I’ve heard from several place both before and after the election the phrase “There is no way a Christian could possibly vote for Obama.” The reasoning behind this is that Obama supports abortion and gay rights.
This was an issue I struggled with in this election. As a follower of Christ, I am told that every life is sacred to Him and that gay relationships are an abomination in His sight. Therefore I am supposed to refrain from both of them. That isn’t a problem for me.
Here’s a problem for me though: I’ve known and loved both gay people and people who have had abortions. Therefore they are more than just a statistic or group to me… they are representative of real people in my life.
Ultimately my stand on this issue boiled down to this: If we make abortions and gay relationships against the law, then what we’ve done is give the government the say so in both our healthcare choices and in our choice of who to pursue a relationship with. It is a very slippery slope.
If we give the authority to the government to decide what one group of individuals can and can’t do, homosexuals for instance, then where does it stop? If they can dictate how gays and women can live their life, then why stop there? Why couldn’t they then dictate to Christians how to live THEIR lives?
Think about it, fellow Christians. Do you really want to give our government that kind of authority? Are you naive enough to believe that a secular government would stop with gays and not extend that level of control to all walks of life?
Just because the law would allow for abortions or gay marriage doesn’t mean you have to participate. You CAN’T force non-Chrisitans to live by Christians standards. We derive our standards, or morals, from Christ. Non-Christians, obviously, don’t recognize Him as an authority. Why then would they submit themselves to His ways?
The answer to combating the sins of abortion and homosexuality is -not- to force Christ’s standards onto the people. The answer is to introduce the people to Christ.
My vote for Obama was a vote against Government making decisions about my life for me. In an indirect way, it was a vote for my religious freedom… my freedom to choose, for -myself-, not to have an abortion or to be in a homosexual relationship.
Government shouldn’t decide how I live my life. Religion shouldn’t decide how the non-religious live thier lives.
We, as Christians, should worry less about changing the law and focus more and changing hearts.
Feel free to disagree with all of us. That’s your right. The Body of Christ is a diverse group, made up of many different parts. So too is America. Try to remember that.
