My Political Hot Spot

This blog is brought to you by this article: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2004406277_evangvote11m.html

In case you don't feel like reading it (though it's much shorter than this blog you are now reading), the above article is about why the Republican party is losing evangelical Christian votes (mostly from younger voters close to my age). Many twenty-somethings have become disillusioned by both political parties, so it's not necessarily that these voters are dispensing the Republican party for the Democratic one, but they are either "independent" or "unaffiliated".

Dare I say here, if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything?

Now I won't say that you have to choose one of the two major sides. However, these are the two sides with power, and it may be wise for one to decide what's important to them and vote accordingly. You don't have to call yourself a Republican just because you vote Republican 98% of the time. Let's face it, it's close to impossible to be 100% happy with one party or the other. And, even if you pretty much are, that doesn't mean that the candidate of a particular party is as conservative or as liberal as the party is in general or as you are. John McCain is more moderate/liberal leaning than I care for, but I'll sure as heck vote for him over a Democrat.

Backtracking to the article though, it mentions a twenty-year old old college student, son of a preacher, who was raised in the Bible belt... who plans to vote Democrat this fall. The article, unfortunately fails to explain his logic. I would just have to ask which part of the Bible supports, well, most any liberal view.

Before I get too many people upset, let me just elaborate on this further. The article quoted a nineteen year old girl who said, "Most of us would never blindly follow the old Christian Right anymore. James Dobson has nothing to do with us. A lot of us are taking apart the issues, and thinking, 'OK, well, [none of the candidates] fits what I'm looking for exactly.' But if you're going to vote, you've got to take your pros with your cons." I agree with the last sentence, and I understand where she is coming from at the beginning of her statement. I certainly don't think Christians should blindly follow something just because that is the popular Christian belief. We must search Scripture on our own to see if what we are being told backs it up.

However, I have to ask, since when have the pros of the Democratic party outweighed the cons?

I think I know what people are thinking. "We're in war and we've got to get out." "Our nation is suffering from recession and we've got to get the economy back on track." "Republicans aren't fighting for social justice."

1. War. The Bible says there is a time for war and a time for peace. Does that mean we should be content with a war situation? I'm not saying that. I'm clearly stating that war happens, and that God is in control of that. Do I want the war to be over? Yes. Do I want the war to be over as soon as possible? Yes. Do I believe that drawing out troops as quickly as possible is the solution? Probably not. I don't know anything about war strategy. I'm not going to pretend to know. I'm trying to trust the government with that. Have they been 100% successful? No. Have they been more successful than we are led to believe? I would venture a guess to say yes. The media does an excellent job of portraying doom and gloom and not showing positive results. Is war terrible? Yes. Can a change of a President, or political party, drastically change the course of the war? I'm going to guess no. Despite whatever promises candidates may make about timetables, they may not be feasible. Maybe they are, but again, I think the focus of the war should be winning, not copping out. That's just my opinion. I don't really have any spiritual backing for it.

2. The economy. I don't really have a Christian answer for this either, though there are verses in the Bible about how important it is to work and plan and such. People lose jobs, and it's not always not their fault. At what point does it become the government's problem? I'd say next to never. At least, not in the way of creating welfare problems. The solution is not to make those with jobs pay more; the answer is to get work for those who are unemployed. Higher taxes won't solve our problems and neither will increasing the minimum wage. Again, no Biblical proof of this, but enrolling in an economics class may help.

3. Social justice. Social justice is important. In the Bible, believers are commanded to take care of orphans and widows, essentially, the needy. Do many Christians fail to do this? Yes. Do many Republicans fail to do this? Yes. Do many Democrats fail to do this? Yes. The way I see it, it is not the government's responsibility to take care of the needy. It's the individual's. If you're concerned about the needy (and we all should be), donate your time and money. But don't expect the government to fix Africa's problems before America's. That probably offended someone, and I'm sorry if it did, but I feel it's true. The U.S. government's #1 concern is our country. And for individuals who have been so blessed and feel so inclined, they can distribute their wealth to help social causes. I think that's the way Jesus would want it. I won't claim that as fact, but I do believe it.

