The Charlie Kirk point was a tipping point for me. I was horrified but also ENRAGED at the American, political, left. I seethed hatred as I viewed leftists celebrating Charlie's murder. Many unGodly thoughts went through my mind. I know I was wrong to feel that way, but I seemingly can't help it.
I feel like I should stop following news and politics for the betterment of my emotional and spiritual health.
Can you share with me any advice or your own perspective on following the political world?
Too much news has that effect on pretty much everyone I know.
There are 2 sides, red (republican) and blue (democrat). There is the leader Fox News (republican) and the other CNN (democrat). They both engage in hate rhetoric towards the other side. The passage that comes to mind is:
Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Hate is a mental, emotional and physical damage related illness. Spiritual hate is also a damage related illness. The true master that Satan and his followers serve is evil, and for God's people that is death and hell.
While it is obvious that a person will hate, despise and reject death (which comes in degrees of action against a soul towards death), it might be less obvious about hell which is beyond death as a type of spiritual suffering and the second death area. Spirit prison is where Jesus went after he died and taught the spirits there.
The human body is designed well by God and even rejects deathly things. From viruses to bacteria that are harmful to the body, to injury. All those things that injure the body are directions towards death, whether they are fully lethal or not. The human body responds with an immune response in attempt to be healed. Which is something our loving God supplies as he is the God and spirit of life and heaven. Even allergies invoke a rejection response like a sneeze or cough which is the body's response to a foreign agent that it attempts to expel.
Romans 6
20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The point is that annoyance, irritation, frustration are milder forms of pain which is the human soul's way of telling you that something is attempting to, will eventually or is damaging the soul. Then the body responds with a rejection response. Those irritations can arise in the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual areas of the soul.
Annoyance, irritation, frustration as mild pain can lead to sadness or anger in the souls natural emotional response to a threat. Fight or flight is then appropriate. Perhaps sadness is flight related. Coming up with solutions and engaging in solving problems are healing of triumph over situations that arise that may feel like our souls are being threatened. The obvious form being work stress and normal stress of surviving in the world and society. Less encountered is the extreme example of a dangerous animal or other predator.
It is important to note that hate is vastly prevalent in slavery and treating people as less than self as far as rights or respect, etc. The earth has a history of slavery and the effects of slavery including hate are passed down from generation to generation in many families and societies. Whether or not those people engage in direct slavery or not. The behavior may still be prevalent.
While it is good for adult responsible Christians to be well informed of matters of the earth, it is also important to be engaged in happy, loving Christian interactions and works.
The news presents a lot of serious issues of darkness and evil. It is good for Christians to "kick the dust off our sandals and move on from those that won't accept Christ and the gospel". That was also the direction the disciples of Jesus were given. Our time is better spent helping the pleasant people, including sinners, that want to be part of Christianity. We can have more success with those people than persons that are closed to Jesus, utterly reject or fight against the Christian movement. And reading the news about people and problems that we have no solution for or ability to change can feel defeating or depressing, and if not sadly depressed then perhaps angry and annoyed.
Hate is contagious at times.
I do check in on the news. Sometimes just the headlines. And sometimes I limit the checking of news. Maybe skipping days.
I hope that helps,
@Raccoon1010
