God's Gift of Politics

When they kept on questioning, he straightened up and said to them, "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."
--John 8:7

I sometimes wonder whether God gifted us with politics primarily to teach us about hypocrisy in the human condition. Yes, Christ provided a seminal lesson captured in John 8:7. It seems, however, that He desires to regularly reinforce that lesson with examples conveyed by routine political practice.

Hypocrisy is the act of engaging in behavior that one claims to be morally reprehensible in others. It tends to be difficult to see in ourselves but easy to identify in others. Because they tempt individuals to engage in duplicitous behavior on a daily basis, political environments are breeding grounds for hypocrisy.

By regularly observing the pretense and insincerity of politicians, we are reminded once again to take a good look at ourselves before casting stones at others.