I'm on my way to vote
Just about to head out the door to cast my ballot. If you didn't get my e-mail about the importance of being involved in the electoral process and how to discern who to vote for, you can read an abridged version below:
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
The moment I neglect my civic responsibility, more than that my Christian duty, to engage in electing worthy men and women into office is the moment I give evil the right of way to seize and destroy this country. People’s lives are affected by whether I make an informed vote or not. Love for others demands that I do something.
Our founding fathers held strong convictions that participating in the electoral process was a privilege and a duty that every God-fearing citizen should be a part of. They felt this way, in part, because of the directives found in Scripture to pray for and obey governing authorities that commend what is right and punish the evildoer (see Romans 13 and I Tim. 2:1-7)
So, out of a love and concern for people, I urge you to vote today. If you need help on how to cast your ballot, here's three things to consider:
1) Pray.
Do we not serve a God who exists and who richly rewards those who seek Him? Let’s demonstrate that we have greater faith in Christ than we do in our government by praying first.
2) Get Educated.
In our day, we primarily have a two party system: democrat and republican. Very few candidates deviate from their party’s political platform. A vote for a candidate is a vote for their party’s philosophical, financial, and moral agenda. There’s no way around it. So here are a couple of links where you can see what position a candidate of a particular party will take and how his or her vote will inevitably fall:
This link follows the history of party platforms over the years focusing on key issues of interest to Christians.
This link summarizes and compare the current party platforms for the 2 major parties.
This link compares the positions of the two candidates running for the Iowa governor position.
Lastly, in our day, many judges legislate from the bench as much as, if not even more than, they interpret the law. Therefore, voting for judges that don’t see their role as activists and are more constructionist in their beliefs will help keep our country “of the people by the people for the people”. This link will help you know how some of the judges view their role and responsibility.
3) Vote by faith and conviction.
Go to this site to find your local voting location.
God bless America.
Comments
My concern regarding your mass e-mail and blog posting is the mixing of opinion and fact. Any time one presents fact within the context of an opinion, my journalistic insticts get sensitive. Reason is, knowing you've got an opinion and that you're presenting it to us for the purpose of persuasion, the facts you present are ones that will support you, and the sources you use will be ones who also present the information needed to further your opinion. It's all good when it's opinion, but the context of your e-mail and blog were also one of honest help in assisting fellow citizens in making a voting decision and using fact to make that presentation. The full truth is not presented when only some of the facts are chosen-- when the opinion-holder regulates which facts get through. Your sources, especially in your e-mail, are plainly ones which will support your conclusion regarding one particular party.
My conclusion is not encouraging desensitiezed, objective journalism when blogging and e-mailing guiding words to your followers. I'm sure you would rather distribute your opinion. Therefore, make sure it's known plainly that you are delivering an opinion, and take that stance throughout the communication. A simple disclaimer is not enough. The human mind doesn't work like that. Don't stand behind a veil. Let your word be guised only as what it is meant to be; don't dwell in both forms of business when you have followers at stake. Are you presenting your opinion on a candidate(s) or party platform? Or are you presenting an unbiased guide offered in prayerful assistance to once fellow citizens, brothers, followers?
Posted by: vos at November 8, 2006 05:22 AMThanks for your thoughts, Adam. I appreciate your concern for my integrity. Since you have "journalistic instincts", it would be a beautiful thing to see such radar in use when writing/ reading news reports. I trust you are well aware of the bias in the media and the selective use of data in reporting.
What I wrote in my e-mail and blog was by no means intended to be an viewed as a news article. I'm well aware that it was biased. Actually, the real question isn't are you biased or not, but what bias is the best bias to be biased with.
I feel that my bias is supported by well reasoned facts. If not, I would love to discuss which of my facts/ sources are not accurate or paint such a imbalanced picture that my conclusions are not valid.
So I'd love get together and talk about these things. My goal is not to prove myself right, but to know the truth that I might stand in the right. Because who wants to be wrong? Not me.
My Wednesdays are generally open and flexible after 10am.
Thanks again for your thoughts, Adam.
As a Christian, I feel there are many more issues than abortion and homosexuality. (Did Jesus ever say a word about homosexuality?) The 150,000 innocent lives lost by Iraqis is the biggest moral problem our country faces. They weigh on me and grieve my heart. But even here at home, I think that hunger and poverty are more important. We say we believe in family, but do nothing about families earning the minimum wage, who never get time with their kids because they're always working.
Posted by: Greg A at November 10, 2006 09:06 AMGreg, I value and identify with your concern for people's lives. I'm right there with you.
Actually, Jesus' silence on the homosexuality issues is telling because according to the law that Jesus lived under the practice of homosexuality was condemnable by death... and yet He never spoke out against it.
He did, though, reaffirm that marriage was created by God as between one man and one woman (Matt. 19:4-6).
I trust, Adam, that you realize that Saddam Hussein was slaughtering his own people by the thousands and was holding them captive to his tyranny. One aspect of that murderous rampage is what he is condemned to death for ( http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,,20705896-5001021,00.html ).
Historically, this situation is similar to WW II which cost the lives of thousands of Germans but in so doing thousands more were saved from their genocidal efforts to prepare the way for the master race. Our government "does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God�s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer." (Rom. 13: 4)
You can read Time magazine's account of the atrocities under Hussein ( http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,20020513,00.html ) to get a better idea of the liberative benefits of America's efforts in Iraq.