Don't stand up, sit down & shut up

Why do people justify passing judgement on others as standing up for God?  Twice this week reading news articles on different events I have seen this tactic used.  The county clerk denying homosexual couples marriage licenses in defiance of all legal decisions, says it is a “heaven and hell issue” for her.  She is holding herself accountable to “God’s” law as a higher authority than the Supreme Court.  Now I understand that often people have moral dilemmas that juxtapose their religious beliefs with legal requirements or decisions.  The uniqueness of this situation is that she is a publicly elected official who has sworn an oath to uphold the laws of her county.  In the midst of this she has deemed it her responsibility to choose heaven or hell for her fellow residents.  This certainly clears some things up for me – no longer do I need to worry about an Almighty God judging my heart and the content of my days efforts here on earth to determine my entrance into, or rejection from, paradise.  I can just go to Kentucky and see the county clerk – I wonder what form I need to ask for?  Not a marriage license application clearly since she has stopped handing those out. 

The other example of the fallen immortal presuming responsibility for deity, was a family member condemning a disgraced member of said family, and explaining his need to speak up because he felt he needed to “stand up for God”.  I know I was waiting for the in-laws of another Duggar bride to weigh in on the moral failure and hypocrisy of a boy not married to their daughter.  To me it kind of felt like saying no offense, and then saying something genuinely offensive.  Let me bash not only my fellow man, but my fellow extended family member, and somehow I will make it less of an attack because I am actually doing it on God’s behalf.  With friends & family like that…  I guess my issue with all of this is - are we so arrogant as to assume that a higher power capable of creating our existence could possibly need us to take some of the load off of His plate?  Or, and this is my strong suspicion, is our faith so flimsy and weak that we cannot trust things to happen beyond our control or understanding?  We have to step in, or lash out, or take whatever steps necessary to frame the situation we find ourselves into a box we can comprehend.  I say we because as much as this behavior disgusts me, I am as guilty of it as anyone.  I am just tired of this fight for the moral high ground that only demonstrates how much of a valley dweller we all are.  We don’t care about our fellow man or woman – I don’t even think we care about God at those moments, even though we invoke His name.  All we care about in those moments is ourselves and our own self-righteousness.  Maybe I am only correct in condemning myself, but I don’t think I am.  It’s ugly, it’s hurtful, and I believe it totally fails to represent a loving Creator when we “stand up” for Him.  How about we just stop tearing each other down and start letting God show Himself through our love for one another?  And that goes double for me