I am doing the children's sermon at our church

[norepubsin08]

First United Methodist Church in Tacoma and I want to do it about the elections---any suggestions

[plaintiff]

1. Tell them if their parents don't vote for Obama they will burn in hell.

Easy.

[ThatsMyBarack]

20. Good one!

:spray:

[supernova]

2. Just tell them

that it's a responsible and wise thing to follow current events and form their own opinions. You can't advocate for one party or candidate from the pulpit, but you can encourage them to be involved and active citizens.

[thunder rising]

3. First ... Don't ... it's illegal.

[TechBear_Seattle]

4. Might I suggest Matthew 6:1-8?

From the Revised Standard Version:

"Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

"Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

From here, you can segue into how the Republicans -- hypocrites, all -- pray in the churches and in public squares and campaign stumps solely so that they can be seen as holy and righteous, and not out of any genuine piety or love of God.

[These Eyes]

5. Maybe you can talk to them about godly principles …

and how God can work within the framework of politics to bring about social and economic justice.

[rwheeler31]

6. We are americans,we have to make the best choice.

This is not like what do want for lunch, this is like who will you marry important.

[jody]

7. Couple of points to consider when preparing your 2-3 minute talk.

“Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.”

First Amendment “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

According to the CIA, the following is the order of religious preferences in the United States:
•	Christian: (78.5%) 
   o	Protestant (51.3%)
   o	Roman Catholic (23.9%)
   o	Mormon (1.7%)
   o	other Christian (1.6%)
•	unaffiliated (12.1%)
•	none (4%)
•	other or unspecified (2.5%)
•	Jewish (1.7%)
•	Buddhist (0.7%)
•	Muslim (0.6%)

Christian                 Total
Roman Catholic	        67,820,833
Baptist	                38,662,005
Pentecostal	        13,673,149
Lutheran	         7,860,683
Latter-Day Saint         6,300,000
Presbyterian/Reformed	 5,844,855
Orthodox, Old Catholic	 5,717,622
Methodist	         5,473,129
Anglican	         2,323,100
Adventist	         2,203,600
Holiness	         2,135,602
Other Groups	         1,366,678

[StoryTeller]

8. I have a question...

What does voting have to do with being a Christian? None of the teachings of Jesus focus on political involvement. In fact, the times that others tried to draw him into expressing a political opinion, he sidestepped it and turned the focus back to the person's relationship to God and other people.

I think voting is important--because I'm a citizen of the U.S. and that makes it my responsibility. It's NOT because I am a Christian. I'm not sure why pastors encourage congregations to vote--as if there is something spiritual about it. I would think it would be far more important to talk to these precious kids about social justice or love for others, or how Jesus gave us the example to be unified--and what does that look like in a divided world? Those lessons will all eventually impact their civic involvement, but more importantly, those lessons will shape their character and their faith.

That's far more important than using the pulpit to teach them about elections.

My opinion only--since you asked for suggestions. We've already seen what happens when the church marries politics. It's sickening. And it wouldn't be any prettier on the left than it is on the right. You've been entrusted with shaping the souls of these kids. That's far more important than a civics lesson.

[uppityperson]

9. Taking responsibility is a christian thing. Or should be.

Taking part in your community is also.

[madeline_con]

11. Jesus said, “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s,

and unto God the things that are God’s”

I think it would behoove any good Christian to vote for the right Caesar! O8)

[norepubsin08]

17. Interesting Point

However I come at it from the standpoint of being a Liberal Christian and it is our duty to help shape civic thought

[sandnsea]

19. Hey You!!

I haven't seen you in such a long time. How's it going?

[madeline_con]

10. Use the WWJD approach. Without actually saying the name...

talk about overcoming adversity, having a terrible disease and worrying about the future of your son, about sticking to your morals and doing the right thing sfter college, etc.

[lonestarnot]

12. I guess you believe in having your Church pay taxes too then?

snort :rofl:

[norepubsin08]

16. I'm not endorsing anybody

In a generic way I want to talk about the election and people's responsibility to take part in the civic life of society.

[noel711]

13. Find a concordance, and look up 'elect.'

Read the verses in the NEw Testament,
primarily the epistles...

According to Paul, believers are God's elect,
his chosen. Talk about How God has chosen them
to be his family, and how good it is to be part
of the family, to be valued and included. That
inclusion is important.. all are valued.

Then, if you wish, compare it to our leaders being
elected (or chosen) thru voting; how good it is to be
part of a country that elects its leaders, but even if
a person isn't elected to leadership, they are still
part of our country, and still valued.

Be careful not to spin this as a civics lesson,
nor a partisan moment. YOu don't want to alienate
your listeners,but the point being community,
being a 'family,' and valued and included.

[defendandprotect]

14. Poor kids . . . still sitting thru "sermons" --!!!

While I recognize that you're trying to be helpful, you're misguided.

First -- discussions and debate help children; knowing their rights --

LIKE THEIR RIGHT TO FREE THOUGHT AND FREE CONSCIENCE --

AND THE IMPORTANCE OF SEPARATION OF CHURCH & STATE --- !!!

[tjwash]

15. meh...it could be worse at your church.

You could have a bunch of redneck shitheads telling them they all suck and they are going to burn in hell. That's what our kids in our congregation are going through right now here in SO-Cal.

We have a very large GLBT presence in our church, and have been performing gay marriages. A lot of people have been hurrying up and tying the knot before the bigots in our state flood the polls and take away their right to be married and be a family. We are getting a lot of anonymous chicken-shit harassment from the more conservative assholes in the area.

[norepubsin08]

18. Wow

I am so sorry to hear that. I belong to what is called an RMN Congregation (Reconciling Ministry Network) comprised of some Episcopal, Lutheran, UCC and large contingent of United Methodist Churches. Mine is a UMC Church. You might want to look into that.-Peace -Mike Collier

[sandnsea]

21. Religion is a personal path of salvation

Government is a political path for the preservation of all people, regardless of their personal path of salvation.

When someone puts religion on the political path, it's not too long before you've got a cult, like Guyana, or the Taliban.

And if you can't tell them that, maybe you shouldn't tell them anything about the election.