Do Republicans Have a Direct Line to God?

As a child growing up in the seventies and eighties, I saw how divisive politics can be. My family came from Eastern Kentucky and were primarily coal miners- union coal-miners. Later, as they migrated to Northern Indiana, that parlayed into being foundry workers- union foundry workers. In both cases this meant you voted Democrat without reservation and without any alternative being seriously considered.

My grandparents were among this wave of coal-miners who migrated north for work and better living conditions. My paternal grandfather was a lifelong Democrat and union foundry worker. My dad and one of his brothers followed in his footsteps. Grandpa was also a military man and a very devout born-again Christian. How can that be? In todays political world, those latter two attributes would align him exclusively with the Republican party. As I ponder what was different about the circumstances at that time that allowed my Grandpa to be a Democrat and yet be pro-military and Christian, a couple of thoughts come to me.

First, the war Grandpa fought in, WWII, was considered largely to be a just war and was supported by most of the country. Second, as a Christian, two issues were not a part of the equation for the most part- abortion and gay rights.

These are the two issues the Republican party has apparently co-opted for their own use. I ask myself why and I immediately know the reason, and it's understandable. These two issues are extremely emotional and extremely divisive. It is not easy to come down in the middle on either issue and therefore you are forced to choose sides.

I don't blame the Republican party for grasping onto either issue and using to align themselves with the Christian voters. Based on my Christian faith, I know that abortion is wrong and is forbidden by my God. I also know of the scriptures forbidding homosexual behaviors and consequently marriage of homosexuals. However, I am also aware of the fact that no one sin carries a bigger stick or a bigger penalty than any other, despite our human concept of degrees of severity. Nonetheless, politically, these two are the Biggies.

As a Christian, should I even question my decision to vote Republican or Democrat. In the church (both locally and as an institution with a big C), the overwhelming opinion is that voting Democrat is a slap in the face to God. That to do so means you want all babies to die and you want wild bands of homosexuals roaming the streets holding hands and groping one another. It seems like a no-brainer.

But then I start to actually thing a little more about my decision. Does my God approve of us sending thousands upon thousands of soldiers, including my own brother-in-law, to Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere to fight a war with no clear purpose or goal? Does He feel this is justified or moral? Does He want me to support candidates who feel all forms of social welfare are unnecessary and frivolous? Does he expect me to support financial greed without regard to consequences?

I'm torn. In the last election I went back and forth innumerable times. In the end, I chose not to vote. As I weighed my decision, I just couldn't find enough good in either candidate to justify giving them a vote.

My heart tells me that President Bush is a well-meaning individual with poor decision-making abilities and a mammoth ego. I also believe he will, at all costs, make enriching the wealthy further his top priority. I also believe his handling of Iraq is inexcusable. I can't support him for those reasons.

John Kerry was the other choice. He seemed intelligent and competent. But somehow I felt like he was too arrogant and condescending. I couldn't get on his bandwagon either.

What that last Presidential election taught me is this. Both parties are immensely flawed. They are two sides of the same coin, despite the rhetoric they offer. Both parties are so beholden to lobbyists and PAC's that our opinions and needs are not a consideration any longer.

So the conclusion I have come to is that we are fooling ourselves and citizens and especially as Christians if we believe that the canned soundbites the candidates have for us regarding "family values", "morals" etc mean little or nothing in reality. George Bush, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton. These people are professional politicians and not our saviors. We need to put our faith where it belongs, in Christ. This doesn't mean we need to be anti-government radicals. We just need to keep in mind why these people are where they are; they want power, they want influence, and they want money.

We have to research who our candidates are, regardless of party and KNOW what they stand for and where there votes are and we need to measure how those votes line up with what we believe and what the Bible teaches. This is the only valid yardstick we can use as followers of Christ.