Thoughts while Traveling
11.04.2004
Reiteration
I am just going to endorse my sister's most recent blog, because I agree wholeheartedly and I think our convictions are likeminded...or more like "likehearted"...
This is where I stand as well, and I am done talking about this election, because it's over and done with. What happens next is what matters. Yet these words ring true in my spirit today.
God is not a republican. Or a democrat.
These leaders of the Religious Right mistakenly claim that God has taken a side in this election, and that Christians should only vote for George W. Bush.We believe that claims of divine appointment for the President, uncritical affirmation of his policies, and assertions that all Christians must vote for his re-election constitute bad theology and dangerous religion.We believe that sincere Christians and other people of faith can choose to vote for President Bush or Senator Kerry - for reasons deeply rooted in their faith.We believe all candidates should be examined by measuring their policies against the complete range of Christian ethics and values.We will measure the candidates by whether they enhance human life, human dignity, and human rights; whether they strengthen family life and protect children; whether they promote racial reconciliation and support gender equality; whether they serve peace and social justice; and whether they advance the common good rather than only individual, national, and special interests.We are not single-issue voters.We believe that poverty - caring for the poor and vulnerable - is a religious issue. Do the candidates' budget and tax policies reward the rich or show compassion for poor families? Do their foreign policies include fair trade and debt cancellation for the poorest countries?
Matthew 25:35-40, Isaiah 10:1-2We believe that the environment - caring for God's earth - is a religious issue. Do the candidates' policies protect the creation or serve corporate interests that damage it?
Genesis 2:15, Psalm 24:1We believe that war - and our call to be peacemakers - is a religious issue. Do the candidates' policies pursue "wars of choice" or respect international law and cooperation in responding to real global threats?
Matthew 5:9We believe that human rights - respecting the image of God in every person - is a religious issue. How do the candidates propose to change the attitudes and policies that led to the abuse and torture of Iraqi prisoners?
Genesis 1:27We believe that our response to terrorism is a religious issue. Do the candidates adopt the dangerous language of righteous empire in the war on terrorism and confuse the roles of God, church, and nation? Do the candidates see evil only in our enemies but never in our own policies?
Matthew 6:33, Proverbs 8:12-13We believe that a consistent ethic of human life is a religious issue. Do the candidates' positions on abortion, capital punishment, euthanasia, weapons of mass destruction, HIV/AIDS-and other pandemics-and genocide around the world obey the biblical injunction to choose life?
Deuteronomy 30:19We also admonish both parties and candidates to avoid the exploitation of religion or our congregations for partisan political purposes.By this statement, we call Christians and other people of faith to a more thoughtful involvement in this election, rather than claiming God's endorsement of any candidate. This is the meaning of responsible Christian citizenship.
from Sarah:
**back to me**these words will most likely call up strong feelings within all of us, no matter our political views. what remains true is that God is the supreme judge and that we are responsible to make informed decisions. as in....not making your political judgments by basing them solely on the personal beliefs of anyone else - your parents, your pastor, your friends, the analysts on television or the man holding a sign on the side of the road. why do you believe the way that you do? how much did you research the policies and decision-making history of both candidates? what do you know about the whereabouts of our parent's social security funds that they've been contributing to throughout their adult lives? what do you know about the way stem cell research is conducted and avenues other than abortion for obtaining the material? how much do you know about our country's policies regarding marriage, why it is regulated by the state instead of the federal government? where does the constitution leave us when it comes to the rights of a woman and her body?
bottom line: at the end of the day it may not matter who you voted for. what may have made an eternal difference is the manner in which you conducted yourself during this election. are we not told in the new testament that Christians are to be known by our love?all of this makes me think. and pray.
i hope that my words do not offend, but encourage us all to know who we are, what we believe, and why.
This is where I stand as well, and I am done talking about this election, because it's over and done with. What happens next is what matters. Yet these words ring true in my spirit today.
God is not a republican. Or a democrat.
These leaders of the Religious Right mistakenly claim that God has taken a side in this election, and that Christians should only vote for George W. Bush.We believe that claims of divine appointment for the President, uncritical affirmation of his policies, and assertions that all Christians must vote for his re-election constitute bad theology and dangerous religion.We believe that sincere Christians and other people of faith can choose to vote for President Bush or Senator Kerry - for reasons deeply rooted in their faith.We believe all candidates should be examined by measuring their policies against the complete range of Christian ethics and values.We will measure the candidates by whether they enhance human life, human dignity, and human rights; whether they strengthen family life and protect children; whether they promote racial reconciliation and support gender equality; whether they serve peace and social justice; and whether they advance the common good rather than only individual, national, and special interests.We are not single-issue voters.We believe that poverty - caring for the poor and vulnerable - is a religious issue. Do the candidates' budget and tax policies reward the rich or show compassion for poor families? Do their foreign policies include fair trade and debt cancellation for the poorest countries?
Matthew 25:35-40, Isaiah 10:1-2We believe that the environment - caring for God's earth - is a religious issue. Do the candidates' policies protect the creation or serve corporate interests that damage it?
Genesis 2:15, Psalm 24:1We believe that war - and our call to be peacemakers - is a religious issue. Do the candidates' policies pursue "wars of choice" or respect international law and cooperation in responding to real global threats?
Matthew 5:9We believe that human rights - respecting the image of God in every person - is a religious issue. How do the candidates propose to change the attitudes and policies that led to the abuse and torture of Iraqi prisoners?
Genesis 1:27We believe that our response to terrorism is a religious issue. Do the candidates adopt the dangerous language of righteous empire in the war on terrorism and confuse the roles of God, church, and nation? Do the candidates see evil only in our enemies but never in our own policies?
