US Politics

I am perplexed by the Christian right’s involvement in the US election. It seems as if it is basing its recommendation to voters on two issues that define Christianity to them – abortion and the right for gays to marry. If you are against both of these, then you must vote for John McCain.

I’m not even going to debate these two issues, because that is not the point I am trying to make here.

What confuses me is what I feel elections should be about. In Canada, we voted yesterday and the main issue was who we felt was the most effective leader for the country. Yes, there were other issues involved, but at the end of the day, it was the person who is to make those decisions who was being judged.

Let’s start with the Biblical stance that everyone is a sinner. That includes Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain and Sarah Palin. None is exempt from this category, including me.

So, which sinner do you want to put into the White House?

I guess one of the questions I would ask is which person would you trust the most to be able to negotiate peace and harmony in the world? Which person will put the best face on the United State’s foreign image?

Or does the USA have the market cornered on Christianity? Is it the only nation that is following God’s will?

For the past eight years there has been an evangelical Christian as the leader of the most powerful nation in the world. And he has been terrible. Sure, he has been in line with the two “issues”, but most agree that he has been one of the worst presidents ever. The suspicious way he was elected must have been God’s will, right? Can we forget the voting irregularities in Florida, a state governed by his brother? But many were happy because he is an evangelical Christian.

My concern in polarizing these two issues for the vote is that many other important issues will be sidelined. There are many cults out there that believe the same thing. How do we know that Sarah Palin’s theology reflects the mainstream of America? She and her husband have supported a political movement in Alaska to separate from the United States, yet she has the gall to link Obama to terrorism and some guy he had dealings with long ago. Do people not see the hypocrisy in this?

Aside from these two issues, which party is acting more Christian-like? If one party was to pull the trigger on dropping bombs on innocent people, which one do you think would do it first? Would it be one that supports gun control or one that argues that Americans are safer if they pack a pistol?

If at the end of the day people think that McCain is the better leader, I have no problem with that. That’s the way democracy works. What I have a problem with is that two issues are defining the campaign when there are a lot of other things at stake.

Meanwhile both parties try to put fear in the voters’ hearts using every political trick in the book. Does that sound very Christian to you? If God is really on your side, do you need to stoop so low?

My friends in the United States, clear your heads and do the moral thing. Elect the best leader you can. If it is Barack Obama, that’s fine. If it is John McCain, that’s fine, too, but don’t elect somebody based on two issues alone when there are so many others to consider.