To Vote or Not to Vote 2

It seems that there are people who want to push the "voting agenda" by forwarding emails that "guilt" people into voting out of fear the "other guy" will win if they don't vote.

There are only two candidates who are the "front runners" in this Presidential election. The Democratic Party has chosen Obama and the Republican Party has chosen McCain as their representatives of their parties. There are other people on the ticket, yet you won't hear about them because they have absolutely no chance of winning the election, no matter how many people vote for them. This is because we do not have a literal democracy; we have an electoral college which is based on democratic principles.

This simply is not acceptable to me. If I'm given only two choices on a menu, both of which contain varying amount of dog feces, I do not pick the one that has the smallest amount of the repulsive ingredient to dine on. I would get up from the table and leave. Wouldn't it say something about the restaurant that only limits its menu to dishes that contain unacceptable ingredients? I will only spend my hard earned cash on a dish that is healthy and that I actually enjoy. I will only spend my valuable vote on a candidate that is actually beneficial to this country, not on one that contains the fewer amount of policies that are evil. I do not believe either Presidential hopeful is the best person to lead the country, so I cannot go against my conscience and vote for either. Neither Obama nor McCain are in line with a biblical worldview, and this is why I cannot vote for either of them. Some may say, "Well one of them is closer to your worldview than the other". My answer to that is "so what?" If both candidates hold to "tainted" policies, then they are both "tainted". It would be like suggesting a dish with fewer feces is better than a dish with more feces, or an apple with a little poison is better than an apple with a lot. Those comparisons are true, having less "bad" makes one better than the other but which one would you eat? If you pick either one you will be willfully ingesting filth. To pick either front runner in this election is the same. I can no more be persuaded to choose either of the candidates we have in this election anymore than I could be persuaded to choose between which dung dish to eat. I know for some people this is "un-American". I actually find it quite "American" to exercise my "right" not to vote. If I were not "Pro-America" I would not have served in the United States Air Force. I know many people who have never given one thought to serving their country through the Armed Forces, yet they want to pressure me into voting for a person I don't 100% agree with?

So what is the big issue I have with the candidates that makes them unfit to be president? The reason I will not vote for Senator Obama is because he advocates the killing of innocent human life for the sake of parental convenience, and wants tax dollars to fund it. The reason I will not vote for Senator McCain is because he advocates the killing of innocent human life for the sake of extending the life of the diseased, and wants tax dollars to fund it. At least Senator Obama can't say he knows when life begins, but Senator McCain has said "life begins at conception" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzJdSlQYd0Q). He contradicts his own beliefs on this issue by supporting embryonic stem cell research. So, killing babies is wrong… unless it helps to advance medical research and cure disease? In my opinion embryonic stem cell research is slightly worst than abortion, in that it provides a market for creating life only to destroy it, all in the name of posterity. I cannot vote for someone who supports the killing of innocent life, regardless what party they are a part of. That blood will not be on my head.

A common objection to this is "But if you don't vote for the lesser of the two evils, then you are voting for the greater of the two." First of all this is flawed logic. Why must the non-vote benefit the "greater evil" and not benefit the "lesser evil" or vice versa? Can't it be argued that not voting for the greater evil is a vote for the lesser evil? This is a flawed argument because it limits the answer to two unacceptable choices. Much like the statement: "Yes or no? Have you told the IRS that you cheat on your taxes yet?" Either way you answer it, you would be confessing guilt regardless of whether or not you are guilty. Likewise, to choose the lesser of two evils is to be guilty of knowingly choosing evil. This, if you are a Christian, should have the same effect on you as if someone were to ask you to choose which cookie you'd like to eat, each having a greater or lesser amount of dung baked into them.

