Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘candidates’

How Can You Vote for Them?

Posted in Acceptance of Others, christian living, Love of God, tagged , , , , , , , on September 5, 2024|

by Jim Gordon

I am not much into politics and I certainly do not put much hope or trust in politicians. I very seldom make political statements since I feel politics is a personal thing. Who to vote for or if to vote is up to each individual. I also realize that not everyone who reads our articles are from the USA or of the Christian faith. So, bear with me since this will be from an American and Christian perspective.

First off, whether you vote Democrat, Republican, Independent or third-party is entirely a personal choice. I understand the concept that as Christians we live in the Kingdom of God and we trust God as our head and pledge no allegiance to man. Yet living in this world we believe in the political process and we vote for those we feel is best to lead the country. I believe in praying for our leaders and trying to get the best people into office for the good of the country no matter which party they represent.

Either way we look at this, the one thing that really bothers me is seeing Christian people and especially those in leadership positions making comments such as “if you are a Christian why are you supporting this person”, or, “if you were a real Christian, you would not be voting for that candidate” or “you cannot be a Christian and be a Democrat” or “you cannot be a Christian and vote Republican”.

I personally think that Christians who make these type statements should keep their views to themselves. We all should have the right to vote for the person we feel is best, and to do so without someone trying to put a guilt trip on us for having a different view, especially when it comes to our Christian beliefs.

I understand pastors giving their personal opinions when asked about who they like as a candidate, we all do that, but that should be done on a personal and private basis. I do not believe that should be done from the pulpit or during a church service. I believe that political parties do not define our Christian beliefs. I personally know Christians who are Republican, Democrat, Independent and who claim no political group at all. I believe it is wrong for a Christian to use their religious belief to guilt another person and say they should not vote for a particular party or candidate.

I think most people are smart enough to listen, read and decide for themselves who they want to support. Most people want the best for our country and they believe they are voting for the person who will do the best job to fulfill that purpose, no matter which party they represent.

Jim Gordon and his wife left the institutional church after spending over fifty years within the system. Jim wanted a way to express his thoughts and concerns about the religious system and why he and his wife decided to leave the institution but not their faith in God. Jim can be contacted by email at: jimgordon731@gmail.com

Read Full Post »

Who Should We Vote For?

Posted in Acceptance of Others, christian living, Love of God, tagged , , , , , , , , , on September 1, 2024|

By Mike Edwards

I try to keep my Posts for the most part spiritual in nature as opposed to political. But those two arenas share commonalities. Both suppress freedom of speech or at least open dialogue. Try claiming God doesn’t condemn gays. You are called a heretic in many religious places. Dare to argue Covid vaccine benefits versus risks and you are called a misinformer or conspiracist. It seems to me freedom of speech is critical. May the pursuit of truth win! 

Should we vote on a candidate based on sexual history?

Currently, there are two candidates running for President in November 2024. You may need to google several search engines about their possible past sexual behaviors. If guilty, they simply join a list of past Presidents. Isn’t it more important current behaviors than past transgressions they may regret? We don’t know if they regret their sexual past because no one ask, and our past sins aren’t necessarily best to be made public. Ask their partners. And since none of us were there in the bedroom in the past, we may never know the full truth. So, basing one’s vote on past sexual behaviors is tricky. We may find no one qualifies.

Should we vote based on one character’s – if a racist, Jew hater, etc.?

Both candidates are accused of being anti-democratic. Often, candidates are accused of being a racist. In past decades racists didn’t hide their hatred for those not their color. It was obvious. I admit I am tired of being accused a racist because I am a white dude. I married my daughter to a black man with my blessings and I have biracial grandchildren. Crazy but I love them as much as the white grandchildren. I never agreed with my parents that whites can’t share the same water fountains as blacks. Yes, I am old. I am not sure we can ever definitely determine one character behind closed doors or what is claimed by others. If candidates openly proclaimed they hate Jews (i.e. Nazis) – I don’t vote! 

