A Challenge to Voting Christians
I don’t know about you, but I’m beginning to feel really unsettled by the direction this whole faith/politics discourse is taking.
As a Christian, I’ve moved through numerous faith communities and socialized with a variety of Christians. I’ve found that as long as we agree on some aspect of the Christian faith, things are fine. Disagreement, though, can lead to calamity. Dissension is frowned upon in Christian circles.
So I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by what I’ve seen recently. But, for some reason, I typically hold onto hope longer than I reasonably should.
America has always been a “melting pot” of cultures and colors and convictions. Our 228 year history has seen political ideologies come and go. We’ve watched Protestant denominations split and then split again. Freedom of speech has given us the ability to share dissenting views and to shape the body politic by doing so.
But a different dynamic has emerged.
Since George W. Bush is seen as the anointed man of God leading America through treacherous times (where was this argument with Clinton?), then to be against him is, apparently, to be against God. This is a frightening development.
Christians gasp (literally) when I tell them I’m a Democrat, and then try to move away from me as quickly as possible to avoid the lightning strike they expect at any moment. Drivers of cars bearing “In Case of Rapture…” stickers pass me with their middle fingers extended, in response to my Kerry/Edwards sticker. My email box has become increasingly filled with hateful tirades that invoke God’s name as justification for hatred of me. I have been told to shut up and to stop writing for the paper. The tone is beginning to match the one set by Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney (yes, I’ve even been told to “F” myself).
So, again, I have to ask: What is a Christian? What does it mean to be a follower of Christ in the twenty-first century? I’m guessing – based on the values of America – that it’s something completely different than what Christ himself mandated, but then, that wouldn’t be Christianity, would it? Christianity, by its very definition, must rest on the foundation of the teachings of Christ, right? Jesus himself asked “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do the things I say?”
This seems pretty basic to me. According to others who’ve written on this page, I am naïve. I, obviously, disagree. The Bible seems pretty clear to me. I think maybe it becomes jumbled when people try to make it fit their needs: for bloodlust, wealth, power, etc. I’m not as conflicted with the Bible because I read it to find out what it has to say to me, not what I want it to say.
Throughout history, the Bible has been used to justify slavery, murder, war, sexism and all other kinds of evil. A friend told me recently that he was an atheist because more people had died in the name of Christ than for the name of Christ.
Many Christians, feeling substantially more enlightened than Democrats who are Christians, preach a gospel of hate and vengeance and persecution and exclusion. They will share with anyone who will listen who is qualified for Heaven and who is qualified for the White House. They live in a Democracy and enjoy the freedoms provided by that democracy, while pushing for an autocratic system of rules based on a pharisaical interpretation of the Bible.
In the 2000 election, 23 million Evangelical Christians voted for George W. Bush. This represents 46 percent of his total vote count.
So, to those voters who consider themselves Christian, I offer a challenge.
There are only a few weeks left until November 2. In that time, I urge you to re-read (or for most of you, read for the first time) the Gospels of Jesus Christ. Read the words Jesus said (as opposed to those of your pastor). Stick to what the founder of your philosophical belief system said himself, and then vote with your heart.
As a Christian, I’ve moved through numerous faith communities and socialized with a variety of Christians. I’ve found that as long as we agree on some aspect of the Christian faith, things are fine. Disagreement, though, can lead to calamity. Dissension is frowned upon in Christian circles.
So I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by what I’ve seen recently. But, for some reason, I typically hold onto hope longer than I reasonably should.
America has always been a “melting pot” of cultures and colors and convictions. Our 228 year history has seen political ideologies come and go. We’ve watched Protestant denominations split and then split again. Freedom of speech has given us the ability to share dissenting views and to shape the body politic by doing so.
But a different dynamic has emerged.
Since George W. Bush is seen as the anointed man of God leading America through treacherous times (where was this argument with Clinton?), then to be against him is, apparently, to be against God. This is a frightening development.
Christians gasp (literally) when I tell them I’m a Democrat, and then try to move away from me as quickly as possible to avoid the lightning strike they expect at any moment. Drivers of cars bearing “In Case of Rapture…” stickers pass me with their middle fingers extended, in response to my Kerry/Edwards sticker. My email box has become increasingly filled with hateful tirades that invoke God’s name as justification for hatred of me. I have been told to shut up and to stop writing for the paper. The tone is beginning to match the one set by Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney (yes, I’ve even been told to “F” myself).
So, again, I have to ask: What is a Christian? What does it mean to be a follower of Christ in the twenty-first century? I’m guessing – based on the values of America – that it’s something completely different than what Christ himself mandated, but then, that wouldn’t be Christianity, would it? Christianity, by its very definition, must rest on the foundation of the teachings of Christ, right? Jesus himself asked “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do the things I say?”
This seems pretty basic to me. According to others who’ve written on this page, I am naïve. I, obviously, disagree. The Bible seems pretty clear to me. I think maybe it becomes jumbled when people try to make it fit their needs: for bloodlust, wealth, power, etc. I’m not as conflicted with the Bible because I read it to find out what it has to say to me, not what I want it to say.
Throughout history, the Bible has been used to justify slavery, murder, war, sexism and all other kinds of evil. A friend told me recently that he was an atheist because more people had died in the name of Christ than for the name of Christ.
Many Christians, feeling substantially more enlightened than Democrats who are Christians, preach a gospel of hate and vengeance and persecution and exclusion. They will share with anyone who will listen who is qualified for Heaven and who is qualified for the White House. They live in a Democracy and enjoy the freedoms provided by that democracy, while pushing for an autocratic system of rules based on a pharisaical interpretation of the Bible.
In the 2000 election, 23 million Evangelical Christians voted for George W. Bush. This represents 46 percent of his total vote count.
So, to those voters who consider themselves Christian, I offer a challenge.
There are only a few weeks left until November 2. In that time, I urge you to re-read (or for most of you, read for the first time) the Gospels of Jesus Christ. Read the words Jesus said (as opposed to those of your pastor). Stick to what the founder of your philosophical belief system said himself, and then vote with your heart.
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