Election Day

Today is the day. Election day. If you haven't voted yet and are planning to, you might want to stop reading this and head to your polling place because there is not much time left. I have a brief message for you all today: No matter who wins, we are saved by Christ and that makes us the real winners!

So if your candidate wins, don't gloat. If your candidate loses, don't sulk. The government and politicians won't save us. Only by the love of Christ will we be saved. So really, the election doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is our relationship with Christ and with each other. So love your neighbor whether they vote for Republicans, Democrats, an alternate candidate or didn't vote at all.

Billy Graham and the Mormon Cult

On the always entertaining Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert makes light of an issue between Billy Graham and his own philosophy. Watch the clip here (starts at the 2:52 mark). Basically, Billy Graham had declared Mormonism a cult on his website until he met with Mitt Romney. Now suddenly he is supporting Romney and has removed the listing of Mormonism as a cult from his website.

I have no problem if he wants to support Romney or even to remove a list of cults from his website. But I think if he is changing his opinion on what is Christianity or not based on political parties, then he is wrong. Maybe he isn't, maybe he is just being polite, but I would much rather him remove all references to other religions as cults rather than just the one of the presidential candidate he likes.

Loose Ends

I want to finish off this week by adding some further commentary on a few topics I have already covered and some references.

http://romneymegaprayer.com/
This is exactly the sort of thing I was talking about in my post: Pray for Our Leaders. It is urging Christians to pray for a Mitt Romney victory. What happens if Romney still loses? Does that mean God doesn't exist or that Satan controls America? No. We should be praying for God's will to be done. God knows what is best for us. Vote for whoever you want, but know that God's plan is at work however it turns out.

http://matthewpaulturner.net/blog/watch-this-never-before-seen-footage-of-mormon-temple-rituals/
This is a video that is clearly made with an anti-Romney, anti-Mormon slant, but I thought it was interesting following my post: Our Christian President. I don't know how much of the video is true, but I have heard some of it before. Whether you care about having a Christian president or not, a lot of people will take it into consideration (although many are misinformed.)

Nolabels.org
This is an organization I really like. They promote getting things done by reaching across the political party lines. They have ideas for congress and the presidency. I think it is something every American can get behind - working together.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/ellenpainterdollar/2012/10/why-i-am-a-christian-democrat/
A friend sent this link to me a few days ago. It is a well written explanation of why one woman is a Christian and a democrat. You don't have to agree with her, but I think it is worth your time to check out.

Finally, I would be remiss to not mention the book I have been reading lately: "Red Letter Revolution". It has really made me think about a lot of different issues (most not political.) It is about living out the words of Jesus I all aspects of our lives. I recommend it to everyone who claims to be a follower of Christ.

I'm a Christian and I Support Gay Marriage

Like I said in my first blog post, I overheard a co-worker of mine say, "You aren't a real Christian if you support gay marriage." But I disagree. I think you can be a Christian and support gay marriage in America. Here are a few reasons why.

First, discrimination should not be tolerated in any way, shape, or form in America. There is a video going around on the internet of a Missouri Pastor giving a speech defending gay-marriage. You can watch it here. It is a great example of how similar the homosexual community is being treated similarly to the black community in the early 20th century. The question is why? How is this allowed? It is allowed because people like to go into their Bibles and read it to match their worldview instead of the other way around. It is allowed because people are scared of what they don't understand. It is allowed because people want the government to not overstep their bounds when it comes to their rights, but don't care about more regulation in others' lives. All of that is unacceptable. All Americans should have equal rights.

Second, the government is not a Christian government. The government should be impartial to religion. So if people are using religious reasons to denounce gay marriage, the government should not take that into account. I'm not totally sold that the government should be regulation heterosexual marriages either, but if they are making laws on marriage, it should be equal for all people. I know I have touched on this in previous posts, but it is not the government's job to convert people to Christianity. I have seen where people are afraid if gay marriage is legal, it will be required for church's to perform them even if they are against it. That is just fear talking. If made legal, churches will still be allowed to marry who they deem fit. Besides, what gay couple would want to get married in a church that doesn't accept them?

