Hmm, so I was thinking back on the last two elections I voted in, and all of this of course was brought on by a show on PBA with Max Lucado. The topic of Christianity's role in politics came up and naturally this brought up my thoughts about my distaste for it how its done, and that then naturally made me recall how I experienced the whole thing twice when I was in college.
The interviewer mentioned that it was a good thing how many politicians were being out-right about their faith; as if they not trying to hide or mask it and should thus be commended for it. Yeah, whatever...
Ok, some are indeed quite Christian and quite commendable and truly faithful as one, but others just are not. I recall in the Bush/Kerry election how they were both trying to sell America on how they were indeed Christian, or Obama/McCain both did the same thing.
And me being the faithful follower that I am should vote for the "true" Christian. That being the one who is, specifically, anti gay-marriage and anti-abortion; quite the moral ethical issues of our day if one were to pick one, not to mention the family values candidate as well. Where as I totally am in agreement with the conservative's, nay, Republican's, for I think conservative should connote something completely different than morals in the political arena, side of the ethical argument, I am totally and completely disgusted with how politicians try to use that to pander to me, specifically, and Christians, in general. They try to buy our vote with that crap. The sad thing is, for most ignorant fools, it works, and then those same individuals who have been bought try and sell you on it, calling it a Christian duty. Bull!
Thus, we are brought to my thinking about my voting history. I voted for Kerry in the '04 election, mainly because I didn't like Bush's policies (No Child Left Behind, decision to take the War on Terror to Iraq). I didn't tell any of my peers about this, and I'm quite certain many still don't know, because they were sold on the idea that the "Christian" thing to do was vote for Bush, so God could blah blah blah. If I would have told them I desired to vote not for Bush, I would have been chastised, and indeed I recall feeling marginalized for even supposing the proposition that one might hypothetically vote for Kerry.
This of course only made me more hardened in my drive to not vote for Bush, because my faith and values there-in are not to make me a politicians political capital.
Further more as a Christian to vote simply in line with those two issues has got to be the stupidest thing I think anyone could do, not to mention not being a steward of our God given/American right to vote. Think of the sort of destruction could happen because of that? We vote a ton of moral conservatives who are economic, foreign and social policy idiots. Even still to vote in such a way insures, which many would say this is a good thing, that people will follow our Christian morals. Which sounds kind of like a Pharisee.
Is that what politics has brought Christianity too? Legalism? Pharisicalism?
I think Christians need to be better students of politics and not just buy into whomever the moral candidate is.
Perhaps its what Jesus would do?
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