinations of babylon as unclean and hellish, and to be regarded as vapor, vanity, unworthy of any participation in...
sometimes i see a day, when either two things happen (out of many) either you will see the "church of america" configured, and that will be a haunt of demons, with their minions who sally forth with hands soaked with the blood of the saints...or Christianity will be outlawed, as well as private Bible ownership.
though those days will be trying, they will be GLORIOUS....i dont know if i'll still be here to see them.
as far as "news" thats not out front, there's a concrete holding pool, 100 feet in the air, held precariously by a mish mash of poles and supports, in this pool, at a place called Fukushima, is about (IIRC) about 1100 tons of highly radioactive materials. Should this pool collapse, in say an earthquake, it will be as if full scale nuclear war had been unleashed. We also have a drought, which we KNOW, but whats not talked is that of the 5 main grain exporting regions, ALL are in some form of distress, and thats just two of a dozen global mightmares not making it into this "script"...which is why i regard "Chick-Fil-A" as mere diversion.
But God is VERY MUCH in control, and i praise His Name, because He saw fit to hide me in my own Kerith Ravine, which is why i havent been posting as much.
To be alone with Jesus is a Wonderful Blessing, neil
