Well. I've certainly stirred up quite a few folks
out there, and it all centers on the issue of voting in the upcoming
election ..... We've seen several comments on the site as well as many
other private e-mails, phone calls, personal conversations, and the
like ... and I promised most all that I would address it in this week's
commentary ... so here goes ........
I've been really praying for a way to express my
opinion in a way that would make sense to most all, regardless of their
political or religious affiliation ... and finally this morning, it
came to me. ... And what a coincidence! ... It was while I was reading
Scripture.
In 1st Peter 1:1, it says, "... To God's elect,
strangers in the world ......" During the time of Peter's
writing, we know that Christians were under terrible persecution ...
to the point of being martyred for their faith. ... and because of those
conditions, political activism in any form just didn't happen. ... In
fact, their entire focus was presenting the soul-saving Gospel of Jesus
Christ to as many lost souls as possible ... at any cost.
Now let's fast-forward to America ... and a bit
of history. ... When the United States first came into existence....
and up until some 40-50 years ago, being a Christian was openly accepted,
and in fact, was mostly welcomed in all walks of our society, including
politics. ... But then, starting in the 1960's, it
all began to change ... and slowly but surely, with each passing day,
our Christian way of life began disappearing .... to the point that
now, 'Separation of Church and State' is the accepted way of life.
In fact, to mix the two is met with hostility..... and with each passing
day, its even evolving into hatred.
So now with this 'separation' mentality in place,
the only thing left for the 'practicing' Christian ... if one chooses
to be politically motivated ... is to compromise in many areas just
to be involved ... and that includes running for a position, or just
supporting someone who runs for office.
Now let me share some personal experiences to support
this statement as it relates to compromise ... or 'working together'
for the common good. ... Several times in my working years, I was involved
in the corporate world ... and at a high enough level to have 'rubbed
elbows' with very powerful people ... both in business and politics.
... Without implicating any one specifically, I will tell you that "compromise"
was ... and is ... THE way of life. ... And again, not mentioning any
one person by name, I can tell you I was shocked ... and very disappointed
at some of the things I saw take place in that world ... and by certain
people I had previously held in high esteem. ...It seemed that most
would "sell their souls" for the good of ............ who?
So now, where does this leave us Christians ...
those of us who try our best to follow the true teachings of the Holy
Scriptures? ... Once again, we find ourselves as "strangers in
the world." ... Maybe it's not as bad as it was in Peter's day
... at least not yet ... but we are being pushed further and further
out of the system that's now running our society.
So now we come to the opening question of this commentary
... voting/participating in this system. .... I know, from
talking with many of you, that you essentially agree with what I'm saying,
but the "old ways" are very difficult to forsake. ... Most
all of us have grown up participating one way or another in the political
process ... myself included ... but the more corrupt the system becomes
.. and the more I study the teachings of The Bible, I know that I personally
cannot continue to be involved ... I can no longer 'look the other way'
when it comes to compromising the basic tenants of my faith.
When looking at my choices this election day ...
one a member of a cult ... and the other ... a Muslim, or at best, an
apostate Christian ... I just can't go there..
Several have said to me ... "but wouldn't Romney
be the 'lesser of two evils?' ... My response was simply ... "either
way, it's still evil."
Again I will say .... I have great sadness for those
who still struggle with these difficult decisions concerning the world
we live in. ... I can say that ... finally ... after much study and
prayer ... that I am now able to 'separate' myself from these things.
... I know that it labels me a "separatist" ... and most will
not agree with me ... and that's OK ....
To each of you who are still working through this
dilemma, know that I'm not trying to tell you whether to vote or not
... that's certainly not my place. ... It's just that several
have asked ....
Come November 6th, vote your conscience ... or not
... At least you still have that choice ... for a bit longer anyway
...
Until next time,
Red