Monday, November 03, 2008

I Have Had Enough!

I am fed up with the election rhetoric here in the US so I need to write just one post about it to get it off my chest. I have read blogs, e-mails, seen Youtube Videos, and had countless conversations about the Presidential Candidates and I am just about ready to punch the wall. Why? Because of the anger, hopelessness, and downright hatred coming from too many followers of Jesus. I am hearing things like, "America is finished." "America is under God's judgement." "All is lost." And why am I hearing this? Because the Republican Candidate looks like he wont win. Barak Obama is being vilified in the most disgusting ways imaginable by people who claim to be followers of our Lord. Well, here's my take on this and let's start at the beginning- or at least with our current President.

I voted for President Bush in the 2000 election. I have always been a Republican and I firmly believe in that form of Government. After the 2001 bombings I believed that I was justified in my decision. I believed that George Bush led well and I saw the hand of God at work as a worldwide coalition rallied behind us and went after Osama and the Taliban. But then Bush went after Saddam Hussein who had nothing to do with 9/11. I was confused and disappointed. The rhetoric spiraled out of control and we left the hunt for Osama behind. I remember arguing about this with friends in 2002 and the Spring of 2003. They couldn't understand why I didn't see that Saddam had to be taken out right now. After all he had used chemical weapons in 1989- 14 years before! But the war was not all. Then George Bush set up Guntanamo Bay Prison. I am sure that most Americans don't care about it. That is why Bush set it up in Cuba. Cuba is supposed to have illegal detentions with no charges and no trials and no human rights. We were supposed to be treating these guys like prisoners of war- except we couldn't- and we were supposed to develop a legal means of dealing with them- which we still haven't. We tortured the prisoners there which we have never done before. We have always been the good guys calling the rest of the world to behave better and live freer. With Bush's second inaugural address he declared war on the rest of the world. He openly said that if people would rise up against their totalitarian governments the US would help them. The rest of the world saw that we were just the same as Saddam Hussein and they shook with fear and anger. We became everything we ever denounced, even sending other nation's citizens to Syria for them to torture for us. Condeleeza Rice taking the stand before Congress said it was a big mistake, 'The Syrians promised us they wouldn't torture them.' Unbelievable.

But wait! Is not President Bush against abortion? How many babies have been saved during his Presidency because of his brave stance? Any? I have not heard of even one. It has not been on his agenda as far as I have heard. It was on Ronald Reagan's agenda but he was unable to stop any abortions even though he spoke more eloquently against them than any politician I have heard since. So now we have Christian leaders everywhere saying this is the end of America because Barak Obama does not oppose abortion. Give me a break! America will not be judged based on one stance of her President. The Church will be judged on it's allegiance to Christ and His Kingdom. So, let me tell you where we stand on that. While we weep and wail over a Presidential Candidate who would not apparently make any difference in the abortion situation it is OUR daughters who are having abortions. OUR children are living lifestyles of selfishness, lust, and greed and the result is that OUR daughters need to get abortions. WE are the ones holding up a rock star's lifestyle as the ultimate goal and WE are the ones who are failing to teach our children to love and respect each other, to act responsibly, and oh yeah, just as an aside, to live for Jesus and His Kingdom.

I do think that abortion should be illegal. Roe V Wade is a horrific abuse of the Constitution which is supposed to protect life. In our democratic society I will vote as I can to make a difference. But as a good Republican I still believe in individual and community initiative. I believe that we live in the society we create. In spite of the fact that Roe v Wade is bad law not a single abortion has occurred because of it. Abortions occur because our daughters want to kill their children. The Supreme Court is not responsible for that!

We have two million people in jail in this country- more than despotic China- and every single one of them lived next door to a Christian who has made no difference in his or her life. A million abortions a year? They are not living next door, they are living under our roofs. And we want the next President to do something about this? Talk about intrusive big government liberalism! Teach your children to love Jesus. Share your love of Jesus with others. Reach out to your community with the love of Jesus. This will make a difference far greater than electing a Republican. Barak Obama is not the anti-Christ. For my money whoever wins this election America wins because Bush will no longer be in the White House. Many of you have heard so much fear mongering that you will not be able to read this without breaking out into an angry sweat. Trust in Jesus. Live for him and do not fear whoever leads America. America is not eternal, Christ's Kingdom is. Live for what is eternal. If we stop looking to Washington save our nation and put our lives and the lives of our families in Jesus hands that would be change we could believe in.

18 comments:

Jody said...

Right on Strider!! Would the believers in Middle Earth beleive what we do with our tremendous freedom?

Anonymous said...

