I think that this may be one of my most controversial posts. Today I plan to share with you why I see no clear way for me to follow the Lord in the next presidential election.
Politics is like a house built on a foundation of ideas. These ideas can be philosophy, feelings, or religion. Most of them are ethics. It has become apparent to me that if my political foundation is Christianity, I cannot vote for any of the possible candidates without feeling at least somewhat uneasy.
In my last post, I gave many Bible verses that speak about how God would like us to interact with and support each other. Here is my summary of those principles, as I see them:
- Do not take advantage of the poor.
- Plead the cause of the poor.
- Do not oppress immigrants.
- Give some of what you have to the poor and others who can’t care for themselves.
- Take care of people who can’t take care of themselves.
- Protect the weak.
- Defend the defenseless.
- Do not shed innocent blood.
- Do not cause children to sin.
- Maintain your holiness–do not be corrupted by the world.
- Honor marriage.
In looking at these principles, I can easily see that neither party platform supports them all. I view that fact as a very bad sign for all of us, because it means that no matter which party wins, we will continue to institute more sinful practices as the law of the land.
The Current Administration
It seems to me that one party, the Democrats, wants to plead the cause of the poor and protect and support the needy and the immigrants, which I believe we should do. Though I certainly don’t think that we should encourage our countrymen to be unambitious, I don’t think that an economic depression is the time to tell our neighbors and friends to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” I know that social programs cannot solve all our problems, but I think that they will always be needed, especially in times like the present.
Before I go on and say what I can’t accept about the Democratic platform, I just want to make it clear how I feel about our President. I love this man. I love his whole family; I can’t help it. In fact, as a person, I can’t think of another President that I would more want to have as a personal friend other than Jimmy Carter, who I dearly loved throughout my childhood. It is clear to me that our President tries to do the right thing. It pains me to see how critical people are of him, seeing how hard he tries. Even people who voted for him are more critical of him than I. I even predicted long ago, on another blog that nobody could live up to the build-up that preceded his election, because only our Lord Jesus can change things that broadly and easily. Over the years, I have watched the lines in his face deepen with care from all the burden that he carries for all of us. In fact, I can’t think of one bad thing to say about him, and I would love to be able to tell my grandchildren that I voted for the first African-American president that our nation ever had–that is an awesome thing. There is one major thing holding me back from simply deciding to cast my vote for Obama, and that is his NARAL rating.
Our president has been rated with 100% approval by NARAL. That means that he approves abortion under basically any circumstances, with no restrictions. It also means that in the event that a baby somehow survives an abortion, he condones the murder of the baby, after it is born. Let me just repeat that. He has repeatedly voted against a law that would make it illegal to kill babies who survive abortions.
This troubles me because of how much I dearly love an abortion survivor named Gianna Jessen. If you have never heard of her, I strongly urge you, my brother or sister, to watch these two videos of her speaking on the evening of a debate about the legalization of abortion at Queen’s Hall, Parliament House, Victoria, Australia in 2008. I want you to see and feel in your heart that this woman has a passion given by the Holy Spirit to wake us Christians from our sleep about the abortion issue–we have accepted the argument that all abortions are acts of mercy, which I intend to question in this blog.
I challenge you to listen to her words and not feel God’s glory and hope burning through your soul. She truly knows what it means to live her life in God’s arms.
Gianna Jessen speaks about her survival of abortion
Giana Jessen speaks about ethics and who we are in Christ
Oh, how I love this woman, this beautiful Christian sister. I know that she knows and loves my Jesus as well as I know that I love Jesus. I thank God that he sent her to tell us all “the other side” of the abortion debate. I was pleased to notice that some filmmakers have chosen her life as the subject of a film called October Baby, which encourages me. It encourages me because I feel like Christianity has been left out of the “Great Conversation” of culture for far too long, but I’ll discuss my thoughts about Christian art in another post.
I have to face the fact that our president voted against laws that would allow other people like her to live.
