We ALL believe what we want to believe, that is the nature of humanity, even when our beliefs are clearly wrong we still cling to them as evidenced by the number of Germans who even after living through the horrors of Nazism still clung to its core values, and as a Christian, or just as a concerned citizen of the world, i have "irons in the fire" whenever i see injustice, oppression or exploitation, wherever that may occur, be it in the UK, the US, Sudan, Gaza, Venezuela, Iran, Myanmar, or the DRC, to name just a few, its Gods WORLD, not country, and if you restrict your concern for only your fellow citizens then how deep is that concern, .........and in todays interconnected world you can do far more than just pray, you can act, you can sign petitions, you can send e-mails and letters, you can contribute to campaigning organisations, you can follow Gods call to Justice and compassion throughout his world and not just be confined to artificial man made barriers. In my Bible it says "Love your neighbour as yourself and treat others as you'd want to be treated", whether that "neighbour", is next door, in the next street, in the next city, in the next County, in the next country, atm there are 10-15 million people facing starvation in Sudan primarily as a cause of a civil war being fought by 2 sides armed and financed by different countries in the region with an eye for Sudans resources, if i can try to stop the flow of arms by lobbying those Governments then why wouldnt i, if i can help finance campaigning organisations working to bring an end to hostilities then why wouldnt i, indeed as a follower of Christ i have a duty to "treat others as i would want them to treat me", no national barriers, no ifs or buts, but plain and simple Justice and Compassion, putting yourself in the place of those suffering and asking, "If i was in their place what would i want?",......... and i'm not "dictating" what should happen, as you rightly say i dont have that power, but i do have the power to make my voice heard and speak out when i see oppression and injustice, WHEREVER that may occur, or is your plan just to vote every 4 years and let the elected government pursue its agenda, however brutal and unjust that agenda is, is that how you reads Christs teachings to those that profess to follow him?,....... yes we have a different view on the "authority" of Governments, i see that authority as deriving from the Devil who God has allowed to have control of the Kingdoms of this world, for when Christ was being tempted by the Devil the Devil offered him ALL the kingdoms of this world because as he said " they are mine to do with as i wish", and that is plain to see of ALL Governments, for ALL are ruled by greed, selfishness and a lust for Power and control., so i have no problem in campaigning against the abuses i see committed throughout this world, in fact as i say, i have a duty so to do, ...... and i am not seeking to "overthrow the duly elected government" of Trump, i campaign against his policies the same as i campaign against the policies of any government that seeks to oppress and murder, the US is not my sole cause but one of many countries in this evil world that i campaign against........ the weapons of a "believer" are Justice, Compassion, Mercy and Humility, these are the "weapons" we take up when we fight against Evil and Oppression, Prayer sustains us, our Faith gives us hope and our Love shields us from Hate, and the fight will never "move fast enough", for Evil is like a Hydra, cut off a head and another 2 takes its place, its a battle we can never win, but must fight knowing that the true victory will come when Christ returns and brings this world of sorrow and suffering to an end and dispenses true Justice to us ALL,....... and what is this obsession with only being concerned about injustice and suffering in our own countries, where does it say, "Treat others as you'd want to be treated, but, only if theyre in your country", or "Love your neighbour as yourself" as long as they arent over the national boundary, so 1 metre inside the country, theyre my concern, 1 metre outside the country, not my concern, just where in all of Christs teachings do you find your basis for that belief, and what if no ones starving in my country but throughout Gods world hundreds of millions are, are they no concern of mine, you need to understand its Gods WORLD, not country, not district, not region, but WORLD,and we as Christians have a responsibility for ALL of our fellow Children of God wherever they may live,......... of course we can multi task, its so easy, sitting here i can campaign on issues all over Gods world, i can send money all over Gods world, I can communicate with people all over Gods world, whats the problem , the only restrictions on our compassion and concern are the restrictions youre putting on by insisting we concern ourselves just with issues within our Man made national boundaries, and yes of course the "Log" is in my eye and always will be, i am a wretched sinner, i know that, but what relevance does my sin have on the good i can try to do, i am a sinner as much in my campaigning in the Uk as i am a sinner campaigning in Gods world, whats the difference?,...... and as a Christian, albeit a wretched one, of course i will "bring up Christ" as a "justification" for what i'm doing, i hope that whatever i do in life has some basis in Christs teaching, isnt that what being a Christian is all about, or do you believe we should compartmentalise our lives into boxes, some of them Christian based , some of them secular based, Christs teachings influence every aspect of my life, whether it be my faith, politics, my personal relationships, my finances, isnt that what we should ALL do as Christians?...... and whatever our differences i do appreciate your perspective and your signing off, so......
With the Love of Christ Jesus
Steve