A VERY DARK Day for the USA!

From Wiki: Constantine was the first emperor to stop the persecution of Christians and to legalize Christianity, along with all other religions/cults in the Roman Empire. In February 313, he met with Licinius in Milan and developed the Edict of Milan, which stated that Christians should be allowed to follow their faith without oppression.[216][page needed] This removed penalties for professing Christianity, under which many had been martyred previously, and it returned confiscated Church property.

Constantine the Great - Wikipedia

 

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Yes, I acknowledged that. I did not realize that you were adding to the passage in your mind. I meant that I agreed with the passage and that we are subject to the governments God has raised to be over us.

 

This is a false claim.

Saying that this is a question for each person is not saying that people should not be judges.

And I do not work for the federal government (I work for a federal contract company). That said, I never said that people should refrain from holding government jobs. I said that I believe it is wrong to hold political positions.

A police officer is not a political position. A police chief....maybe...I don't know enough to say. A solider is not a political position. Working as a teacher for a public school system is not a political position. Working on clearances (what I do) is not a political position. A trash collector working for the city is not a political position. A mail deliver working for the US post office (federal government) is not a political position. A utility worker for the city public works is not a political position. An air-traffic controller working for the United States Army is not a political position.

You are a very confused person.

 

It is a matter of discernment. I am speaking truth. You are hearing mumbo jumbo.

 

I will spell it out again (for anyone who is really honest enough to care).

I have the conviction that Christians are not to become entangled with secular politics. I believe that politics is a "power of this world" and I will follow my convictions.

I do not advocate, and have not advocated, my convictions on others. People need to follow their conscious with the realization that if wrong that error does not an excuse.

I do not believe it is wrong to work for a government, to hold a job working for a county, to be a police officer, or to serve in the military. Holding a government job does not equate to being involved in politics.

I am glad that there are Christians in public leadership. I do not know of any that are politicians who I would consider to be doing kingdom work, but I am glad that there are people who govern who are Christians with the hope that they are using their positions to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

Yes. But it is not a political position. Yes, voters do hold political positions (as voters) and lend their voice to political agendas. No, we do not have a responsibility to vote.

 

Wrong. You are confused. I am not saying that Christians should not be employed by the Federal government (directly or indirectly). There are plenty of political positions and activities in which people can engage that are not paid positions.

I do not care if Christians vote or not. As I said, that is a personal decision between the Christian and God. I am saying that I believe Christians should not become entangled in politics, and that is how I live my life.

If you notice, you are the only person (well, maybe @SavedByGrace ) who is on this forum trying to say that I am wrong by following my convictions and abstaining from politics. I am not saying others are wrong. I am saying I believe Christians should not be entangled with politics for many reasons, and this affects how I live my life - I do not project that on others.

I am not trying to use spirituality as a reason Christians should not vote. Again, you are confused. I am saying that my personal convictions are that Christians lose their voice and endanger their testimony when they become entangled in politics. This is not "spirituality" but my interpretation of Scripture (of what it means to be "called out" from the World). I only mentioned that the NT and Early Church shared this view because I think it is important to make sure one is not alone in their interpretations.

I do not know how focused or concerned other Christians are with God. I do not know if they hold animosity towards people of the opposite political view. I do not know if they read the Bible or just profess to be Christians. I do not know if they walk on water on their days off. That is between them and God. I do not judge them (I do not judge the servants of Another). I am just saying what I believe.

 

You are exactly right on why the NT and Early Church were not involved in politics or holding public offices. Their idea of the kingdom of God was a lot different from what people think today. Today many just spiritualize it as important only as a future event. But they had a very different understanding.

Whether their understanding was correct can be debated. I believe it was. Others believe it was not. Antiquity does not equate to correctness, but I do believe they were more correct than we are today as a whole.