All that to say: If I am to protect the weak and prevent corruption as the Bible says, I cannot, in good conscience, vote for a platform that does not oppose abortions that could be prevented. Understand, brothers and sisters, that our lives are not about liberty. No, my love. Our lives are about submission to Christ, and he showed us that we are to love all weak and helpless people, because that is what he did. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.” Matt 18:5
In another post, I will discuss how the Democrats seem not to be supportive of religious freedom for Christians, but right now, I want to finish discussing the possible presidential candidates.
Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney seems to me to be lacking in compassion. He wants to oust the immigrants and doesn’t think that it is a problem if only a few people have most of the money in this country. If he were to win, I fear that there would be many riots among the youth and other disgruntled people of our nation. If you recall, that was the response to the election of George Bush, and the animosity has not decreased much over the past eight years. Bottom line: I don’t feel that a vote for Mitt Romney protects the poor or the immigrant, as the Bible verses I have cited say we must.
Rick Santorum
I understand that he is no longer in the race, but since he was billed as the “compassionate conservative” candidate, I want to talk about why I didn’t think I could vote for him. Though I certainly agree with most of this brother’s beliefs, I can’t agree with his interpretation of how we should apply the Bible to our lives. He claimed that we could end poverty, but Jesus said, “The poor you have always with you,” and “In this life you will have trouble.” To me, that means that we can’t possibly end poverty on the earth until Jesus returns.
Santorum also claimed that if someone had some health problem, it was probably their fault, when the book of Job clearly shows through story that even the very righteous can have terrible suffering and sorrow. In fact, Christian mystical books such as Hind’s Feet on High Places and The Dark Night of the Soul claim that suffering and sorrow are God’s way of bringing us closer to him.
Finally, right before he dropped out of the race, one of his aides claimed that God would not be happy if a woman were to be the leader of our country, seemingly forgetting that the Bible says that God is actually in charge of what leaders a nation has. Bottom line: Rick Santorum also does not appear to be as compassionate as the Bible says we should be, as Christians.
Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich seems to have one major ethic: Newt Gingrich. It is well-known that he was convicted of political corruption in the past, so I was quite surprised that he would even be considered for the presidency. I was not at all surprised, however, to hear that a man who is unethical in his public life is also unethical in his private life. Those things are signs of bad character. To elect Newt Gingrich would be to reward and encourage corruption in our society.
Finally, he does not seem to have solid views on the major issues and has been known to vacillate. That, alone would be enough to keep me from voting for him, because if he does not “toe the party line” then he may go awry on the key issues I care most about. Bottom line: Newt Gingrich does not even claim to be following the Bible, Biblical principles, or Christian ethics. His ethic appears to be himself.
Ron Paul
Though I hear that Ron Paul is a very respectable man, which I do not dispute, I want to caution all my brothers and sisters reading this: We must ally ourselves with Christ, and not Ron Paul. I couldn’t agree more with Ron Paul’s pro-life position. I absolutely love that he supports homeschooling, which could certainly be beneficial to me in many ways if he were to become president. But there is one very important thing that I think Christians need to notice about the “Libertarian” philosophy…
Decreasing regulation and allowing corruption to spread is not being “salt” or “light.”
Sorry, but I really need to say that. Christians, please do not think that if we all allow the government to deregulate everything that we are held blameless if sin runs amok in our society. God holds all of us accountable for what we allow to occur around us! If you doubt me, then I ask, “Do you judge our predecessors for allowing slavery? Do you judge the German people for looking the other way during the Holocaust during World War II?” If so, then we can all agree that to allow something to occur is to tacitly approve of it. We cannot wash our hands and say, “Oh, well, it was the government, and I cannot do our Heavenly Father’s job.”
My brothers and sisters, we are the body of Christ! We are to do what he would do. He was never seen to approve of sin. He told people not so sin many times. He saved the adulterous woman from being punished according to the law, but then he said, “Go and sin no more.”
If we allow the government to decrease the amount of help people are receiving during a depression, then that is actually a form of societal corruption, if I’m reading my Bible correctly. Also, if we oppress the immigrants and are not loving to them, that is also against the Bible. If we do not protect the fatherless with laws, then in what way are we protecting the unborn fatherless?