Finally, gay marriage won't affect you if you are heterosexual. What does it matter to you if a gay couple gets married? Do you think it will ruin the sanctity of marriage? I think all of the divorces (around 50% of all marriages in this country) have taken a bat to the sanctity already. Besides, sanctity should be the church's thing, not the government's.

I was originally going to dive into some theological issues about it, but I know it is complicated for a lot of people. Some churches and denominations will be OK with it, and others won't. But I will leave you with a few things to ponder without my input.

• An old college friend of mine was really passionate about this issue. She once told me that she thinks of the homosexual community as the same as the tax collectors of Jesus' day. Hated, shunned, thought of as lesser people. And yet Jesus loved them. He broke bread with them. He invited one to be his disciple. She felt that we as Christians should be the most accepting group of people to the homosexual community in imitating Christ.

• Here is the response from that Missouri pastor to all the backlash he got. He has a lot of really good stuff in there. He quotes author Brian McLaren saying, "the Western church had been wrong on slavery, wrong on colonialism, wrong on environmental plunder, wrong on subordinating women, wrong on segregation and apartheid (all of which it justified biblically) … we had been wrong on this issue" 

• There is a really good documentary (it is on Netflix) called For the Bible Tells Me So that talks about the church's relationship over the years with the homosexual community. There is a lot of stuff in there that will make you think. It is worth your time.

So take it as you will. I know some people will never come around on this topic. They believe the 11th commandment was "thou shall not legalize gay marriage." OK, that was joke, they probably don't believe that. I'm just asking you to open your mind and see if this is something the government should be worrying about or not.

I know it can be hard to stand against the grain and speak out for what you believe, but say it with me now: "I'm a Christian and I support gay marriage." There. Doesn't that feel better?

Good Stewards of Nature

Genesis 1 tells us that God created the earth and everything upon it. Then He declared it good. I think we, as Christians, should be great caretakers of the earth. I think it is our duty to care for something that God created so wonderfully.

Some Christians will say that "this world is not my home" and use that as an excuse to not care about about how we treat the earth. Yes, I believe Jesus will return one day and save us all from this world. I do not, however, believe that will happen in my lifetime. Every generation since Jesus ascended into heaven has thought His return would be in their lifetime. So I don't assume that this is the one He has in mind. It might be, but I'm not going to trash the earth based on the possibility of Him returning in the next few years. We should be striving to preserve the beauty of God in nature for future generations.

I also believe that the United States should be leading the world in new technology that would lead to less dependence on foreign oil. We can help preserve nature by burning less oil while at the same time leading an industry that will lead to more jobs here and exportation of technology to other countries.

Also, I know a lot of people find God in nature. Spending time in a place that is the same as God originally made it can be awe inspiring. If people can find God somewhere, shouldn't we be doing everything in our power to help preserve it? We should be working on being good stewards of what God has given us, and that includes nature.

Christian Negativity

I believe as Christians, we are called to be kind to one another. We should not be the one's out there talking badly about another Christian. And yet, when politics come into play, that seems to go by the way-side. Negative ads everywhere are bad enough, do we really need to be wasting our precious time spent together talking negatively about another person?

People all over the country are having discussions with each other about politics. How many of those conversations are more negative than positive? We tend to live in a world where people choose their candidates based on who is the "lesser of two evils." Shouldn't we be voting on someone who we support, rather than someone who doesn't bother us as much as the other guy? I know it is hard when you don't agree on all topics with a candidate, after all, it is nearly impossible to completely agree on every topic with anybody! But I encourage you to find the issues that matter the most to you and support the candidate that most lines up with that rather than spending your time worrying about the candidate that most disagrees.