Matthew 6:33, Proverbs 8:12-13We believe that a consistent ethic of human life is a religious issue. Do the candidates' positions on abortion, capital punishment, euthanasia, weapons of mass destruction, HIV/AIDS-and other pandemics-and genocide around the world obey the biblical injunction to choose life?
Deuteronomy 30:19We also admonish both parties and candidates to avoid the exploitation of religion or our congregations for partisan political purposes.By this statement, we call Christians and other people of faith to a more thoughtful involvement in this election, rather than claiming God's endorsement of any candidate. This is the meaning of responsible Christian citizenship.
from Sarah:
**back to me**these words will most likely call up strong feelings within all of us, no matter our political views. what remains true is that God is the supreme judge and that we are responsible to make informed decisions. as in....not making your political judgments by basing them solely on the personal beliefs of anyone else - your parents, your pastor, your friends, the analysts on television or the man holding a sign on the side of the road. why do you believe the way that you do? how much did you research the policies and decision-making history of both candidates? what do you know about the whereabouts of our parent's social security funds that they've been contributing to throughout their adult lives? what do you know about the way stem cell research is conducted and avenues other than abortion for obtaining the material? how much do you know about our country's policies regarding marriage, why it is regulated by the state instead of the federal government? where does the constitution leave us when it comes to the rights of a woman and her body?
bottom line: at the end of the day it may not matter who you voted for. what may have made an eternal difference is the manner in which you conducted yourself during this election. are we not told in the new testament that Christians are to be known by our love?all of this makes me think. and pray.
i hope that my words do not offend, but encourage us all to know who we are, what we believe, and why.
3 Comments:
i'm sorry guys, and i love you both and sarah, but you've got to be kidding me...
understanding where you're coming from - i prize the fact that, as Americans, we can disagree - I realize that there is a "mob" mentality in the religious right at times, and an unwillingness for people to think for themselves. I'm sure many people did that this election. However, there is just one issue that rises above all else - abortion.
Quoting Sarah, "What does the Constitution say about a woman's right to chose?" Absolutely nothing. It does however grant everyone the freedom of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Did you know that, since 1975, the number of babies we've killed each and every year is GREATER than the number of u.s. military dead in every war since the Revolutionary War?
On this one issue, EVERY Christian should be united. Jesus commands us to look after those who have no voice. That is the unborn child, if I've ever heard it. And, as far as I can tell, only one Presidential candidate consistently stands up for those voiceless people - George W. Bush. Anything else discounts the Biblical principles of Jesus bias towards the oppressed.
A whole generation and more has been lost to this unspeakable crime - how can we not be united? How can you?
Dearest Anonymous,
I love you , too. And appreciate your thoughts. One of the things I love the most about my sister Sarah, and the primary reason I chose to quote her on my own blog (which she may be mad at me now...) is the fact that she asks questions just to make you think. Not so much to "get on a soapbox" but just to make you really think. What I appreciated most about this particular blog is that she lead us readers back to the most important question to ask ourselves. The bottom line. That's all. So, dear Anonymous, whoever you are, know that we are united by the one link that matters most:The Spirit of our Creator. I pray blessings on you.
firstly - my quote was "where does the constitution leave us when it comes to the rights of a woman and her body?"
ANYONE who knows me knows that i am pro- life. that's really not the issue here. my point in that question was, where does the constitution leave us, as in the american government, when it comes to decided who gets to take the life of another human being. does it give us permission to kill? NO. and this applies in more areas than abortion. such as....capital punishment?
i did not say that in an effort to get conservatives to rethink their opinion. i said in, in fact, to urge liberals to rethink theirs.
here's a question for debate: where does the separation between church and state begin? and why is it there? should this be abolished in an effort to Christianize one of the few countries in the world to truly allow a freedom to believe what you choose? [just for the record, i'm just interested in discussion here...i FULLY believe that the gospel is meant to be spread to all nations, including our own. the great commission applies to all of us. just in case anyone mistakes my purposes here].
we all like to talk about the oppressed. especially in the salvation army when that is such an integral part of our mission. the unborn child SHOULD be protected. to convey otherwise was not the intent of my words. but since we're on the subject, what about the REST of the opressed? the poor of america, who die on the streets and can't provide food for their children while the rich get richer and richer? the man in prison, awaiting execution for his crime. is he a sinner? yes. should he be held accountable for his actions? yes. do we have the right to take his life from him? no more than a mother has the right to abort her unborn child. i do understand the difference [those without a voice versus a criminal] but the fundamental truth of the sanctity of life in ALL stages remains the same.
i AM united with believers across the world who stand up for those oppressed, who hate the sin and evil that have corrupted this world. the reason i said what i did was to point out that it is beyond overstepping of bounds for one to say that as a Christian, bush was the only option for president and to condemn any believer for thinking otherwise. a huge part of what i wrote in my blog was about issues OTHER than abortion that remain virtually ignored by the religious community.
i can almost hear the salvation army hotlines light up....before the weekend everyone in the southern territory will be talking about those jewett girls and how [sshhh] liberal they are. for anyone questioning, i'm not a democrat. and i do know that my perceptions are colored by the actions of those around me, and lately i have been surrounded by people making hateful and hurtful comments toward and about people who disagree with them, all in the name of Christianity. so is what i'm saying aimed solely at republicans? NO. it's for all of us. i need to be challenged to think about why. don't we all?
i love Jesus with every breath that i take. it sucks knowing that because i'm willing to look at and discuss more issues than the inflammatory ones, many people i know will label me as something i'm not, discount my Christianity and question my integrity.
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