In the political world, new wine needs to be put into new wineskins

Recently a longtime friend of mine opined “As a Democrat it saddens me to realize that the Dem Party has sold its soul out to the devil! They are the champion of sexual deviancy and illegal immigration!”

I was moved to respond as follows:

I know your good heart. I’m not sure what triggered this outburst. It is unclear what you mean. Are you implying that all Democrats are champions of sexual deviancy and illegal immigration? After all, you are a Democrat.

What about Republicans who claim to stand up for sexual morality and family values but then turn a blind eye to President Trump’s dishonesty and immorality? Or those who out of fear are embracing white supremacist tendencies? Have they been deluded, succumbed to the temptation of power and money, and sold their souls to the Devil?

As an Independent, I see serious problems in both the Democratic and Republican parties. I also see many good people. I admire John Kasich on the Republican side and i find hope in the quality of many of the newly-elected Democratic members of the House of Representatives. Many recognize that the problem of unequal and unjust income distribution has to be addressed.

Most traditional conservatives – who believe in moral principles, fiscal conservativism, limited government, and a sensible defense policy – have distanced themselves from the Republican Party or are trying to figure out how to redeem it. Libertarians are in a quandary.

All of the parties are suffering from being attached to old paradigms in an age of rapid transition. We need new ideas and concepts to address the changing situation.

Many of these ideas are being generated on the local level where people are solving real problems affecting people in local communities.

On a global level, new ideas are being generated by those who are willing to engage in intelligent assessment and discussion, learning from the experience and wisdom of all nations and cultures in order to promote world peace, racial and religious harmony, shared prosperity, and true family values.

We should not be taking sides in irrational discussions where people demonize one another out of fear, anger, greed, or the lust for power. Rather, motivated by God’s compassion, we should be trying to reconcile conflicting parties in pursuit of peace, harmony, and true love.