Bernie Sanders vs Traditional Christianity

[Thoughtful Monk]

Buried behind all of Comey/Trump/Russia was an exchange in a Senate confirmation hearing between Senator Bernie Sanders and the nominee for White House deputy budget director.

Among several links I could have chosen, this seems the best for discussion https://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org...d-to-be-about/

I'll admit that when first started hearing about Senator Sanders, I had somewhat of a favorable view. However as time as past, my view of him has dropped and this caused a major plunge.

Seems to me, he's using his office to hinder someone's practice of religion. Looking at some broader trends, I don't think this bodes well for conservative (traditional) Christians in this county. I don't know how fast this will come and I think it will be regional - more pronounced in the blue states than the red states.

Am I overacting? Opinions are welcome.

Yes, I'm bring back an old thread. Looks like we're up to round two of this https://www.theatlantic.com/politics...arrett/539124/. Got a new set of senators frustrated with people of religious belief being nominated.

On the one hand at least in this case, religious belief could impact the job more than round one did. On the other hand, we've had judges with religious beliefs for 200 years.

It just feels like we are creeping towards a religious test by saying you can't bring your religion into your job.

[KingsGambit]

In general, I don't think "bringing your religion into your job" is an open and shut case in all cases. For example, as a mailman, if I concluded that any mailings from non-Christian religious organizations were leading people on the way to hell and refused to deliver any of that mail but threw it away, I would end up in jail. I don't think that would be an appropriate way to bring my faith into my job. On the other hand, trying to uphold high ethical standards in what I do on the job would be an appropriate way.

[Thoughtful Monk]

In general, I don't think "bringing your religion into your job" is an open and shut case in all cases. For example, as a mailman, if I concluded that any mailings from non-Christian religious organizations were leading people on the way to hell and refused to deliver any of that mail but threw it away, I would end up in jail. I don't think that would be an appropriate way to bring my faith into my job. On the other hand, trying to uphold high ethical standards in what I do on the job would be an appropriate way.

I absolute agree with your comments about job and work. You did a good job on summarizing how a Christian should perform their job even when its not appropriate to openly bring your faith in.

My interest in this topic is how Christians, especially conservative ones, are viewed with increasing disfavor. 30 years ago, I seem to remember being viewed with indifference. Then the media and Hollywood started treating those who believe as stupid. Now we are viewed as backwards with ideas that are divisive and bad for the country. In the past few months, a portion of one of our major political parties has started trying to exclude Christians from serving in political office. To my understanding, this isn't a good trend.

I probably got some sequence misstated but I hope you get the idea.

[NorrinRadd]

I absolute agree with your comments about job and work. You did a good job on summarizing how a Christian should perform their job even when its not appropriate to openly bring your faith in.

My interest in this topic is how Christians, especially conservative ones, are viewed with increasing disfavor. 30 years ago, I seem to remember being viewed with indifference. Then the media and Hollywood started treating those who believe as stupid. Now we are viewed as backwards with ideas that are divisive and bad for the country. In the past few months, a portion of one of our major political parties has started trying to exclude Christians from serving in political office. To my understanding, this isn't a good trend.

I probably got some sequence misstated but I hope you get the idea.

Thirty years ago was right around the end of the Moral Majority and the founding of the Christian Coalition. I'd been interested in politics about five or six years by then, but not deeply. I seem to recall that before the MM, conservative/evangelical Xians were not politically unified nor particularly politically active. But thanks to the MM, we were considered instrumental in getting Dutch elected. I think by the time you mention, 30 years ago, we were still kind of viewed mostly as a curiosity, but people were starting to realize we were potentially an important voting block. As we gained more influence, we became more disliked, because our beliefs are out of step with the "blue" parts of the country. And it probably doesn't help that some of our more public faces are goofballs.