No prophet in the Scriptures was ever rich. How can we judge true prophets from false prophets? There are pro-life prophets and feminist prophets. Today, there are prophetic voices on almost every issue, sometimes on both sides.

It tried to impose its views about human behavior long after it had lost the support of the public.Д«ut religion in America also had a prophetic voice, whether it was Catholic clergy defending Irish immigrants against the WASP establishment or black clergy leading the civil rights movement against racism. It too frequently used its political influence to protect criminal clergy and hush up scandals. Too often religion stood on the side of the status quo against workers, blacks, women, gays and social reformers. soil, religion too often became part of the establishment and turned against new immigrants, whether Catholic or Muslim, Irish or Chinese. Political and religious leaders supported slavery and racism in an incestuous relationship where religious institutions even owned slaves. The history of the United States has seen these themes play out. Temples and churches became not houses of God but monuments to clerical power and privilege. Over the course of history, prophets and reformers have only succeeded when the people supported them.Д«ut when religion and politics were in an incestuous relationship, religion turned rulers into gods and political leaders corrupted religious leaders with wealth and gave them power to impose religious beliefs on unbelievers. On the other hand, rulers sometimes became the only ones powerful enough to reform religious institutions that had become corrupt. There was a higher law than the law of the king, and the prophet could challenge the despot with the voice of God. Before there were elections, independent courts and the rule of law, religion often provided the only check on political power. With the help of political leaders, great temples and works of art were created that enriched the religious and cultural life of the community.Д¬onflict between the religious and political leaders could also be healthy. With the blessing of the gods, political leaders could rule without brute force. Working together in a positive way, the two forces have created community and fostered the common good. Sometimes that relationship is healthy and sometimes itвЂ™s exploitative. Religion and politics have been locked in relationship since the dawn of humanity. This prophetic voice was heard especially from black clergy, but white clergy and white believers also responded to the call.

Racism was denounced as a sin, and police violence condemned as an assault on the life and human dignity of GodвЂ™s children. Meanwhile, many of the demonstrators who had been pushed aside were responding to the prophetic call of their religious leaders. State Department as a violation of human rights and religious freedom. If this were done in China, it would be denounced by the U.S. The crassness of this photo-op was transparent to all but the president, who is used to being blessed by obsequious clerics in the Oval Office.

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