"When love of one's people becomes an absolute, it turns into racism. When love of equality turns into a supreme thing, it can result in hatred and violence toward anyone who has a privileged life. It is the settled tendency of human societies to turn good political causes into counterfeit gods."
~ Pastor and Author, Tim Keller,
"We can look upon our political leaders as "messiahs," our political policies as saving doctrine, and turn our political activism into a kind of religion."
~ Pastor and Author, Tim Keller,
"In my estimation, the key to understanding this phenomenon, and by extension, this race, is recognizing the fact that voters, in the aggregate, are irrational."
~ Blogger Tom Girsch, Lean Left
"While the honor is mine, this Senate seat belongs to no one person, no one political party. This is the people's seat"
~ U.S. Senator Scott Brown, Senator From Massachusetts, in his victory speech to the chants of "People's seat!"
How do you know when political power has become a counterfeit god?
Tim Keller says to look out for two things. One, fear becomes one of the chief characteristics of life. One party wins, and those in the other party start to talk about leaving the country because it is going down the tubes. Hopelessness. Powerlessness. Fear. Two, "political opponents are not considered to be merely mistaken, but to be evil." Politics becomes about demonizing the other side.
I don't think it takes a PHD in political science to see that both of those red flags are waving.
Tgirsch calls it irrational. I agree, but for probably a different reason. I think it is irrational for anyone to view politics as a cure to solving our problems. I think voters electing a President whose main issue was "change" and "yes we can" was irrational too. Change to what? Yes we can what? Now, we have "people's seat". Have we become a nation of chanters?
The key to understanding this phenomenon is not that people are irrational insofar as it goes, but to understanding that politics has become a counterfeit god. We seek salvation from political leaders and political parties and political doctrines.
This misidentifies the human problem. The problem is not powerlessness. The problem is rebellion in the human heart. The problem is arrogance. The problem is self-worship and self-focus. The problem is an addiction to self, not powerlessness. Misidentified problem. Misidentified solution.
Obama cannot save us. Scott Brown cannot save us. Democrats cannot save us. Republicans cannot save us.
Those are counterfeit gods. They will only disappoint.
There is only one true God. Salvation comes from Him alone.