The Election
11/07/08 09:34 PM Filed in:
Tom | Theology/Philosophy
Finally!
I’m glad the election’s over. I feel like I’ve been
following this for years... Oh, wait a minute! I have!
All the candidates started running in the primaries 2
years ago. This election cycle was too damn long. I’m
not happy about the way it turned out, but I’m still
glad its over.
In the post-mortem of the election, everyone’s trying
to put the best possible spin on the outcome of the
election. We finally have an African-American
President. That is a truly momentous occasion in our
nation’s pathetic history of treating African-Americans
as less than human.
I just wish I could get excited about Obama. I can’t.
It actually saddens me that the first black President
is someone that I wholeheartedly disagree with on so
many levels. I am a Christian, and being a Christian
carries with it a certain set of beliefs about the
world - a “worldview”. As a Christian, I must honor and
protect the life of the unborn. Barack Obama is
the
most pro-abortion
candidate to ever run for national office from a major
party. He voted against the partial-birth abortion ban.
In the Illinois State Senate, he voted against the Baby
Born Alive Act which would require that doctors offer
medical care to babies born as the result of botched
abortions. He is for embryonic stem cell research. You
might reply that so is John McCain, but, wait, there’s
more! He’s not just pro ESCR, he actually wants to
clone embryos just for ESCR experimentation. He said
that he would have a litmus test for judicial
appointments that would include their pro-choice
stance. Don’t forget his infamous statement that he
didn’t want his daughters to be “punished with a baby”
if they made a mistake.
My disagreements don’t stop there. He’s is in favor of
same-sex marriage. I know that his campaign officially
took no position on same-sex marriage, but both Biden
and Obama’s own wife said in no uncertain terms that
they were opposed to bans on same-sex marriage. I can
only assume that the positions of his running mate and
wife aren’t much different from his own.
Now, I know he goes to church, and I know we’re not
supposed to “judge”, but his public positions on these
issues leave little doubt that he holds views that are
directly contradictory to the Christian worldview. The
Bible speaks clearly on these things. I won’t even get
into the ramifications of larger government, government
handouts and governmental social activism to the free
expression of religion (which by the way includes
evangelism). I’ve read and heard justifications about
Obama being a Christian because he cares for the poor.
I wish that were the only requirement for Christianity.
I’m not sure what was taught in Obama’s church
regarding the Gospel, but I don’t remember “God damn,
America” being a Biblical expression. The Bible never
tells us to not judge. Quite the opposite. It instructs
us on how to judge properly: by one’s
actions.
Based on Obama’s positions, voting history, past
associations, and publicly stated worldview, any
Christian should have paused before casting their vote
for him...
The two issues I mentioned above should have been
enough for any Christian with a coherent worldview to
rule out voting for Obama. Unfortunately, Christians
with coherent worldviews aren’t too easy to come by
these days.
The more frightening thing to me is the idea that
Christians who knew about these things still voted for
Obama regardless. If that is the case, then the only
reason they could have pulled the lever for Obama seems
to me to be the most unChristian reason of all: the
color of his skin. As Christians, shouldn’t the content
of one’s character outweigh the color of one’s skin?
I will pray for Obama over the coming years. I will
pray that he will see the light of truth, and act in a
godly, biblical manner. If that doesn’t happen, I will
pray that his plans will not come to fruition. I will
pray that more unborn babies will not die as a result
of his policies and that traditional values will remain
intact and unchallenged by laws of misguided tolerance.
Mostly, I will pray that God will show America mercy in
4 years and give us leaders who share our
convictions...