it's one thing for a candidate to say that he has arrived at his own conclusion on a difficult issue through much thought, soul-searching, and consideration of the views of others he respects.

it's quite another for a candidate to take a particular stance because he believes that "God is quite clear on the issue."

the former i respect, even if i don't reach the same conclusion he does - hence, even though i think it's high time we get out of iraq, i can respect sen. mccain's view. i might even vote for him.

the latter i do not respect, and it's why i could not have voted for a third term for bush even though his stance on the war mirrors mccain's. i truly believe pres. bush thought he was on a "mission from God" that led to the invasion of iraq; this kind of arrogance frightens me.

as i've gotten older, i've learned that effective leadership begins with a large dose of humility. and while mccain may have had other reasons for his post-florida-victory comments, i did sense in them a measure of humility.

i thank Jesus for teaching us to be wise as serpents.

now, if only he'd come back and give us pointers on choosing among snakes...

When religion and politics become fused, those outside of our faith develop simplistic views about who we are as a people. Over time, we as Christians have become so connected to the Republican party as to become inseparable.

I know those evangelicals who promote political advocacy mean well. I fear, however, that we as Christians have placed ourselves in a position where we are being "voted out." We have no one to blame but ourselves for this. By politicizing our faith we have essentially declared our candidacy. Unfortunately, fewer and fewer "voters" like the simple-minded, anti-everything message some of us are selling.

I promise politicians would quit pandering to us if we quit pretending their efforts were anywhere near as important as God's redemptive work. No more political idolatry!

"But the Democratic platform seems more sympathetic to the poor, orphans, and widows"

Seems is the operative word in that sentence. Just because Democratic plans may more often give a helping hand to the poor and needy doesn't mean its what is best for them in the long run. In some cases, I am sure it is what is best. I am not here making an argument for or against Republicans or Democrats (I myself am an undecided voter as well). My only point is that we should carefully analyze the policies of both sides - both the ideologies behind them as well as the practical outcomes - instead of assuming that any and all help is good help.

Whether wittingly, or unwittingly, the Editors of UR summate the blindness and self-inflicted myopia in the church with the truth in this quote, "The use of religion as a political weapon..."

"Satan doesn't care which extreme you choose, just as long as you pick one."
CS Lewis.

Sheerahkahn

This is an interesting take on religion in politics. If we go back to the founding fathers we can see that the "God Strategy" was a significant part of the foundation for them as they charted a new course for a new country. The big difference between parties then was their views on the the actual structural form the government should take rather than on "bellweather" issues (see the writings of George Washington vs John Adams). The reason was that a huge majority (not everyone of course)of the people who had the power to vote at that time shared the same basic value or moral system and worldview. This is no longer true. Prior to Roe vs Wade most Christians had been led to believe that involvement in politics was something a good person should not dirty their hands with. The wake up call came with the Supreme Court's abortion ruling rather than from the voice of the people and it came with little warning. I was in college at the time and when I heard about it, I didn't even know what abortion was. Talk about a cultural shift!

It seems to me that the use of the four strategies listed above is a time honored political ploy that is routinely applied to every special interest group. Think about the global warming crowd or workers unions or the homosexual lobby and it all fits. I read an article some years ago about an extensive study that attempted to understand what influences people to vote the way they do. Listed here are the top three:

1. Emotion
2. Emotion
3. Emotion

Completely different and very refreshing look at Christianity and politics, have a look at Pastor Greg Boyd's (Woodland Hills Church, St Paul, MN) recent blog posts. (I have no connection with him. It's just good stuff.)

I actually think that the current evangelical wing of the American church has been so totally corrupted by its association with politics that it's beyond redemption. There needs to be a starting over. How to avoid being manipulated? Try using Scot P's last paragraph as a guideline. The kingdom of God is not a Christianised version of the kingdom of the world, and it's about time we all recognised that.

I'm an "old guy." I was told in the mid-70s that "you can be a Christian and not a Democrat, but can't be a Democrat without being a Christian." Back then, the Democrats supported social justice with a faith-based underpinning, and the Republicans were the party of deception and discrimination. Not until Roe v. Wade and banning of school prayer did the so-called "moral majority" make a pact with the party not in power (the Repubicans).