Strider, I agree with you on some of what you said, but I strongly disagree with you regarding America being better off no matter who wins because Bush will no longer be in. I would rather have 8 more years of him being in office than ONE day of Obama! My politics and his in no way connect he in my opinion is a socialist, my list is long, of course abortion and how he has voted is one reason, but it is only ONE IN A LONG LIST. Yes Strider you are right regarding your opinion in how we should raise and teach OUR children, but Bush HAS spoken out against abortions, I just think it goes much deeper than that Strider. I leave you with this... our next president MIGHT be appointing 2 Supreme Justices and I surely do NOT want Obama to do the appointing. In the ultimate end I have my faith in God, I do not buy into a lot of the non-sense that has been floating around BUT I feel like our nation will not be as strong in 4 years if there is no balance of power. The last statement could lead into another whole discussion but I hope it is self explanatory. Take Care and try not to let all of the sound bites drive you nuts, Angie.

Strider said...

Socialism? Do you know where you live? My brother opened up a business a few years ago. I went by to see it and he had more than 20 stickers up in the window of Govt inspections that he had to pay between $20 and $250 a piece for. In the end the police came by and said he was breaking the law. It seems he had the nerve to put up a 'Grand Opening' sign in his own window. For that he needed permission from the county and he needed to pay a $1 a day for that! Maybe it used to be better- maybe we used to be free. I don't think so. Did you know that Daniel Boone went over the Cumberland gap with 50 families and built Boonesborough, KY 200 years ago? It seems that even though they built it with no federal help they had to go to Washington to pay taxes on the land. On the way, Daniel was robbed but the real robbers were waiting in the wings. When the taxes were not paid claim jumpers stepped in and filed on the land and Boone and his family were thrown out of the house they built and were forced to move to West Virginia. Land of the Free? It is a nice idea but it has never been so. Obama wont make it any better but he is not capable of making it worse- we've already done that.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps God is not going to judge America, just American Christians who are known for campaigning for a man more than the Kingdom of God. And shame on those who confuse the two.

Pray for the Christians in the Middle East, Pakistan and China who are maligned and even persecuted because they have to give an answer for American Christians who campaign for a man under the banner of the Cross.

Justice would mean that the global church wouldn't have to suffer for believers don't know that Democracy is not promoted their Bible.

Anonymous said...

last line should read:

Justice would mean that the global church wouldn't have to suffer for believers who don't know that Democracy is not promoted their Bible.

Anonymous said...

Strider, Excuse me but you are dead wrong, he can make it a whole lot worse. Yes I know where I live and take exception with my point being made light of!!! I, Strider live in the land of the FREE and the home of the BRAVE Not SOCIALISM. Angie.
Rev with all due respect a Christian prays for EVERYBODY one of my main gripes is we can successfully box ourselves in when it comes to faith and religion there is a big world our their far beyond the United States. I have brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world. I think that sometimes simple things are made to difficult and that is NOT how Jesus meant for it to be. Rev sounds like to me that you are judging American Chrstians. In my humble opinion American Christians are the most GIVING, LOVING and I am sick to death of being judged just because we live in a country that is the land of plenty!!!!

Strider said...

Hey Angie, I didn't mean to make light of your point. I can only repeat again, I am a Republican by choice and always have been. But I have heard a lot about how Obama is some sort of socialist extremist. Sorry, he isn't. He is a standard fair democrat. FDR, JFK, or worse Lindon Johnson all gave the US truckloads of good old big Govt that we still live with today. I find Barak pretty tame next to these guys actually. Like I said in the post the fear mongers are out there trying to play up as much fear of this guy as they can but my point is that even if they were right- which I don't believe they are- we need not, indeed we must not fear.

Strider said...

Regarding judgment: It is up to God to Judge us but I would suggest that we be wise and judge ourselves and get in line with what He is up to.

A friend of mine was talking to a national guy who was complaining about America's foreign policies. My friend listened politely and then ask a simple question: 'What could America do that would keep it from being criticized?' A smile came over the national's face as he thought about it and realized that no matter what we do since we are the biggest and most powerful nation we will always be judged harshly. He looked at my friend and said, 'So, is everyone just jealous?' Yeah, we will have to carry that cross but the other side of the coin is that in the parable of the talents we are the guy that got five and we had better be busy about using all of them.

Anonymous said...

Strider, The best I can do at this point is to agree to disagree with you regarding Obama. I believe he IS a Socialist and he IS EXTREME. Yes there are fear mongers out there, but it is up to us to sort through things for our own selves. My point being try and not let it drive us nuts. To be continued I am sure. Angie. A follow up to Judgment later.

Jody said...

Politicans don't usually seem to be as bad as their opponents predict nor as good as their supporters hope. They just keep running for an office every chance they get.

Anonymous said...

I am an American, so Im criticizing my own team. With our influence comes tremendous responsibility.

I just wish people would vote and not freak out about it.

And as for America in general, we are a wonderful nation who talk about mostly ourselves and spend more money on pornography than foreign aid.

Anonymous said...

Strider, I just returned home from voting. No freaking out went on actually the set up was kinda odd but outside of that the line was not toooo long it only took us an hr.