Christian churches and organizations are no small players when it comes to negative campaigning and that is sad. Personally, I don't think churches and Christian organizations should be worrying about politics (they should be worrying about bringing people to Christ!) When they do find their way into politics, they should be a positive beacon of light in the otherwise dark negativity of election season. Unfortunately, these organizations tend to concentrate on telling Christians which candidates are more against their "Christian values." Take for example this letter from four years ago made by Focus On The Family (no strangers to promoting negativity in Christianity themselves, just ask the homosexual community) titled Letter from 2012 in Obama’s America. They sent this out to persuade Christians to not vote for Obama because of all the bad things he would do and how he would hurt America. Of course, non of their fears actually came true.

I heard from a friend about a month ago that their pastor challenged their congregation to go the rest of the election season without talking negatively about a candidate. Challenging? Yes. Impossible? No. There is now one week left before the elections, and I think this is a good idea for all of us Christians. Talk all you want in support of the things your favorite candidate is proposing, but stay away from talking negatively about the other candidates. Christians speaking negatively about another person (never mind another Christian) reflects poorly upon you, and more importantly upon Christ.

Political Spending

In the October issue of Atlantic Monthly, James Bennet noted that a total of $9.8 billion will be spent on political advertising in the current campaign cycle. Have you donated to a political campaign or Super-PAC?

I think before any Christian donates to a political campaign, they should pledge to match that donation to a charity or non-profit organization. With the current economy, non-profit organizations have been hit hard. This article from the Indy Star talked about how it causes some burnout of employees who now must do more jobs than they were hired to do because they can't afford to hire new employees. Wouldn't the country be better off if these organizations that can really make a difference get more donations?

What if the candidate you donated to loses? Your money has been wasted. But if you have spent the same amount of money on charities, you can feel a whole lot better about it.

I'm not talking about matching your political contributions to your tithing amount. I'm talking about on top of that. I think this would be a good way to make some good things happen out of an otherwise ugly and argumentative political season.

Pray For Our Leaders

We are called to pray for our leaders, not pray for who we want to be our leaders. The people in charge are there because God has put them there.

I think the most important thing we can do around an election is pray that God's will, not ours, be done. He will put in positions of leadership the people He wants to be leaders. We cannot pretend to know what His plans are, all we can do is go along with them.

Whether you like or dislike a political candidate, I don't think your prayer should change. I think in both situations we should be praying that they seek God's will, and that they are open to what He has in store for them and us.

So if you candidate doesn't win the election, don't take it so hard. God has a plan, and maybe you were the one who was wrong after all.

Gun Control

I want to start out by saying I am not anti-guns. I have shot guns and found it to be an enjoyable activity. But why are so many people concerned about their right to carry a concealed weapon and own assault weapons? I understand if you don't want the government to regulate what you can and cannot have, but the government already tells us things we cannot have. We cannot have drugs, because they are harmful to us and others. We are already banned from having other weapons, such as bombs and missiles. Why should we be allowed to carry concealed hand-guns and have assault rifles?

Rifles are useful in hunting. So are bows and shotguns. As far as I know, it is not legal to hung with pistols or assault rifles. So what is the purpose of them? Most people would say personal protection. That raises a few more questions I have for them. How often have you or anyone you personally know been threatened or robbed? And why are you so attached to your stuff that you feel the need to possibly kill someone over it?

Maybe I have lived a sheltered life, but I have never been robbed, kidnapped, or threatened in a way that called for me to have personal protection by way of a weapon on me. For that matter, I don't know anybody who has been in one of those situations. Not to mention, most robberies I would suspect happen while no one is home. So is it really going to be necessary to have your guns as protection?

What do you have that you are so attached to? Saint Francis of Assisi once said, "The more stuff we have, the more clubs we need to protect it." If you don't want to get robbed, don't have anything a criminal would want. We aren't called to have great wealth and put stock in our things anyway. We should be generous with our things. My grandmother said, "If somebody steals something from you, that is ok. They must have needed it more than you." We don't need stuff. So we shouldn't need to protect our stuff in a way that would risk ours or somebody else's life.

I often hear the argument to gun control being, "If you outlaw guns, only the outlaws will have guns." To that I say, how to the police in England get away with not carrying guns? Sure, they may still be available on the black market, but there would be less in circulation and a lot easier to round up illegal ones.

