Render Unto Caesar

I think you said it all... Let the politicians do politics and the religous clergy do religion.. the political decisions are based not on whats holy but normally based on popularity or greed..

today government is at least three stranded. and this is a beautiful woman. and healthy structure. yesterday i met JAmes Brown's "It's a MAn's World".

this reminded joys we had within our body, this reminded choices we chow sometimes in ice and this reminded the instruments we attained wisdom with.

as in APEC and OPEC, there are addresses that verbalizes the common consciousness, situation, future and structure of the community and organization.

this is also for a President but United States of America is grand and there may be multiple addresses. this has realized in the new government of United States, and within the structure future common consciousness of the government around the President, the folk shall establish and unite in alliance.

and the government has already come from the folk and this is the health of the public. this is the health of President and Foreign Affairs and Economy.

Williams Bush is drinking whisky under the painting of Abraham Lincoln. at least, at least He is answering Merlin Calling.

"come boy, take the sword, whenever you see in the rock", to compete and to wrestle are from Peter. the matter is 10.000 hours of presence.

this was today's joke.

Washington and Lincoln proclaimed national days of Thanksgiving to God, but Jefferson declined and Jackson rejected a national day of prayer. Should presidents issue such calls or leave religion to the religious?

why are there 1000x1000x1000 hungery people on Earth? this makes 10 power 9. are there three leaders on Earth?

Justillthen:

"Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's,and to God, the things that are God's."

I appreciate your comments; however, see the NT. I wouldn't equate Caesar with either the things of this world or with the just state, a construct that had currency amongst Jews, Greeks, and Romans of the period, although it signified differently for the three populations.

For the Pharisees, the great Jewish sages of the period, both the Roman and Greek cultures were unacceptable. The Pharisees valued the Greek love of beauty, believed the world needed the Greeks for that, but that they lacked a sense of justice and compassion for which the world needed Israel. They did not see Caesar as just, fought him endlessly, relentlessly, in different ways, until the bitter end. Nothing was due Caesar in their view, and in mine, and nothing will ever be due him in any of his incarnations.

I'd also look at Foucault on Kant, which speaks to this matter as I am constructing it.

Farnaz

Farnaz2:

""Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's,and to God, the things that are God's."

Nothing is due Caesar; nothing ever was. If AmeriChristians were to finally grasp this foundationally moral point, we would have a far greater chance to live in a just society."

I disagree, Farnaz. Not that I am a literalist. Not. But the quote has value.
Caesar is valid, as a symbol of the temporal world...
You have a body. You must give to that body food that it sustain itself, or it will wither and die. It does not sustain on the colors of the halo, or solely by chanting hymns in church. It needs to be fed materially or the clay dies. Your famiily needs the same, and needs your participation in it, physically, to survive.
The state as well.
Give to the earth what is of the earth, and to the spirit what is of the spirit.
Does god take a coin for thanks? For recompense? No, but the preacher might, as well as the plumber.
If God is seeking donations I am sure it is not of something you can find in your pocket.

one more time, on Earth, BArack "double beauty, grandson of Ahmet, Rahmet and Path" Obama.

greetings to United Church of Christ, in love in compassion in hope and cheer. greetings from the heart that we had met and connected and communicated.

i am sorry, the cakes of mud look like pork waste or cow waste, forgive me. also we have such cookies made from white of eggs and sugar.

are there oysters in Haiti? could Dale Eppler make trade of oysters, BArack Obama? why do they eat cakes of mud in stead of sea food?

we have met the bottom of KArakoy-KAdikoy Port, Williams Bush. my uncle, from mother, had been tea-man on ferryboats. he had left his body on 15th of MAy at 02:00 to my arms, right after my birthday. two stewards were not able to lift his body, i carried and lifted up to the cooler for the morning.

he was the man who had given a watch on my circumcision day, it was at a hospital because of rupture and veins. later i had messages from him "messages of the naked (bodiless) beauty from the orion navy plant in uranus". the high school is in KAdikoy. the Galata Tower is in a few hundred meters up the KArakoy port. Galata is "Milky" and it is in "Sutluce" region.

