Can Religious and Political Groups Combine

Running Head: Can Religious and Political Groups Combine? page 1

Denise Rodriguez
Can Religious and Political Groups Combine?
Eng 122 Composition II
Instructor Schmidt
5/6/2013

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Outline

I. The balance of politics and spiritual groups i. Can Spiritual groups and politics be combined? ii. Can politics and spiritual groups balance together?

II. The combination of political and religious groups. i. How politics can affect a congregation? ii. Politician and pastor relationship.

III. Affects of politics against religion iii. Law passing religions are against. iv. Politics advocates don’t have the same meaning as religious groups. IV. Conclusion i. Reason for political and religious groups can combine.

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CAN RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL GROUPS COMBINE?
Organized religious groups can be political advocates as well as tend to spiritual needs of people. There is a possibility that they will strike a balance. Religion is a way of life, a cultural behavior. People work in their churches and live through the laws of the practice. Political advocate is the act of pleading or arguing a case or a position; forceful persuasion (The Fee Dictionary, Farlex, 2013). Politics and religion are equally influential. It will be possible for the two to strike a balance and cannot be combined. Christian Cultural Center (CCC) on several Sunday’s there has been several visits from different political parties. Mayor Bloomberg has visited the church on many occasions. CCC is a spiritual environment where people go to learn the word of God. Pastor A.R Bernard stated in the daily news blog. “I’m not driven by political ambitions. It would be motivated by my love and concern for this city. I have 35,000 members who will be impacted by whatever happens,” The effects of his candidacy in the running for Mayor in the U.S. may have had an effect on his congregation. If Pastor Bernard were to lose, it may not have an impact on the church. If he were to win the church would no longer have him as a religious leader. To become a Mayor requires the person to be available for to work with the government, to better New York A.R. Bernard backs up Mayor Bloomberg along with several other pastors. Such as Rev. Timothy Birkett, “We have to come to his foundation sooner or later,” said the Rev. Timothy Birkett, pastor of the Church Alive Community Church in the Bronx, who is backing the mayor this year. “We hope that he will be receptive.”
There are so many different types of religious practices that it would be difficult to incorporate them all. If politicians were to include one of many, that religious group would have an advantage over all the rest. The complications of political and religious groups combining, is the passing of laws that religions are against. Two of the most sensitive subjects are same sex marriage and abortion. Currently there are several states that allow same sex marriage while religions like Christianity are against them, as explained in the Holy Bible. The government states that a fetus is not considered a baby until it has been born. There are issues that have been raised from abortion. "Under Colorado law, a fetus is not a 'person' and plaintiff's claims for wrongful death must therefore be dismissed," the hospital argued. A 7 month pregnant mother and her
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twins died at a catholic hospital in Nashville, Tenn. The doctors did not perform an emergency cesarean and ended in death of the mother and her two unborn children. The hospital would not speak publicly about the case that went in front of a judge. A hospital may not be a political or a spiritual facility, the issue of the hospital being a catholic hospital that abides by the bible and refused to perform an abortion on the mother to be. Simply because of what the BIBBLE says about it being a sin. Deuteronomy 5:17 - Thou shalt not kill.
Numbers 12:12 - Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb.
Political and religious groups are balanced in the way people follow what they believe in. Every group has a leader and rules to follow, whether it’s for the whole country or for people who share the same beliefs. If all religions had the same laws as politics, maybe they can be combined. CCC church is a church of political advocates. There are political parties from all over, which are involved in the church or even just with A.R. Bernard. Several other pastors around the world all commend Mayor Bloomberg for his involvement in the churches as well as how much money he has donated to the churches. Even after poster Bernard decided not to run for Mayor. He still continues to keep in communication with politicians. Known for its institutions of politics, finance, fashion and media, it is also one of the most religiously diverse cites in the world. Without that diversity, from small storefronts to large mega ministries, over 7600 churches in Christian ministry throughout the five boroughs.
Religious groups can be political advocates, just like Christian Cultural Center. Both groups may have different values when it comes to law decisions. They are both groups with a great deal of influence on the public and religious groups vote for political parties to run New York. It is important for religious groups to keep involvement in politics, because it is what makes the state what it is. There are laws to abide by and reasons to continue to reach out to others as one.

Resources

Bible Verses about Abortion from the King James Version (KJV) by Relevance http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-Abortion/ Christian Cultural Center http://cccinfo.org/ Daily News http://www.nydailynews.com/news/rev-bernard-christian-cultural-center-set-endorse-mayor-bloomberg-3rd-term-article-\.370774 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/nyregion/29ministers.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
HighBeam Research http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-293418641.html Stassen, G. (2008, Senator obama: Add "healing" to your message. Tikkun, 23, 44-46. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/212256663?accountid=32521

The Fee Dictionary, Farlex, 2013 http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Political+advocacy USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/24/fetuses-not-people-catholic-hospital-says-in-court-case/1863013/