Another little gem of wisdom often used to force a vote out of the moral and reluctant population is "to not vote at all is to vote for evil to prevail". What this is suggesting is "based on a hypothetical future, an environment that I fully control the factors I choose to include, I will play ruler of the universe and force evil to flourish in this imaginary world if the guy I don't want in office wins the election. Therefore those who do not vote have contributed to this evil eventuality which is a fabrication of my extremely limited knowledge of the future and since I do not know what God knows about the future, I am removing Him from the picture completely". Again, we are repeatedly commanded to judge a tree by its fruit, to examine the evidence at hand. Not to base our real world decisions on hypothetical evidence that may or may not actually be real. Choose based off of what you know, not what you don't know. This is the same line of reasoning abortionists take by suggesting there will be more "dumpster babies" if abortion is made illegal. It is making the wrong decision solely based on a fear of an uncertain potentiality. It is fear based, not faith based. I want chapter and verse for how, if I choose not to vote for two candidates that hold to unbiblical positions, I am allowing evil to prevail. This is absurd when examining the Bible that knows nothing of such notions of democracy. Did the Hebrew's get to vote for or against Pharaoh? Did Peter or Paul place their vote against Nero? Even when they did narrow down the choices for leadership, the remaining 11 apostles "cast lots" to determine Judas's replacement as opposed to taking a vote on it (Acts 1:26). This was an act to relegate the decision making process to the One who actually knows the future. After all we are repeatedly reminded that God sets up Kings, gives them their power, and He takes them down (Psalm 75:7, Daniel 2:21, John 19:10-11, Romans 13:1-2) this did not change with the inception of democracy. From the very beginning God knows who will be in power over His people because He places them in power for HIS purposes. If my two options are "evil and less evil", then voting for either is still effectively and knowingly voting for evil. Where in scripture are we told to choose any evil, or even approve of it by endorsing it? In Acts 16:16-18 why did Paul rebuke the woman for saying "These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation"? Wasn't what she was saying true? Yes, but she was a pagan diviner, and even though what she said was true, Paul refused to align himself with her because she was evil. Likewise, no matter what good qualities a candidate may have, if they hold to any evil we as Christians must not align ourselves with them. When choosing a spouse, do we simply marry whoever holds to the least amount of evil positions or do we hold out for someone whose positions are completely in harmony with God' s Word? Do we attend a church where a pastor holds to a 99% biblical worldview yet also teaches killing babies is ok as long as it benefits the sick? Can we honestly align ourselves and approve of such people? We are representatives of Christ, and we should be using the same standard of judgment when choosing a spouse, a pastor, and yes a president.

As Christians we need to make every decision based on scripture and prayer. There are people who want to separate their faith and politics. We need to use the same standard we use to measure what church we will attend with who we will vote into positions of government authority, if we choose to vote at all. We also need to keep in mind that our individual vote DOES NOT count. The votes cast for each presidential hopeful are not tallied and whoever has the most votes wins. We have the Electoral College because there are states that have more people than others, and there are people who don't want a handful of states deciding the outcome of all elections. I am still not quite sure how that makes any difference. A true democracy means one vote equals one vote and it is counted and tallied, regardless where the person lives. This is what makes me angry that there are only two candidates that are our options.

Christians need to realize we belong to a much greater Kingdom, and our allegiance should be sworn to no other than Jesus Christ. I am not proud of the current state of our nation. We are no longer a "Christian" nation, and have not been for some time now. Our founding fathers would not recognize the United States of America. They would be appalled at what we as a nation have become. The blood that was shed to create a free nation has been mocked as we are only oppressing ourselves by straying farther and farther away from the Biblical Truths that were once the foundation of our nation.

The two men that are in the running for President of the United States of America both claim to be "Christian". If they confess with their mouths that they are "Christian" then I will hold them to that standard. Based on their political policies they are not in line with scripture, and therefore I cannot endorse either one.

Why do Christians NOT see the Biblical and personal contradiction in Senator McCain approving of embryonic stem cell research? Why is it that Senator Obama gets slammed for his "Pro-abortion" position by Christian Evangelicals, but we turn a blind eye to Senator McCain wanting to kill babies on a more massive level for the sake of medicine?

Christians really need to stop and think about who they are voting for. McCain seems to be the candidate of the Christian Evangelicals, but he surely is not.

I will pray and trust the Lord in this difficult time. Our nation does not serve Jesus Christ, and this is obvious. The only way to change a nation is from the inside out, starting with family. Raising sons and daughters who will live a life in service to the Lord is how this nation will change. Husbands and wives returning to Biblical roles will change our nation. Christians NOT compromising not matter the cost will change our nation. Christians NOT making decisions out of fear will change this nation. We are not to fear man!

 

"Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28

 

"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7

 

"The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted." Proverbs 29:25

 

Serving God and My Family,

Crystal <>< (SAHM)