Politics & Religion

I found a link a while back that I fell in love with... it discussed 7 things Christians need to remember about politics.  I found it well written and full of truth... heck, I WANTED to print it out and mail it to quite a few people we know who love bashing the candidates or who refuse to fact check anything (but I refrained ;).  The more I thought about it, I really wanted to add my own thoughts to it... so here goes... I'm using their 7 points and adding to them... PLEASE click the link above.  I'd post their article and just add mine in italics, but I'm sure that would lead to copyright infridgement of some sort...

1. Both political parties go to church. This is 100% true.  Voting republican doesn't make you more Christian and voting democrat doesn't make you less Christian.  Both parties can appeal to aspects of religion.  The republicans are typically against abortion and same-sex marriage... the democrats tend to support more charity in terms of helping the poor and the struggling.  In reality, the "perfect" Christian political party is a blend of them both and doesn't exist.  Don't make the assumption based on someone's religion that they should vote a certain way... it's insulting.

2. Political talk radio and cable “news” only want ratings.  If you watch any of the news channels and take what they say as fact, you're fooling yourself.  Just because Fox said Obama is Muslim and MSNBC said Romney is going to ban divorce doesn't make it true.  Not only do they contridict themselves all the time, they are known for reporting things that are flat out wrong.  Anyone remember the supreme court decision where they only read the first page and spend half an hour reporting the wrong verdict?  I'm not saying don't watch the news... I'm saying watch it knowing that their goal is to get you to keep watching to make them money.  I've turned to watching Jon Stewart for political entertainment and turning to international news sources for everything else (though they are, of course, also flawed).

3. Those who argue over politics don’t love their country more than others.  On the same note... please stop looking at "tokens" and deciding who is "patriotic" based on that.  I'm so tired of hearing about things like who wears a flag pin...

4. Thinking your party’s platform is unflawed is a mistake.  This is so true.  Heck, Romney doesn't even agree with all of the Republican platform as presented at their convention.  Platforms are maleable... they change every year and, over time, can even change drastically.  The democratic platform of 50 years ago looks absolutely nothing like it does now.  If Regan were running for office today, his views would align more than with democrats than the current republican party.  Platforms are just like the men who write them, imperfect.

5. Scripture tells us to pray for our governing leaders (2 Timothy 2:1-4) and to respect those in authority (Romans 13:1-7).   I love that they listed the scripture references here.  All of those memes calling Obama a Muslim or making fun of Romney for his religion?  That isn't Biblical.  The Bible tells us a few things regarding politics, and what stood out to me most is that it says that ALL leaders are put in place by God and that we are to respect and honor them.  Does that mean they're perfect?  No... but it does mean that we have to trust that God knows what He's doing when HE allows them to be voted into office or gain the influence to run for office.  When you bash either candidate, calling them names, spewing hate, reposting untruthful posters/pictures/memes... you're dishonoring God.  He wants you to pray for them, whether you wanted them in office or not... he wants you to listen to what they have to say, whether you agree with it or not... I'm not saying you don't do something about it.  If I disagree with a piece of legislation, especially if on religious grounds, then I should go through the proper channels to make my respectful voice heard.

6. Don’t be paranoid. Seriously... The US has had many Presidents over the years... I believe 43... (you have to consider that Grover Cleveland is #22 and 24)... some have made great decisions, some have made bad decisions.  Some have taken us into wars where we saved and liberated people, others have taken us into wars where we pretty much destroyed a country and left.  But that's the beauty of our system... worse case scenario they get 8 years... trust that if God wants America to stand, then it will withstand whichever man takes the oath of office in January.  If God doesn't want America to stand, then it really doesn't matter which guy wins anyway.

7. Teach your children the beauty of our democracy (this one is mine).  On election night, one man is going to stand before a huge TV audience and accept the Presidency, while another conceeds respectfully.  Especially if your guy looses, try to refrain from making disrespectful comments about the new President.  Try to avoid doomsday comments that are exaggerations like "Well, the whole country is going to fall apart now" or "We're all going to hell now..."  Your children are watching, listening, and learning from you.  Remind your kids that, while you thought the other candidate was better suited to run the country, in a democracy everyone gets to vote and we need to respect that.  Remind your kids that God wants us to pray for our President, even if he isn't the man we would have picked, and that if the other man won, then it was God's will.  If your guy wins, remind your kids that even though this time the man we liked won, it doesn't always happen that way and we shouldn't be arrogant or brag.  Most of all, take time to pray with your kids for BOTH men on election night... that God would give wisdom to them both... to help the winner be humble and the looser find comfort.