Well, now that I’ve most likely offended everyone who has had the patience to read all this, I guess it’s time for me to repent.
I repent of calling myself “Republican” and “conservative” when really I should just say I’m a Christian, and leave it at that. I don’t want to follow some earthly leader with clay feet, anymore. I’m very saddened that so many people, both Christians and non-believers have chosen to treat politics as if it were a religion. If it is a religion, it seems to me to be a very impure, illogical, and prejudiced one. It’s divisive and causes Christians to judge each other, when we are supposed to love each other.
I want to tell you that I have been researching the conditions under which God judges a nation. Here is a partial list (supporting scripture is at the end of this post):
- Cheating people as a habit
- Having hearts that rebel against God
- Worshiping idols, which is to say not putting God first
- Growing rich dishonestly and mercilessly
- Not defending the poor
- Not defending the fatherless
- Not defending the widow
- Having corrupt rulers
- Having corrupt clergy
I have seen evidence of all of these things in very recent days, as God has shown me the depth of our corruption. Yesterday, I wept about it. We are kicking single mothers out of their homes into the street with their children. Companies are firing people and forcing them to sign a false resignation letter so that they won’t be able to receive unemployment. Even in small matters, business is not conducted honestly, and companies try to cheat their customers out of what they are owed. This, in addition to all our other sins, grieve my spirit greatly.
Please pray and ask God to convict you if you’ve committed this sin of making alliances with earthly powers and leaders above our Lord Jesus. Don’t trust me, go straight to the Lord. “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.” Psalm 118:8
Please forgive me if I have offended you in any way with my words. I am only speaking what God has put in my heart to say to you, my brother, my sister. I leave you with scripture that I hope will bring to light some of the corruption that is grieving me so much.
“These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.” (Proverbs 6:16-19) Looks like that we are guilty of all of these things, if we are all taken together.
23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts;
they have turned aside and gone away.
24 They do not say to themselves,
‘Let us fear the LORD our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains in season,
who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’
25 Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
your sins have deprived you of good.
26 “Among my people are wicked men
who lie in wait like men who snare birds
and like those who set traps to catch men.
27 Like cages full of birds,
their houses are full of deceit;
they have become rich and powerful
28 and have grown fat and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it,
they do not defend the rights of the poor.
29 Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the LORD.
“Should I not avenge myself
on such a nation as this?
30 “A horrible and shocking thing
has happened in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy lies,
the priests rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
Jeremiah 5:23-31
23 Your rulers are rebels,
companions of thieves;
they all love bribes
and chase after gifts.
They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
the widow’s case does not come before them.
Isaiah 1:23
There are riots now among ‘youths’ and you are worried about them in the future and think it is ‘the rich’ that will cause it? Obama’s presidency has given birth to OWS (rape, murder, violence, sex and riots in most of the largest cities in America) but you are worried Romney will cause it? Talk about myopic.
You can not help the poor when you are in debt. When you are in debt, giving MORE aid to the poor is not compassion because YOU are now poor. What do you propose should be done when you have no money? This isn’t our money anymore and it is WRONG to force people to pay for something they can’t afford. You are taking from them at that point. Taking their future. Have you been through bankruptcy? Have you had to sell your things to pay off debt? That is where we are. You can not give to people when you do not own anything anymore. What is your solution to the economic problems? You can’t just say ‘we have to keep supporting the poor” you have to come up with a way for us to do it. Even if you took ALL the wealth of EVERY person in America, we still couldn’t pay off the debt and what we WILL OWE. I want to know your solution. It looks like your solution is to just kkeep going as is and let other people pay for the problems, and try to make solutions. If you don’t vote, you aren’t even trying to make a solution, you are just part of the debt that holds everyone down. You are like a worker who isn’t working , letting everyone else behind you and in front of you pull all the weight. Is that moral? I don’t think it is.
I know that some people are poor and therefore should not be asked to pay taxes. I agree with that. I agree that our country is also “poor” and in debt, and so it certainly seems like we can’t help the poor, but how can our country say that we can’t have any social programs after giving zillions of dollars to the banks, who now continue to rape the poor worse than ever?