If are a Christian and happen to disagree with pretty much everything I have said so far, fine. Now I'll just move on to my political hot spot (because we haven't hit it yet). Ready? Surprise, it's abortion.

To preface this, here's another excerpt from the article:

Eugene Cho, a founder and lead pastor at Seattle's Quest Church, which caters to a predominantly under-35 crowd, urges young Christians to look beyond the two or three issues that have allowed Christians to be "manipulated by those that know the game or use it as their sole agenda."

"While the issue of abortion — the sanctity of life — must always be a hugely important issue, we must juxtapose that with other issues that are also very important," Cho wrote in his blog on faith and politics.

Is the economy important? Yes. (Of course, by my logic, the conservatives have it right when it comes to the economy, thus making this issue not part of the point.) Is social justice important? Again, yes, but not the government's biggest problem? Is global warming a problem? NO. But pretending that it was, then I would say even Republicans can recycle, so let's move on to something that is much more important. I'm struggling to even fathom anything else to ask because I cannot even possibly imagine what could be more important than the sanctity of life (except maybe religious freedom, though that may not even be the case, and anyways is obviously important to Republicans and therefore a non-issue if you're saying Democrat pros outweigh Republican ones).

I'm not going to use the Bible to prove to anyone that a fetus is a living, breathing human being. That's biology's job. The heart begins to beat on day 22, if a beating heartbeat is your definition of a living being. You probably just found out you're pregnant around this point. Congratulations, you are having a baby. A real, live, breathing baby. Considering the value that is placed on life in the Bible (check out a concordance if you don't believe me) and the fact that most of us conceive murder as being the most vile of sins (though I will emphasize that there is no scriptural backing for that), how can the sanctity of life not be one of the most important things to you as a believer? This question is especially targeted towards those who hurt inside when they hear about war casualties and value social justice. How can life not #1 be your agenda?

Now, if someone is completely off-base in every conceivable way and so freakishly evil you wonder if he/she is the Antichrist but they're pro-life, it does not mean you should support that person. Let's not get that extreme. But really, if you just think a new face with smooth words and idealistic dreams is going to turn the nation's economy around end the war, and solve all of Africa's problems (all in four years time), meanwhile supporting the murder of innocent, well then I don't even know what to tell you. Except you're wrong. One man (or woman, if you want to politically correct) is not going to change America that drastically. As much as I cringe at the thought of Obama or Hilary holding office next year, I know they really won't lead us into complete ruin in four years. They cannot do that on their own, and God will still be sovereign (of course, in his sovereignty and timing, our country may very well fall to complete ruin, but it will probably take more than one President in a four to eight year term to do that).

In short: don't let the promises of something trite get in way of the big picture. If you'd rather see troops come home than see babies given the chance to live, then I'd challenge you to re-examine your faith. That may be harsh, but if that offends you, then maybe you really ought to think about it. As Nathan Johnson, the executive director of the King County Republican Party says in the article, when young evangelicals see Obama's voting record come to light, there's a good change they'll better realize just what a vast difference there is between what he believes and what the Bible says.

The article closes with a quote from a seminary student who says, "I just keep thinking, if Jesus were alive now, he wouldn't necessarily be voting Republican." So he would have voted Democrat? Jesus wouldn't vote. He was pretty non-political, telling followers to render to Ceaser what is Ceaser's and to God what is God's. Politics is flawed. Governments fail. A President is not a Savior. Only Christ is. Only He can fix the mess we're in. And goodness knows He does not need politics to do it. But when you vote ask yourself, would you rather live in a world where hard work, Christianity, and the right to life are being persecuted and where melting ice caps, bums, and terrorists are being taken care of; or would you like a fighting chance for life, religion, and the American dream?

(If you actually read all this, you deserve a cookie. Of course, if you're liberal, then I'll feel inclined to take your cookie and give it to someone who didn't read beyond the title of my blog. :))