The Politics of Mercy.

P1000711Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."
 
Should the teaching of Jesus as, for example, in the Sermon on the Mount, be considered relevant as a standard by which individual Christians and Christian communities judge the policies of the Government of the day?
 
Is the parable of the Good Samaritan, and Jesus words "Go and do likewise" merely about how I treat other individuals, or is it a principle that guides how human communities are to respond to human brokenness?
 
The picture is a postcard of a painting of the Sermon on the Mount. It came from a friend who attended the David Hockney Exhibition in 2010, and who has never been persuaded that this Christian thing has much to offer in our current mess. It sits in my postcard holder, which I can see on the shelf behind my computer, any time I can bear to watch the debates in the House of Commons.
 
So I guess you could say I'm asking for a friend.

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