Vote on what you feel best for your country, children, and grandchildren

The joke is all politicians lie. Look for one who lies less. If you lean left make sure you read from those who lean to the right. I think it is fair to say the majority of mainstream media outlets lean left so the search is more challenging. If you lean right, make sure you understand policies and viewpoints of those on the left. I would suggest it’s not about one’s personality, unknown private affairs, but policies for our future.

Best decisions (finances, etc.) are made not just with our feelings but our cognitions too! Who has the best economic policies that help those who live paycheck to paycheck, not those who can survive inflation because fortunate to have extra monies? Who has the best border policies that protect us from letting in those who wish to harm us with drugs or who are on terrorist lists, etc.? Who has the best crime policies that protect us from evil people while pushing for equal justice for all?  Who best advocates for free speech so the best ideas can win the truth debate? You decide!

Who Should We Vote For?

Mike Edwards has been writing for Done with Religion for some time and has been a great addition to the site. He couldn’t find enough people to discuss God openly so he started blogging years ago. Mike also has his own site where he writes that can be found at What God May Really Be Like  He can be contacted by email at: medwar2@gmail.com

Photo For Facebook

Read Full Post »

Better Than No One

Posted in christian living, tagged , , , , , on November 10, 2018| 1 Comment »

by Rocky Glenn

Snobs are people who look down on other people.  With the recent election season concluding this past week, I am near certain if any of the candidates running for office were point-blanked questioned, “Are you a snob?  Do you consider yourself better than others?” each candidate would answer with a resounding, emphatic, “No!”  However, the campaign ads, speeches, debates, and rallies polluted the air with such a vast amount of pretentiousness, arrogance, haughtiness, condescension, and flat-out disrespect one would be hard pressed to describe the entire season as something other than a season of snobbery!!  Social media feeds were abuzz on election day not with celebrations of elections won but simply of the fact the negativity, mud-slinging, and posturing would be finally, at least momentarily, fading from the public eye.

Snobbery could be best be defined as a lack of humility.  Humility is freedom from pride or arrogance.  Although deficiencies in humility may perhaps be most prevalent and easiest to identify in the political realm, the lack thereof can be found nearly any where.  The greatest cause of snobbery and lack of humility I believe is comparison.  We live life constantly comparing ourselves to others to see how we measure up.  Even those who would deny their own personal snobbery and claim humility are susceptible to the quick sand of comparison.  I’ve never been one to intentionally display arrogance or intentionally be disrespectful to anyone, but in my former life mentally measuring my attitudes, behaviors, and activities against those shown by others was a constant way of life.  Living in such a manner is a life of constantly judging others and determining if either it’s someone you are better than or someone you should aspire to be.  It’s a life of false humility.  There may be no outward manifestations of the mental courtroom in which you personally try each person you encounter, but nonetheless each person stands before the judge in your head as you determine their value, your value in comparison to theirs, and exactly where each of you stand in regards to each other and, of course, who may be closer to God.

I shared in my last post for the first time in my life I know who I am and I am comfortable in my own skin.  The irony in that statement is for all intents and purposes to most I encounter I’m the same person and they would never know there’s anything different.  The difference lies in realizing good enough doesn’t exist and I am human and so are you.  Once those realizations are made, the internal judging and comparison has come to an end.  There is no longer a separation of me versus you, us versus them, people I’m better than versus people I should strive to be.

Paul defines living in humility in Philippians chapter 2:

If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

I began this post with a sentence from a daily email I received this week taken from the words of Frederick Buechner.  I would like to conclude with the entire passage I received:

Snobs are people who look down on other people, but that does not justify our looking down on them. Who can say what dark fears of being inferior lurk behind their superior airs or what they suffer in private for the slights they dish out in public?

Don’t look down on them for looking down on us. Look at them, instead, as friends we don’t know yet and who don’t yet know what they are missing in not knowing us.

May we all learn to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Rocky

Read Full Post »