Just a few years ago Americans would have to wait another two weeks to rush to their polls and cast their vote for the Presidential candidate of their choosing. Voting is one of the major patriotic means of expression for Americans, or should I say it used to be. With the election coming up and the storm of media pushed campaigning it's hard to say who we're actually voting for. That is to say, that it's hard to see where each candidate actually stands on the issues facing the American people. After considerate (although not extensive) review I have decided not to vote in this upcoming election. I am not meaning to be lazy about the future of our country nor am I uninterested in the election. I am frustrated in most areas surrounding this years campaign, and in a few I am just plain angry. In this short article I intend to cover the areas that support why I am protesting the upcoming election, and I hope to show the integrity of my position as well.First of all, lets talk about the candidates. Barak Obama and John McCain have been on the trail for quite some time now and their are reasons that I cannot align myself with either of their political views. Obama stands boldly in the women's right to choose, and fails (even as a Senator) to uphold the Constitutional Rights of the unborn populace of America. In the preamble the Bill of Rights plainly states that it is the Government's job to insure Live, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness to it's citizens. Seems like abortion in that case is a breach of the Constitution in a very major area. Is it not the government's responsibility to preserve life, even unborn life, for it's citizens? The answer should be yes. Do I have a religious standing on this position as well? Absolutely, but for the sake of brevity I wont go into them. Although I don't thinkI need another reason for my lack of support for Obama's presidency I do have some more. He's only been a Senator for two years, one of those years being spent on his campaign. As a candidate for President in a time that calls for a strong, experienced leader Obama simply doesn't really fit the bill. Not to mention the increase of federal power that the Democratic party feels is necessary or a President to rule the nation. Make no doubt about, increased Presidential power will eventually lead to tyranny over the American people. This is seen most evidentally in the appointment of Supreme Court judges over the past few decades. Aside from that, Obama believes that it is the Government's right to redistribute the wealth of the American population from those who have to those who don't. Although Obama plans to redistribute wealth, he also plans to tax more independant business owners, who although they may have extenuating circumstances, will have to pay more if they net more than a certain amount of money per year. Seeing as how the income tax is a historically new circumstance for Americans, and a disagreeable on at that. I cannot, in good conscience, support his Presidency. Because he does not uphold the Constitution, plans to meddle in small American industry, and displays a lack of experience in the world of domestic politics as well as global politics he is simply not qualified for the role of Commander and Chief.
Now on to McCain, McCain seems to contradict Obama's lack of experience and failure to honor the Constitution at almost every turn. And yet I still can't preserve my integrity as an American citizen and vote for him at the same time. My reasons for this are a bit more subtle, and more personal in this matter so please bear with me. First and foremost, for the past few weeks I have heard little discussion of policy and more mud smearing and name calling from McCain's campaign. Rather than clearly presenting their campaign stances on economic, and foreign policy issues the McCain/Palin campaign has focused on making Obama look bad. Now in addition to political experience being a prerequisite for the Presidential office, I consider a display of strong character to be paramount. Sure he stands against Roe vs. Wade, and is vocal on the rights for the infant population of America, but he does so in a way that is unproffessional and downright childish. In my mind a Presidential candidate should voice his policy boldly, and let the chips fall where they may. There should be no participation in media driven name calling and sound byte manipulation. There is almost no way of telling what any of these candidates have actually said in context because of the politically driven media coverage of the election. I say in context, because context is a very important thing. A statement made by a person is a very powerful thing, and we deserve to hear the full story. Each candidate should be represented in fullness by media coverage, and I would go as far to say that any sort of "creative editing" of political campaign material ought to be a federal offense. In addition to all of these things McCain has failed to address the recent economic issues facing America in the way that I think a strong leader should. Simply but, big businesses who take ought outrageous loans and fail to pay them ought to be shouldered with the consequences of that failure. Because we're the ones who really pay for it. Please consider the Republican means of dealing with big business....tax breaks, tax breaks for everything. What these businesses do in turn is take their sweet tax breaks and start pactices overseas, which robs the American people of money, and removes credit and capitol from the country. How do you think the recession started in the first place? America doesn't need a jump start anymore, we need to revive American domestic industry and start exporting goods rather than importing them. American companies need to operate in America, and I don't see that happening under a Republican candidate who is funded by companies that are taking money from American banks and investing them in foreign markets.
Now for my religious reasons:
Being a Christian in America means a lot of things to a lot of people. Sadly a lot of those things have little or nothing to do with Jesus Christ, or my life lived out as his disciple. To put it plainly we have allowed ourselves to become caricatures of what could be a very real and vital expression of faith in our country. Sidelined by issues of abortion and same sex union the church by and large has become distracted from the core issues of the Gospel and our lives as Christians. These things seem to come into focus dramatically whenever a political discussion lands on the table. As Christians it seems that we are almost expected to vote Republican every time the opportunity presents itself simply because we are stuck in the mud of a cultural war. This cultural war began some twenty to thirty years ago with the Moral Majority movement and still limps on today in most modern evangelical churches. We, as Christians, are by and large called to vote Republican on the issue of moral legislation, and in focusing on that we have failed to disciple the American population. Mere legislation does not support, encourage, or cause the cultural transformation that America so desparately needs. It simply puts a band aid on it and marginalizes those who do not agree. Marginalization is not a part of the Gospel, nor is political involvement. Voting is not evangelism, and therefore is not enough to preserve the society in which we live. For that transformation to take place the church in America needs to repent, and return to a Biblical worldview. In short, Christianity needs to get out of the voting boothes, turn off the O'Reilly Factor and get outside it's churches and bookstores, and into the world that needs it's influence.
Now here is where I get angry. Most savvy political candidates are keen on the evangelicals loud cry for more morally responsible legislation, and rather than treating us as we are we have been pigeonholed and turned into a demographic. I'm sure you all remember the faith issue of Bush vs. Kerry in the last election. Both candidates were eager to look spiritual for the American people, not in order to show their true colors, but more to appeal to a cultural demographic of Christianity. Jesus needs not to be patronized by a Presidential candidate, nor does Christianity need to be in the White House for it to be successful in fulfilling the Great Commision. Quite on the contrary, we are a body of people who have spread the Gospel most effectively through persecution and bold testimony. We as a national body of believers need to understand that the Gospel needs no President to support it, nor do we need a body of laws to make America seem more Holy. It either is or it isn't, Christianity and Democracy are two completely separate entities, and as followers of Jesus we should cry foul when the Lord is used as a means of advertisement. And that, more than any other reason is why I will not be an active participant in this upcoming election. I will not be patronized, and I will not tolerate the Gospel to become a matter of law that denies civic rights to those who disagree with us. We are not an Imperial faith, we are a vital faith, and as such, should accept no imitations of our holy faith. As a Christian I will humbly submit to whomever wins the Presidency, and will follow every law as long as it does not contradict that of the Bible.
All that being said, I demand that everybody thinks for themselves, and if you disagree with me, feel free to voice that here , or simply to disagree. Whatever you do, do it that God may be more glorified in the world. Thank you for your attention, and I hope that this may be of benefit to you.
~Matt
"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time now and forever. Amen" Jude 24-25
