The Things God is Terrible At (And Why That’s Good News for Us.): POTUS

My brother posted an interesting comment that he had read concerning the current political race in these United States. The poster had declared that the incumbent president was practicing love for "the (the U.S.) enemies" and that the poster prayed to God that the incumbent president would not see a second term. To which my brother noted was "invoking God to go against the teachings of Jesus."

That, I think, is very interesting.

A while back I had started (and admittedly did not finish) a series of posts call "The things that God is terrible at, and why that's good for us."

POTUS is one of those things that I think fits into that series.

While the owner of the subject comment was likely unaware of the implications of the scenario that they conjured up, they do raise an interesting point.

God/Jesus would be a terrible POTUS.

All of the things that we generally cherish in this country concerning our "rights" or "freedoms" or order of governance would come to question under the presidency of Jesus.

How would candidate Jesus fair when it comes to questions of international policy?
What about Iran?
or better yet, Al Qaida/Osama bin Laden?

Seems a policy that reflected "loving one's enemies" (Matthew 5:43-44) would the answer, but certainly not the one that would be popular among the U.S. populace.

What about Gun Control? Second Amendment rights?

Swords in Plowshares? (Isaiah 2:4, Micah 4:3)
That leaves us a little defenseless, doesn't it candidate Jesus?

What about the judiciary system? or the death penalty?

You've been through that and aren't a fan eh? (Luke 23:34, Romans 2:1-4)

What about nationalism? Love for one's country?

The people of God are called to be unlike the other nations? To not have a system of governance or to have interests for self over God? (1 Samuel 8)

The reality is this, there is no candidate that appropriately reflects the teachings of Jesus/God in their governance or their life. There is no "Christian" candidate, in the sense that there is no Christ-like candidate.
So while the commentator's assertion about the POTUS would be radical and Christ-like, it just isn't true. Heck, the incumbent president ordered and celebrated the execution of one of "our" enemies.

But the most disturbing part about the conversation is the hypothetical implication: That followers of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah, the True Life, The King of Kings, would never elect Jesus for president because that guy would just be way too radical to follow.

Jesus would make a "terrible" president and, honestly, I'm okay with that.

Bad News Chicks

Folks I have some bad news. Buying fried chicken will not secure your right to freedom of speech. Now don't get me wrong, I do enjoy fried chicken, but the truth is that it just never tastes like freedom.
I'm not a constitutional scholar, so maybe I'm wrong, and if I am (you actual constitutional scholars) please tell me.

August 1st was a great day to be the owner of Chick-fil-A.
People lined up around the building.
Some folks just wanted to know that a little of their hard earned money, that they used to get delicious chicken sandwiches, went toward ensuring some folks don't get married/enjoy certain rights. (hospital visitations, health benefits, tax breaks, children, etc)
Others held up a much more noble cause: defending freedom!
One customer was so enthusiastic in her support of freedom/chicken that she brought along her two teenage daughters:
"It was good for them to see (that) this is what it means to be an American, and we have free speech, and when we want to make a statement, we can make it," she said. -1. CNN


The problem is this: freedom of speech is a right afforded by the government to its citizens. When LGBT folks/supporters get upset at a chicken chain that is funding campaigns against their ability to marry and they then make their frustrations known (whether it be via social media, boycott, or other), their actions/words against the chicken chain are not a violation of the restaurant's, nor the CEO's freedom of speech.

I have read some articles claiming that LGBT protesters are actually against the CEO's beliefs. Maybe they're right, but I'm pretty sure that that argument is at least an unintentionally misleading claim, if not an outright straw-man argument.

Now, if mayors like Rahm Emanuel and Thomas Menino actually moved their threats of "banning" Chick-fil-A from political posturing to reality, then we have a legitimate freedom of speech claim, because they are the government. When the government starts telling you what you can and cannot say, we all have a problem.
(This is why the Supreme court upheld the right for the Westboro folks to do their hate thing.)
However, there are legitimate pieces of legislation that have come out in the last 12 or so years that we should be getting our free-speech-breeches in a twist about.

But this?

Chicken?

And here's the thing; increasing a company's profits will not deter the government from violating free speech, because free speech is not a corporate/private issue, it is a government issue. If any violations ever did take place, the appropriate action would be political, not corporate.
Coming out to support the beliefs of the CEO and the way that Chick-fil-A donates their money to anti-LGBT organizations, that actually makes sense (if you're into that sort of thing).

If the shining example of "American freedom" is our willingness to support corporations monetarily because of the organizations they donate to, outside of the realm of their business, then I am afraid that I really do not know what is going on.

Maybe I don't.

After all, the surge of supporters/customers/"freedom fighters" present on the 1st was not the result of any direct corporate scheme.

Rather it was the idea of Christian pastor Mike Huckabee.

I didn't realize that was part of the gig. Now I'm wondering which corporations would like me as their sponsor...


1. CNN Wire Staff. “Chick-fil-A restaurants become rallying points for supporters.” CNN 1 Aug. 2012, 1 Aug. 2012 <http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/01/us/chick-fil-a-appreciation/index.html?iref=allsearch>.