Rev, With regards to America we are the most giving and we give beyond our waters maybe we could do more but we give a tremendous amount. Not sure if I am reading you right but you sound a bit bitter.
Judgment, my thoughts are quite simple Judge not lest you be judged. God will judge me. All too often there are toooo many ppl willing to help God with his job guess what he doesn't need it.
I am not going to apoligize for living in the greatest nation on the face of the earth. I am very proud to be an American we are Loving people and again we are very giving not just with one another but across the waters. I know I repeated myself but it was worth it. Angie.

Anonymous said...

LOL, what have i done? I shouldn't have egged people on :-)

BTW
you ever feel like during political seasons people start talking like in the The Happening?

Anonymous said...

Rev, I am assuming you directed that question to Strider. If you are referring to me then be direct. I am not freaking out about anything. I am just simply sharing my point of view.

The Happening? Did not get a chance to see it. I bet it was a real interesting movie LOL. Angie.

Anonymous said...

Strider, I woke up today with a very peaceful spirit. No there are those of us who did not get the win we wanted but somehow it seems okay. God is in control. I will pray for our new President Elect, I was reminded of this in my spirit. I did not intend to ruffle feathers in here, I am just pretty passionate about our country and our ppl and the good that is still in it. Take Care, Angie.

waldomac said...

Strider:

You are spot on in the blog; we Christians are not holding our end up. It's as simple as that. No, we are not to be creatures of works only, but we have sworn our allegiance to the LORD, and we must be holy. We should want Him as the center of our lives, but we remain self-centered. We are not, and our children are deviating wildly as a result.

Meanwhile, Bush talks the talk, but he continues to do disturbing things, and the country senses this dichotomy. Is this status quo for politicians? You bet. Is it OK. No. Either Bush chooses life and holiness or he does not. Reagan is loved still today, because he chose to say things that he was advised not to, and all because he knew he was right to do so. He was not perfect either, but, because people sensed he was a man of integrity, he was elected in the largest sweep ever in U.S. history.

Integrity? People don't even have a clue how it's actually defined anymore. They talk about it as if it is some mysterious character trait, when in reality it is homogeneity, sameness, dependability, and NOT going whatever direction the wind goes. Bush aspired to this, but he fell far short, I'm sorry to say. I have gotten to be with him in person twice, once for a half hour of plain talk. I like him. But he has not lived up to what I thought he would be.

Yes, Strider, I agree we are already a socialist nation. I would step on feet further, too, to say that our schools are models of socialism. Most of us have gone through public school, and it is a macrocosm replete with socialism in its everyday workings. How could we expect socialism not to eventually become dominant. Mediocrity is encouraged; excellence is not. Peers dictate our children's morals and ethics; God is, at best, in the rest of the stack of activities. I don't see a way out of our predicament, other than complete meltdown and a rebuilding with God as the center.

Finally, and I will stop this diatribe, there is one issue that has not been directly covered. Regarding Obama. I agree with you, Strider, that derisive and unkind things have been said by people who are supposed to be Christians. I am unable to agree with you, though, that he will be like all the others and that he is a typical Democrat. There are too many things about his past, his rise to power, his obligations, and his slickness for me to be unconcerned. Even with a tremendous amount of digging, I cannot plumb the depths of this person, and we shall see how much damage he is able to inflict. We must be very wary, and, even then, we may be unable to do anything against some of the things he may do to this nation.

We must pray for our nation as never before; that much IS clear.

J

Strider said...

I am not saying we should be unconcerned but come on- is he slicker than Bill Clinton or more liberal than JFK? I don't believe it. My concern is that if he doesn't completely wreck this nation all the right wing Christians will loudly voice their disappointment. Real patriots huh? Or is that parrots?

waldomac said...

Slicker than Bill? No, but I'd put him in the same league, certainly, and Clinton was blatant in his immorality; Obama is more blatant in his socialism and redistributionist policies. More liberal than JFK? Fiscally a whole lot more; there can be no doubt. What he'll actually be able to implement is another thing, but with a completely friendly Congress, it's difficult to say when the bleeding will end. JFK had moral issues, too, and he was an elitist, as everyone knows. He and his family, however, have been very generous, particularly in their home state of Mass. Morally, I'd put Obama and JFK on the same rung of the ladder, from what I've been able to learn of both.

That having been said, regarding your statement that Christians will voice disappointment, shame on them. I sincerely pray that is not the case, if, indeed, a nation under an Obama's presidency isn't a complete meltdown.

I would very much like to think that my concerns about Obama are unfounded. I will gladly state that he wasn't such a bad guy after all and that I was WRONG, should he lead competently and honestly. I can't speak for the rest of the Christian world.

But then, there you have it: You KNOW who I am from long experience with me, and you know I am not afraid to say I am sorry or I am wrong or I acted precipitously.

Obama is an unknown. Truly shrouded in an odd veil of obfuscation. Time will tell.

J