Close Menu
    Advertise With Us
    Religion

    Religious beliefs lend a bit of theological intrigue to politics

    5 Mins Read1 Views
    Arneatha Thomas and Fred Reaser
    Advertisement
    Arneatha Thomas and Fred Reaser

    Religious beliefs lend a bit of theological intrigue to politics

    THOMAS

    REASER

    By Derek Joy

         An overwhelming majority of the American citizenry profess devout beliefs in Christianity as a matter of religious practice.

        Absent recognized authorities on the other world religions, there can be no assertion that theirs holds the theological premise equal to the Christian belief that “God works in mysterious ways.”

        Hence, a timely question arises on the heels of Decision 2012, in which President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden delivered a knockout blow to Republican challengers Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.

        Consequently, it seems to be a fair question to ask: Was Hurricane Sandy, dubbed the Super Storm, when it hit the eastern United States, a worldly example of how God works in mysterious ways?

         “I would never see it as God sent that storm for that purpose,” said Sis. Arneatha Thomas, a faithful congregational member of the Spirit of Christ Ministries, Rev. Cecil Lamb, pastor. “It’s all about the mysteries of God. His works are beyond our understanding.

         “He allowed that to happen,” added Thomas, who recently self published a book titled Power of the Blood at Work – Broken Veil, detailing how life’s circumstances are overcome through the application of scriptures. 

         “Because of that it allowed people to come together. For instance, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie met with President Obama when he visited New Jersey after the storm. New York Mayor Michael Blumberg endorsed President Obama after the storm hit.”

        Fact is, Christie, who spoke at the GOP National Convention when Romney officially accepted his party’s Presidential Nomination, repeatedly attacked and denounced President Barack Obama.

        Blumberg, a Democrat, had not endorsed President Obama, until the President visited New York to assess the damage caused by the Super Storm.

        Surely one could question the link between the natural disaster and God’s way of working in mysterious ways. Scientific explanations offer sufficient answers beyond the religious or theological perceptions.

        Still, the timing was as a bolt of lightning striking at the core of opposition to President Obama’s repeated calls for rebuilding the nation’s infrastructures.

         “They (Republicans) knew all this, but they just didn’t want him (President Obama) to be the one to bring it to the table and get credit for it,” said Fred Reaser, a retired letter carrier for the U. S. Postal Ser-vice.

        “No. They were not going to let a Black man come and straighten out the mess they made. They were going to get in office and do all the things Obama wanted to do and take credit for turning the economy around.”

        President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden steamrolled the GOP standard bearers of Romney and Ryan much like Hurricane Sandy the Super Storm swept the east coast.

        Hence, any and all speculation of what Romney and the GOP would have done or attempted to do became a moot point.

         “Here it is these jokers (Romney and Ryan) talking about winning and couldn’t win their own states,” said Charles Cutler, a community activist and a member of New Birth Cathedral of Faith. “How are you going to win the country when you can’t even win your home state?”

        Cutler’s comment addressed Obama’s victories in Massachusetts and Wisconsin, the home states of Romney and Ryan, respectively. 

        Then he considered the religious and theological possibilities.

         “That was a prophetic message,” he said, noting the timing and impacts of Hurricane Sandy. “The damage was caused by an aging infrastructure. The infrastructure just got old.

         “We should be rebuilding the infrastructure instead of spending all that money in other countries. Why pay people to hate us and kill your military personnel? Spend that money at home and put people to work.”

        Ironically, President Obama’s efforts to do just that were always met with unrelenting opposition.

        Hurricane Sandy wreaked enough havoc to weaken any arguments against rebuilding the nation’s infrastructures. If nothing else, the need has become painfully obvious.

         “That’s possible,” said Barbara Felder, a Christian believer, who considered the link between God’s mysterious ways and the timing of Hurricane Sandy. “Somebody else said that to me just before the election. But I’m not God.”

        Sister Emma Lassiter, a long time member of St. Mark M.B. Church, said, “I kinda think it happened for a reason. People don’t realize that when destruction comes it happens for a reason, just like New Orleans.”

        Aging levies collapsed not because of Hurricane Katrina, but because of the following storm surge. 

        Again, aging infrastructures were exposed by a natural disaster. America’s east coast remains in disarray as residents suffer the consequences.

        Whether or not such destruction, at a time when President Obama sought re-election, lends credence or confirmation to the premise that “God works in mysterious ways,” is open to debate.

     

     

    Share.

    Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

    Related Posts

    This College Chaplain Fills The Pews By Teaching, Not Preaching Lawrence Lockett Jr., Morgan State University chaplain. Credit: Lawrence Lockett Jr. via LinkedIn By REV. DOROTHY S. BOULWARE (Source: Amsterdam News) It’s understandable for parents of strong faith to worry about the spiritual lives of their children who’ve gone away to college. After all, it’s easy for a young person, perhaps on their own for the first time, to suc-cumb to the temptations of partying late on Saturday night and sleeping in on Sunday morning. But Minister Lawrence Lockett Jr., chaplain at Morgan State University in Baltimore, is packing them into the pews most Sundays. He is engaging them in lively ways during the week. And students are joining the choir, accompanying worship on various instruments, and serving as readers and leaders throughout the service. It is by the grace of God for sure, but also by the loving service of Lockett, who’s beginning his second year as the school’s director of chapel. He has grown his flock from the 25 or so students who showed up at his first services to more than 200 each Sunday. Sometimes, it’s standing room only. “We’ve been trying to figure out what to do next because on Easter Sunday we had 342 people, and some were standing in the back,” he said. Word In Black talked to Lockett about the secrets of his success: how his adjustment of Sunday ser-vices got people into the pews, why his philosophy for guiding students on their spiritual journey centers on independent thought, and how his “Spin the Block” initiative is shaking things up on campus. The in-terview has been edited for length and clarity. Word in Black: The first thing we want to know is, how do you get so many young people to chapel every Sunday?. Lawrence Lockett: Well, first of all, I changed the time of service from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. I realized a lot of the students like to sleep in late. It gives them time to do whatever they need to do. I’m sure many of them still like to party hearty over the weekend. So they have a good chance just to kind of refocus, recali-brate, get themselves lunch, and then come over to the chapel for service. When I started in November, maybe 20-25 students came, but now it’s over 200 that come every Sun-day, and it’s pretty cool. So now we’re repositioning ourselves to go after the freshman class this year. If we have the same success as last year, there’s definitely not going to be any room. Word in Black: Tell me about pastoring on a college campus. Lawrence Lockett: Morgan actually started as a biblical institute, so the Christian traditions have al-ways been here. As a pastor or shepherd, I’m walking students through their questions, not always just trying to preach answers to them. It’s about being vulnerable. I tell them I was in their same position, just trying to figure it out. And it’s not me just trying to give them answers. Having been there helps me really walk with them and anchor them in the storm of life that’s going to come. I want them to understand that their soul really matters. A lot of students focus on mental health, but they really need to focus on spiritual health as well. It should be one and the same. So I’ve been trying to preach that, if anything, spiritual health is just as important as your mental health. But we do encour-age the use of the counseling center, for sure, if there is a mental health crisis. WIB: What does Monday through Friday look like for you? LL: Mondays, we are usually off because of Sundays. On Tuesdays, we have Bible studies, so I’ll host a Bible study at noon along with my colleagues that work in the chapel. And then, I’m teaching a class called Hip-hop and the Gospel on Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m., dealing with mixing culture and religion. On Wednesdays, we do something called “breath and balance,” which is just a meditative type of pro-gram with breathing exercises as stress relievers. We work with the School of Nutrition Science and the food resource center so that the students get a nice free meal and practice breathing exercises and meth-ods to feel good about the day. For Thursdays, we started something called the mosaic, in which we have different campus ministers gather in small groups, just like a mosaic painting. So the students who come on Sundays then get plugged into small groups on Thursdays. And on Fridays at 1 p.m., we do prayer for Muslims.. We have an imam lecture and then lead in corporate prayer. It’s a good mix. WIB: What is “Spend a Block?” Didn’t you receive an award for it? LL: That started last year. We just basically do services outside: outside the residence halls, in the quad, wherever it may be. Honestly, worship on a college campus looks different than it did 20 or 30 years ago. Students want something real and authentic, something they can gravitate to, and something that’s convenient. So when we’re outside, people are like, “What’s all the noise outside? What’s all the music?” Then they come outside, and there are chairs, so they grab one and sit and enjoy the service. We come to them. They don’t have to come to us. At the very beginning of the semester, we do services outside the four resi-dence halls. And that kind of gives us a steamroll into homecoming week. And we’ve seen a lot of success because of that. WIB: What should I expect when I arrive for Sunday service? LL: You’re gonna see a lot of involvement with students. I’ve learned that students like to feel invested, and they want to participate in what’s going on. They don’t want to be told by adults what they should and shouldn’t do. So when you go to the service, you’ll see our praise team full of students. You’ll see a choir full of students. You’ll see students reading scripture. You’ll see students giving testimonies. And then I’ll come in and give a sermon, or I’ll have a guest friend or a guest preacher come in to do the sermon. But you’re gonna see a lot of student involvement, and I think that also assisted with a lot of the growth be-cause when they see fellow students, they understand they’re just like me, and if they can do it, I can do it. WIB: What about musicians and choir? LL: The musicians are also students. They say, “Hey, I love to play. I wanna use my gifts in some way, shape, or form.” And they’ll ask whether or not there’s a spot for them. And we say absolutely. And there is a chapel choir. Some of the members are also members of the university choir. WIB: What is the “next” you see for the chapel? LL: I want the students to know God, find freedom, discover purpose, and make a difference. The chapel really is the heartbeat of the campus, and I want students to know more about where faith, hope, and belonging really stem from. I also want the chapel to become more interfaith and involve as many students and beliefs as possible.