jewish turks, armenians and greeks and dannishes and irishes and norwegians have seen the shells and oysters : )

that has refreshed one more time in United States of America, emanating and vibrating all in us.

greetings to All, in compassion, in love, in the cheer and hope of the new civilization on Earth.

the meteor in native land in Canada, the evershining sun in the sky of Cuba, whether Ethiopia and Atlanta and China and India and Northwest Russia, whether Cyprus or Britain, whether South America, whether Crystal Skull and School of Christ,

greetings to United Church of Christ, all over the world, all around the globe.

greetings from Bursa, greetings from Anadolu, greetings from Izmir, greetings from Mageddo where cake and paste and oil and egg and milk and flavour exist, where virtues and humanity and wisdom unite to feed the children.

in HAiti, whether Spain or Portugal or St JAmes (san diego) the JAcobian or St Peter or St John or St Francis, or any "Brick" Jewish Abrahamic Turkish Mountaineer Kenyan Caspian Public, whether people dine with any cake from mud,

greetings to Haiti with grandest welcome.

in Malaysia with Prince Andrew, no matter whether MAlaysia knows VAraka bin Nevfel, no matter whether MAlaysia knows St Thomas, no matter whether MAlaysia knows the difference between "namaz" and "salat", no matter whether Malaysia knows "unity" "yoga" "salat" "elders to greet",

greetings to Malaysia too with grandest welcome.

for all are in Christ, animals humans insects trees waters airs planets are in Christ, in compassion, greetings to United Church of Christ

sometimes i have witnessed wedding ceremonies where the expenses have been paid to handcrafters in the village, smiths and masters around who contribute to make the ceremony a wedding, to turn the meeting into a marriage.

Thanksgiving is not a case of argue or debate, it may be whispered even on the table, it may be transfered in the heart, it may be verbalized on the tongue.

"Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's,and to God, the things that are God's."

Nothing is due Caesar; nothing ever was. If AmeriChristians were to finally grasp this foundationally moral point, we would have a far greater chance to live in a just society.

Amen, Dr Smith!

Isn't that why we had a separation of church and state in the first place?

Great points!
The problem however is that some religious leaders and politicians are often trying to please the people, not serve them. In these times of so many political and moral issues, the fact that some religious and political leaders behave as if they are at a buffet - able to pick and choose what they want to deal with and and leave the rest! On the dawn of this new administration, we can be hopeful.

What you have written in good, important and true. I would add, however, that many ministers -- in fact most ministers in the U.S. -- are not from the free church tradition where congregations can vote them out. They live with a much more deadly reality. They have Bishops, Archbishops, Presbyteries and Synods which hold the axes over their heards and muffle their voices.

Hey Rev Sue:

You are on my porch today! I have never heard so much bashing coming from the righteous lips of priests and staunch Catholics in all my days. They are nailing President-elect Obama to the cross of their own making about his pro-choice stance as if he has really done something wrong! It is amazing to me that they never seemed to bother Bush or Cheney, but now that a fresh and different face has come-he is akin to the anti-Christ. They said the same things about Jesus, but I am so glad Obama took time to remind people that contrary to popular belief he (Obama) was not born in a manger.

I too am leery of folks who become rabid when you make decisions that are counter to theirs. Dichotomous thinking seems always myopic, shrill, and heavy-handed. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. rightly labeled it "ain't nobody right but us" religion--it's plain dogma with rabies.

I agree with you that presidents should stay out of the pulpits, but that pastors ought to get back in them and preach the Word of God. Yet, you and I both know that people don't like prophets--they prefer profits instead. I believe Bush's involvement in the Schiavo case was as Quixotic and chaotic as Reagan's handling of PATCO. Yet some in America seemed to think that this was the best thing since sliced bread. Dr. King was spot-on when he said that the church should be the conscience of the state--not the pawn. Perhaps the Oval Office will leave oracles to the prophets this time around--we'll see!

Ozzie Smith