What is my solution? My solution is to repent and prepare my heart for the Lord’s return, because from my perspective, things can only get worse. In other words, I really don’t see any good or easy solution–that is why I think that sin and corruption in our country will only increase, and God will judge us soon. In fact, I think it’s started already: look at all the tornadoes, and the drought, and so on. That is what this blog is about: repent of your sins.
If the Dems win, then there will be more and more Federal takeover of our rights and privacy, and abortions will be our “god,” and most likely, churches like mine will be discriminated against, because we will never allow gay marriages. If the R’s win, then they will sell more of the government to large corporations, making them richer and everyone else poorer and more oppressed, and they still won’t make anyone behave more morally, because people have become so corrupt and lawless that they don’t even understand honor or holiness anymore. However, if Ron Paul could somehow win, I think that would actually be the worst-case scenario. Although it is true that the Federal government has grabbed too much power, I think that it is too late to go back: As I said, people are so lawless right now that they actually need a draconian regime to keep them under control. Allowing abortions under any circumstances, and graft and corruption, and gay marriage, and so on, is not going to make things any better: it will only cause God to destroy us even sooner.
Okay, I do see one solution to our problems: If there was widespread repentance in the church. If people would turn to God and away from their sins, and seek Him and not their own pleasures, that actually would change things for the better in our country. How likely is that? I don’t really know. It depends on how many people listen to the Holy Spirit’s leading in their hearts. Will people continue to conform to the world, seek money, be selfish, and not repent of their past sins, or will they submit to God, fast and pray, mourn for our loss of morality and our sins, and let God heal them? I don’t know, but my blog is an attempt to at least encourage anyone who reads it to do the latter, which I believe is the ONLY way anything will improve in our country.
Just to clarify, my reason for focusing on the poor is that as far as I can see, according to my reading of the prophetic books in the Bible, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and so on, our country is guilty of all the things that God destroys nations for, except one: we actually do have social programs for the poor. That is why I see our treatment of the poor as possibly being our saving grace: we do everything else wrong. We cheat, lie, steal, murder (abortion), covet, disrespect parents, worship idols, and engage in all kinds of sexual filthiness. So, if we now say that we have wasted all our country’s money on all our sins and don’t have any for the poor, I truly believe that God will destroy us soon after we do that, and I understand that it can and probably will happen. That is why I don’t have hope for our nation to last even another 20 years, though I certainly do hope in God’s provision for me and my family, and that I’ll be in heaven with the Lord Jesus forever.
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If we look at history, we can see that when there is too much money in the hands of too few people, and they do not care about other people starving, it does tend to cause riots, because that is what led to the French Revolution. What I’m saying is that the perception in this type of climate that the “elite” are gaining even more power is only going to worsen OWS-type behaviors. Just to be clear, I don’t see an easy solution to our problems; I don’t think anyone does. If someone did, that person would certainly be able to become president. My belief is that our problems are caused by the sins I’ve listed that God has judged people for in the past. It seems to me that we are so immoral in so many ways that if we become more immoral by not at least trying to help people in their time of need, God wouldn’t be a just God if he didn’t judge us.
In here you also complain about the dispairity between rich and poor, but then you say you couldn’t support Santorum because he thinks he has a solution to poverty. But you can’t vote for Romney because he’s rich and he wants illegal aliens to pay for what they are currently now taking (from your children and any sick people you know) and go through the process LEGALLY. You are mad at someone for encouraging moral law abiding, but think it is compassion to let someone break the law? Isn’t that a MAJOR flaw in your reasoning? You are swallowing gnats and straining at camels here.
It’s not that I don’t want illegal immigrants to pay for anything. I don’t think I said that. I just don’t want to put them on buses and export them. We need the illegal immigrants, which I why I wish there were a way for them to be more legal and still not be full citizens. Hardly any Americans want to do the kind of work that we ask the immigrants to do. I don’t think they should be allowed to break the law: I think the law should be changed. I think one way to decrease the number of illegals coming in would be to just say that you can’t become a citizen just by being born here, because a lot of folks come over and try really hard to have a baby so they can stay here because the child is a citizen.