What I hope the current generation is telling us is that politicians will use whoever they need to so they can maintain power over this world, and what matters eternally is not what the government can give us, but personal action according to the will of God.

First off, protecting citizens of this nation according to the U.S. Constitution against terrorism both foreign and domestic has never been arrogant in any form. Our freedom has been a known quantities for many generations, and that is why so many from other nations are coming to our shores. To be a Christian and then look the other way when we see evil done in the name of God, is not being Christian like.
Let us understand we are a nation of laws, and they must be followed by all.
I rather fight the enemy in their backyard opposed to ours or yours. Either across borders, or across the world.
When are people going to understand there was weapons of mass destruction over there. The gassing of the Kurds, or do they not count.
The many graves our braves soldiers dung up in the sand. How easy it is to turn away, turn the other channel on the T.V. and mouth the words that we want to here.
We are all God's children, and I wish and pray those in power start acting like it.

Another comment please, Abraham came from Ur, and he was personally taught by his Heavenly Father the true Gospel. He is also known as the father of the Jewish nation, Christians and Islam. Where did man go wrong. We know Abraham was taught correct principles, and as a loving father I'm sure he taught his children correct principles. so what happened.
Words have meaning, but if we do nothing they mean nothing.

as a canadian, i won't be voting, but i follow politics and this is by far the most interesting race in my lifetime (b.1984).

what i find particularly interesting (and disturbing, ironic, and laughably hypocritical) is how deliberately and aggressively the candidates are blurring the lines between church and state by making faith-based politics the focus of this race.

i'm from the province of quebec, where we have a tortured history of the church dictating to their congregations how to vote (under severed penalties for disobedience), until the quiet revolution of the 60s stripped the church of its power over the people. this unfortunately proved the need for the separation of church and state, and the bitterness and disdain for the church and christians remains strong today.

goodness knows there's been enough whining in the media about the blurring of church and state since bush got elected. so where do the candidates get off doing it just as fiercely?

Melody,

The Founding Fathers believed in god? Which god? The God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Jesus Christ? Or the God of Kant, Locke, and Hume?

Sam, you ask a very valid question. We all know that America's founding fathers had strong religious views and they were not all the same. Many of John Locke's ideas were espoused in the original documents, such as the right of the people to overthrow their leaders. He certainly did not espouse himself to be a Christian but is considered a father of liberalism. As for Kant and Hume, I think they were probably too young to have had much influence at the time of the Revolution. I will state again, though, that many of the signers of that great document, as evidenced in their writings, experienced a strong relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and were on a first name basis with Jesus Christ. One of the saddest realities about our country is the gross lack of knowledge of most Americans about the revolution and how we came to be a republic rather than a democracy. Even Republicans today think we are a democracy. This was made clear when GWB was able to win the presidency through the electoral college while losing the popular vote; and people just didn't get it. A great read about all this stuff involves two books: "The Federalist Papers" and "The Anti-Federalist Papers" (published by A Mentor Book - New American Library). There was a lot of hashing out of ideas to get what we got. It's still the best model out there.

VOTE HUCKABEE, FIGHT ABORTION,

and let the Devil take the hindmost parts with the rest of it.

cb

Has voting Republican ever helped further the Kingdom of God on earth? Have the Republicans ever done anything to end abortions? I'm not seeing it. What I am seeing is a political party taking advantage of Christians and using the church to gain their own power. Don't be duped!

It's about time someone publicly recognized the fact that being a Republican is not an official requirement for entrance into the presence of our Savior...

The great misconception is that the founding "fathers" were evangelical Christians, when in fact, most of them were deists, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

I dont know alot about politics, this will only be my second presidency vote cast (b.1984). I just know Ive been doing some research of my own, and I keep coming to the same conclusion about all the candidates-

All I can do is try to make a mildly educated decision and attempt to choose between the lesser of two(or more) evils...

It saddens me deeply.

I just wanted to get that off my chest.