I do not expect handguns to be made illegal ever. Assault rifles, on the other hand, might be. And I think they should. If you want to shoot them so bad, join the military. There is no need to have such powerful and deadly weapons in civilian hands.

So basically, I don't have a problem if you want guns for hunting or sport. But having them for protection or to threaten others seems dangerous, unnecessary, and against the peace that Jesus talks about.

Pro-Life (Non-)Voting

I do not vote for politicians based on their stance on abortion for a couple reasons. I do not believe abortion will ever be made illegal by reversing Roe v. Wade in my lifetime, and even if a candidate is anti-abortion, I don't know that they are necessarily pro-life. (And can I say it really bugs me when people call a politician a "baby-killer" for supporting abortion? I have never heard a politician be pro-abortions. They are for choices.)

I have a hard time believing abortion will be made illegal in this country any time soon. Therefore, I do not want to vote based on an issue that I don't think has a chance to change. I do not think it will change because people have different ideas of when life starts. Not every American shares the thought that life begins at conception. And even if it is outlawed, abortions will still happen, although by having them done without trained professionals, the mother will often be hurt in the process too.

Secondly, just because a candidate is anti-abortion does not mean they are pro-life. Barney Frank, a liberal Democrat from Massachusetts once said, "the problem with evangelicals is that they think that life begins at conception and ends at birth." Author Tony Campolo explains it as, "to be pro-life is not only to be committed to protecting the unborn but also to protecting the child after birth." Shane Claiborne adds, "as Christians, we need to be pro-life from womb to tomb." Being pro-life means being pro-life for everyone. That involves not just abortion, but also euthanasia, the death penalty, war, health care, and education.

But if you are hung up specifically on abortions, I suggest rather than trying to get it outlawed, try to vote for people who will help provide for women who are considering an abortion. According to the Guttmacher Institute, almost 70% of all abortions performed in America are economically driven. Meaning, many women have abortions because they lack the economic means to take care of a baby. So if we can provide places for women in need and provide options to help them out. Make them feel like they have more options to help them get by.

So when a candidate says he or she is pro-life, I want to know that they mean it on more than just abortions if they want my vote. As it stands now, it just is not an issue that I will cast my ballot based upon.

Our Christian President

I know it is hard to believe that there are people out there who still fear our president, Barack Obama, based on the idea that he might be a secret Muslim - and thus a threat to American Christianity. And yet most of these people support the presidential candidate who is a Mormon. I find it odd that on one side they are concerned about a man who openly claims to be a fellow Christian, while supporting the guy who openly isn't. Now I know, some people might say that Mormonism is just another form of Christianity, and that may be true, but I find it so different that I would not classify it the same.

This isn't an attack on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, this is an observation of how Christians blur the line between faith and politics. I once heard somebody say, "I guarantee in 2013 we will see Obama has moved overseas and is wearing a turban as an open Muslim." That amazed me. Here I thought as Christians we should love our brothers in Christ. Just because he is a liberal and has come from a much different background than most Americans doesn't mean he is not a Christ follower. Many Christians come from backgrounds that make it near miraculous that they found Christ at all. Who are we to say who is and who isn't Christian? I came across this C.S. Lewis statement in his book Mere Christianity:

"It is not for us to say who, in the deepest sense, is or is not close to the spirit of Christ. We do not see into men's hearts. We cannot judge, and are indeed forbidden to judge. It would be wicked arrogance for us to say that any man is, or is not, a Christian in this refined sense."

So this post is not in defense of Obama's work in the office of President. If you think he hasn't done a good enough job, then vote for the other guy (or the Libertarian guy if that's what you're into). But if you are voting for Romney because are concerned about Obama's faith, maybe you should rethink that.

In God Sometimes We Trust

Let's talk about money. More specifically the US Currency. I'm not talking about how it costs more to make pennies and nickels than they are worth (they do) and how some people think we should put a hold on making those coins to save money (I do). No, this post is about how I think we should remove the "In God We Trust" from our currency.

