The intersection of politics and religion today

From The Western Journal: Democratic California Rep. Ted Lieu is slightly more Catholic than Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran. We will spot him that. (And as we write this, we have no idea what Ted Lieu’s opinion of the new pope is – but we suspect that he may like the guy far less than he did Frances. See below.)

But we can’t give him much more. Going on two bodies of evidence of Lieu’s religious convictions, the guy is about as good a Catholic as, say, Joe Biden or Nancy Pelosi. True, he professes to be a Catholic — albeit if and when it suits him, and on terms that seem decidedly anti-Catholic. No surprise that he fits so well into the Congressional Democratic caucus.

For instance, not only does he support abortion, same-sex marriage, and easy divorce — indeed, most Catholic-professing Democrats do, while holding to the idea that their spiritual beliefs are separate from meliorative public policy — he decided to dare the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to deny him communion because he seems to morally support these things as positive ends in themselves. (The USCCB, quite regrettably, does not seem to have taken him up on the offer. Perhaps this will change with Pope Leo XIV?)

So we have this: Mixed messaging, anyone?

Of course, the White House also published an image of The Donald as a Star Wars warrior – supposedly a Jedi but with signs that he is actually a Sith: on the Dark Side. Given that George Lucas’ Jedi Knights are now seen more and more as being anti-christian, that might actually be the case.

Meanwhile, in Washington State, the governor signed a new law into effect that turns various people into felons for failing to report evidence of child abuse which they obtain through, among other things, confessions to a Catholic (or other religious) priest.

It is quite interesting that the Trump-guided Department of Justice has immediately stated that they are investigating this new law as being illegal religious discrimination – and unconstitutional, to boot. Folks, is anyone really surprised? The only perhaps surprising thing is that it was Washington State and not California or Minnesota or perhaps Massachusetts that did this. (Of course, maybe those States already have such a law.)

The Founding Fathers intended the 1st Amendment (and of course, the limitation of powers of the three branches of the FedGov) to protect religion. However, it is instead used as an excuse to make government edicts more and more anti-religion. Or at least Christian religion. (And probably Jewish.)

Some religious people recognize this and seek to change it. They (of course) are accused of being “Christian Nationalists” and “Dominationists” and worse: wanting to establish a religious dictatorship.

But many religious people seem oblivious to the increasing opposition to the free expression of religious beliefs in many States. At the same time they donate millions, even billions, to preach the Gospel in other lands, and donate (and encourage government spending) to aid Israel as the sole Jewish state in the world. They seek to save the lost and protect their brothers and sisters in faith from government and other threats around the world. You can see this in quite a few websites: Voice of the Martyrs for example. Or with other religious groups: such as Legacy Church of Christ missions, and Eastern European Missions for another.

At the same time, they seem to push to a distant second place the idea that perhaps they should be seeking to save souls and to defend their brethren at home, in the States or even in their own State and community. And far too many who claim to follow the Law of Moses or the Christ seem perfectly content to have governments more and more restrict their religious practices to their own homes and their meeting places. And at the same time, refuse to follow the strictures of their own faiths when it comes to dealing with their fellows (“co-religionists’) who fail to treat others as they themselves want to be treated.

For too many who claim to be christian or Jews, they are content with having governments take more and more control and replace the role that religion used to fill. This has happened before, but that makes it no better for us today.

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Source: https://freedombunker.com/2025/05/10/the-intersection-of-politics-and-religion-today/