Independent

Interesting article by Cameron Strang, founder and editor of Relevant Magazine, about the faith agenda of the presidential candidates. Read it here.

I appreciate his response, "I want to vote because of my values and convictions, not party affiliations. To me, that’s an important part of being a thinking, values-minded Christian."

This election period has been an eye opening experience for me. I used to be a Republican. Well, as much as any "I voted that way because my family does and my church told me to" person can be. I used to vote straight party Republican up until the last Senate race in my district.

But as I grew older and started thinking for myself, a couple of questions came to mind: Can one party claim righteousness and denounce another as "Satan's party" (yes, I have heard a devout Republican call the Dems that). Would Jesus have voted straight ticket - pronouncing all on the other side as being outside of his will, and thereby saying the party on his side is doing everything righteously? I just can't get there. So, the Bible says, "for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" - but do people believe he meant to add, "and especially the Democrats because none of them are going to Heaven"?

This is the first time I have ever actively supported a Democrat and I'm finding that some people actually have the audacity to claim (directly to me) that Obama should not be voted for because he is 'not a Christian'. Interesting, says who? Your pastor? What about God as the judge of whether someone is his follower since he knows their hearts? Does absolutely everything you do and say line up exactly and at all times with what the Bible says? Really? Then you're perfect and you're up in Heaven. What's it like checking blogs from up there? (sarcasm checked, moving on....)

I think that is what rubs me the wrong way the most - just support whichever candidate you feel holds the majority of the same values as you do. Period. Cut out the finger pointing and the 'holier than thou' attitude and just vote. I mean, how does any of that point people to the love of Christ?

I have even heard of a church recently who had its members write on the floor of their new sanctuary, before the carpet was laid, the names of people they would like to see come to Christ - and I was told by a member, very gleefully, that someone wrote Obama's name. I wonder if when that person gets to Heaven Jesus will say something like, "I'm sorry you wasted so much time attempting to judge the faithfulness of others, when there were so many around you dying just to see the LOVE of Christ shown. I wish you would have focused on loving that neighbor you rarely talked to, or that family member you kept forgetting to pray for, or that coworker who tried so hard to be accepted. Instead you played judge with what little time you had on earth."

It's scary to be raw on this issue on this blog. But, I want to be my authentic self, because this is me and that's why I'm here.

Just some things I've been thinking about.