I know it seems pretty anti-Christian of me to suggest our country remove God from more places. Yes, I know many people in the country would be upset about this if it actually happened and this topic was actually used in an attack add by Eric Cantor recently, but I'm OK with that. My reasoning behind the idea of removing it is twofold.

First, I do think everybody in the United States of America should have the freedom to choose their religion and that includes choosing no religion at all. I think the government should be non-biased towards the religious majority, even if I am in that majority. The government's job is not to bring people to Christ.

Secondly, I think "In God We Trust" should be removed from our currency because money buys a lot of bad things, and I don't like seeing the name of my God dragged through the mud so to speak. I don't like seeing God's name used when drugs, weapons, people, or bribes are bought and sold. Yes, there are many good things purchased with money too, but in general money causes greed and after all it is "the root of all evil." Why should we try to associate God with the evils of money? Just get rid of it! I'll close this post with a quote from Shane Claiborne that inspired me to write it.

When our money says, "In God We Trust," that's quintessentially taking the Lord's name in vain when it is used to buy heroin in my neighborhood, or guns or bombs or pornography, or whatever. It would be better if it said, "In God sometimes we trust" or "In God we hope to trust."

I am a Christian, not a Republican

To be fair, I am not a Democrat either. There are issues that I agree with one side, and other issues where I agree with the other party. I find it hard to believe anybody fully believes everything one political party stands for. I am not a political junkie, but I follow it some. I think if I got too much in to it, I would just be disappointed and frustrated more. This is a blog where I can share my thoughts on the current political climate through the eyes of a Christian.

The seed for this blog was planted when I heard a co-worker say, "You aren't a real Christian if you support gay marriage." And it struck me that maybe the words "they will know we are Christian by our love" no longer applies. Now it must be "they will know we are Christian by our politics." That is not what I believe Jesus called us to be. I don't think it is wrong to be involved in politics, but I think it's wrong when our political opinions overshadow our love.

And I know the title of this blog will make it seem like I am just attacking the conservative Christian Republicans, but that isn't the point. The reason it is titled that way is because I have never had anybody assume I am a Democrat because I am a Christian, but I have had the opposite happen. I have never heard the political talking heads on TV talk about the Christian Left, but the Religious Right is often talked about. I do not think Jesus has called his followers to band together in one political party, and I really don't think you can convert people to Christianity through laws of the land. America is after all a place of religious freedom. That freedom includes the right to have no religion at all. It isn't the government's job to convert them, it is our job.

Jesus called us to be Christ followers first, and loving neighbors next. Everything after that is not important when compared to eternity.

Anti - American Dream

I was thinking about the famous words from President Kennedy the other day, you know the one:

Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.

I was contemplating the ways different political parties interpret this phrase. I think Republicans read that and think it's directed to the poor, "Yeah! Stop begging for handouts and relying on the government to take care of you." While Democrats read it and think it's directed to the rich, "Yeah! Stop asking for tax breaks, help out your fellow countryman who needs it." I found that amusing.

On another note, I have found some interesting things by following some professional athletes on Twitter during the presidential race. Being in Indiana (a red state if there ever was one), when a local athlete says something in support of President Obama, the backlash is strong. Somebody wrote an athlete back saying, "Your tax bracket should make you a Republican. You earned that money, but Obama is going to take most of it away." It made me wonder if the person writing that response was in the top tax brackets themselves. Chances are they aren't. So why is the professional athlete expected to vote based on their income, but the average Republican is not? It reminded me of a quote I read recently, it said something along the lines of

"The American dream makes most Americans believe they are millionaires who just haven't gotten their break yet, but they vote based on where they believe they will end up."

Most Americans aren't going to end up millionaires. And maybe some of those that do feel like they have a responsibility to share their wealth with the less fortunate. After all, when I look at the Biblical guidelines I have been taught over the years, Jesus doesn't say keep what you have made because you have earned it. God has blessed us with what we have, it is our responsibility to pass that blessing on to others. The American dream is all about getting yours. Therefore, I believe the American dream is anti-Jesus. Consequently, I am anti-American dream.