Will someone admit that maybe—just maybe—Senator Harry Reid is overdue for retirement?
Multiple observers have already noticed that the Senate Majority Leader’s flubs are becoming less indicative of everyday politician doublespeak and more indicative of mental unfitness.
In a press conference this week, as Reid gave reporters a rundown for his agenda during the current session of Congress, he declared: “The one thing we are going to do during this work period, sooner rather than later, is to ensure that women’s lives are not determine by virtue of five white men.”
These “five white men,” referring to the majority in the Hobby Lobby decision, include Justice Clarence Thomas—only the second African American to serve on the Supreme Court.
Reid’s ability to pit races and genders against each other at the same time is impressive enough, especially considering that Hobby Lobby’s employee coverage includes 16 out of 20 prescribed birth control methods. And that the Court’s Hobby Lobby decision was based fully on RFRA and had nothing to do with race or gender. And that, well, Thomas is black.
But the evidence seems to show that, unfortunately, the Senator’s mind may be slipping. Earlier this year, Reid on the Senate floor flatly denied calling the GOP’s Obamacare horror stories lies exactly one month after calling them lies “made from whole cloth” also on the Senate floor.
Meanwhile, an unnamed source reportedly told Glenn Beck that Reid was unsure about his stance on an issue and “had to check” (“With whom?” Beck asks).
In any nonpolitical context, it would be fairly obvious to most that a man like Reid, who is turning 75 this year, is at the onset of dementia. But because this is politics, it seems keeping the old DNC heavyweights in power as long as possible is the top priority.
But this is not a political issue. What follows is an open letter to the Senator.
To Senator Harry Reid
Mr. Reid, as a Christian, I am concerned for you on a personal level.
I am concerned for what will happen to you next. If, as I fear, you are experiencing the all-too-common mental signs of aging, I do not know how critically you can think about your own beliefs. But my interest is not in your political views.
I do not know your heart; only what you have said publicly. I assume that, according to your Mormon beliefs, you trust that obeying God’s commandments on earth will grant you a place in heaven (Alma 12:24). You probably believe that “it is by grace we are saved after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23). I think you also believe that the teachings of the Book of Mormon agree with the Bible (Mormon 7:8-10).
Yet according to the Bible, which is perfectly capable of standing on its own, it is only “by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). That is a flat contradiction with 2 Nephi 25:23.
Mr. Reid, I compassionately urge you, while you are still healthy—mentally and physically—to reconsider this all-important issue of your eternal destination. Elohim testified from the very beginning of Israelite history that He is not a man (Numbers 23:19), nor has He ever been a man; He is eternally the self-existent I Am of the universe, who was and who is and who is to come, unchanging (Revelation 4:8). He bears testimony: “I am the LORD [Yahweh], and there is no other; apart from me there is no God [Elohim]” (Isaiah 45:5a).
And Christ? He, being one God together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, created and upholds the existence of everything physical and spiritual (Colossians 1:15-20). And everything that exists, including us, exists for His eternal glory and fame, not our exaltation (Ephesians 1:7-10, Romans 11:36).
What makes the gospel so incredibly powerful is that this God, who was under no obligation to ever be human, chose to do condescend to a lowly human form by sending His only Son, Himself fully God, to atone for the sins of His people in His death on the cross (Philippians 2:5-11). Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden was not good; it condemned us all to a inherently corrupt, sinful nature that we cannot ever be free from unless, by faith, it is killed and replaced with a new heart by Christ (Romans 5). Faith in the cross of Christ alone can secure your acceptance by God.
Mr. Reid, consider retiring and enjoying life with your family in these years. Give rest to your soul by trusting in the free offer of the only eternal God’s personal sacrifice for you on the cross. Bask in that peace and add nothing to it. Have the courage to pray and ask God if the teachings of the LDS church are not true, not just if they are true. Do not expect to come before a holy God having nothing but your pathetic human “good deeds,” which are worth nothing to God (Isaiah 64:6). He will judge all according to His righteous character, meaning you owe a holy punishment that can be paid in full by Christ’s blood. Repent and trust Christ.
Alex Kocman is an associate editor and writer for Christian Life News and Charisma News with a background in biblical studies. You can read his blog or follow him on Twitter via @ajkocman.
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