I was impacted by the words of Elizabeth Alvarez in her article Out of Africa: How Would Jesus Vote? (http://www.wineskins.org/filter.asp?SID=2&fi_key=186&co_key=1590) A wise man once told her that Christians cannot be comfortable with any political party, but that they choose what is important to them and make a choice. Some Christians may say that choosing a president is about “what is important to God,” but does God care more for the unborn child or for the impoverished child already living? More for the international safety of America or for the thousands being killed to ensure it? More for affordable transportation or the protection of the environment? For me and many other Christians, voting is not so “cut and dry.”
There has been an influx of extreme, indecent, and slanderous e-mails, letters, and propaganda by Christians within the past few weeks—all targeting Barack Obama. They all indicate that voting Obama is a one-way ticket to the end of Christianity in the U.S. and some propose that Christians must vote for McCain. Let me make two things clear: First, Christianity does not depend on the state of the United States. Our Lord is not American. Christians belong to a more powerful kingdom and have the Most Powerful Leader who can work through even the weakest of presidents. Second, deeply held convictions of faith may mean that Christians are voting differently and that is okay. I trust that we are all prayerfully applying the Word as best we can. It is not okay however, that Christians continue to slander each other and elevate the “Christianity” of one candidate over another.
My vote was cast on Thursday after waiting in line for two and ½ hours. On that ticket I voted for Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. These were the issues that were important to me:
Abortion
- I believe in protection of life (not just the lives of the unborn)
- Roe vs. Wade has not been overturned for 30 years so why should I be confident that it will be overturned within the next four years (it did not happen during Bush’s presidency, even in light of the nominations of John Roberts and Samuel Alito)
- Abortions can be prevented if women are financially able to care for their young and/or if they are properly educated on family planning
Same-sex marriage
- The Bible teaches that homosexuality is a sin (Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, Deuteronomy 23:17, I Corinthians 6:9-11, etc.)
- I believe that marriage is a holy covenant with God as the third-party (Malachi 2:14-16, etc.)
- The laws of God concerning homosexual marriage speaks higher than any definition of the government
- McCain defines marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman, but will leave the definition of the term to the states
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.samesexmarriage.html
- Obama opposes same-sex marriage, but supports civil unions that allow equal rights to same-sex couples as those of married couples
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.samesexmarriage.html
Tax policies
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/06/09/ST2008060900950.html
- McCain has proposed to cut taxes, especially for the upper class, in hopes that the upper class will create jobs and stimulate the economy
- Unfortunately this “trickle down” effect has not happened during the past few years. The 2002 census statistics show that the top 1/5 of American society held 49.7% of the nation’s income while the bottom quintile had only 3.5% (top fifth has 14.3 times more income than the bottom fifth)
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_program=ECN&_lang=en&_ts=125490903938
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Taxes/bg1791.cfm
- McCain has called Obama’s tax plan “socialism,” but when did paying taxes and receiving tax breaks become socialism?
- Obama has proposed to increase taxes for those making $250,000+ while decreasing taxes for the middle and lower class
Matthew 19:23, 24—“it will be hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven..easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle…”
Luke 16:19—“there was a rich man, clothed in purple and fine linen who feasted sumptously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus full of sores who desired to be fed with WHAT FELL from the rich man’s table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores….the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom….”
Matthew 19:21—to the rich young ruler: “You lack one thing; go, sell what you have and give it to the poor. Then you will have treasure in Heaven.”
Luke 4:18-19 (my favorite because Jesus hand-picked what Scripture to read from Isaiah during worship in the synagogue in Nazareth) “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Personal Choices
- McCain served our country in the military
- Obama served our country through community organization
- After his first wife was severely injured in a car accident, McCain cheated on her with a wealthy, beautiful heiress to a Budweiser fortune. A month after divorcing his disfigured wife, he married woman #2. McCain has admitted that their failed marriage lies on his shoulders.
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jul/11/nation/na-divorce11
- Obama has been married to the same woman for 19 years and they are raising two daughters—together
- McCain chose a Vice-President who knows little about leading a country that is a prominent world power
o She had never traveled outside of the United States until July 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/us/politics/30veep.html
o Have you EVEN SEEN the Katie Couric interview?
- Obama feels that it is important that we restore America’s reputation around
the world and has a logical, global perspective
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/732322.html
