After visiting Columbus, Ohio for the baptism of our grandson, Geert Willem Fischer, I have decided to vote for the Republican ticket. Do I love the candidates? Not particularly. Do I hate Mr. Obama? Not particularly. Frankly, I think both tickets are greatly flawed. In the end, however, I will vote my conscience, and my Christian, Calvinistic, mid-western, middle class, female conscience says that I will vote for the candidates and party platform which most closely aligns with my Biblical beliefs and ethical worldview.
So what does baptism have to do with elections? Just this, that a baby is infinitely precious to his family and to God. The thought that the Democratic party supports abortion as a policy is repugnant to me. Mr. Obama himself assents to abortion and even to allow the destruction of a child who survives abortion because, he says, it is the law of the land. That only makes sense to the mind of a Harvard lawyer who has no personal ethic, who cannot think morally, and who is so politically centered, that he cannot rise above the "law" to think about the ethic and moral implications of the law. There is civil law and there are moral laws and they often conflict.
Will he have the vision and courage to distinguish between the two?
I can't understand why some voters, especially Christians, can bypass this issue. I have been told that I shouldn't be a "one-issue" voter" as though one issue couldn't mean that much. I resent people looking down their erudite noses at me as though I am too ignorant to think logically, or too old to have wisdom, or too emotional to make the best objective decision. If I told you that Mr. Obama favors limiting the number of dogs born in America by strangling them or crushing their heads before they are born, then cutting them up into pieces before they are removed from the mother, most people would be so disgusted that they would dismiss him as a candidate without discussion. But this is exactly what he supports, not of dogs but of infants--children!
Strip all of life down to its essentials and you will find that there is no real value in money, or houses, or bank accounts (literally!), in position, in politics, in the media, in opinion, in power, etc.
The only essential that has value for now and eternity is God and his Word and our relationship to both, especially within the family dynamic. If you believe God's Word to be true and have absolute value, you will want to follow God's laws and promote it, even when or if it differs from the civil law under which you may live. This may be a difficult position; you may be mocked; you may be ostracized; you may suffer. But that's what we do; we suffer. Whether for good or evil, we suffer. I would prefer to suffer for good, wouldn't you?
Obviously, this is an issue much larger than the abortion issue alone.
You may be saying, you can't expect your politicians to have the same values as you have. You are right. But that doesn't mean I have to vote for them. I will vote for the party and the platform that comes closest to Biblical precepts that guide my life. Will they be perfect candidates? Heavens, NO. Are you perfect? Am I perfect? But I know that our country is at a moral crossroads, and this is no time to forget our Christian principles and vote for the wrong person for the wrong reason.
Geert Willem is a precious child. I teach precious children every day. No one has the right to allow, and certainly not to promote the killing of precious children like them. No one.
7 comments:
Jan, please see:
http://www.prolifeproobama.com/plpo.pdf
Abortions go down under Democratic presidencies because more programs are in place to aid new moms and babies. I know that this is an Obama site, but the stats are there and they are not his stats.
Diane
Thank you, Diane. The stats were very interesting. They don't answer for me the basic issue, however. Lowering of the abortion rate over the Clinton years and also during the Bush years has been welcome news, but the cause has not been political. The prevalent and now standard use of ultrasound, educational programs to promote abstinence, along with many other factors have brought down the rate of deaths.
Simply bringing down the rate, however, is not good enough. Which babies will need to be sacrificed so that others may live? Abortions destroy mothers and fathers and families as well as society, and are contrary to God's law. I find no justification for this practice, can you? And I cannot imagine a political party or candidate defending the right of a mother to terminate her child's life, especially in the case of partial birth abortion.
Great post, Mom.
I have to admit that I hate the idea of being a one-issue voter, BUT when that one issue can tell you everything you want to know about a person, it's hard to ignore.
Well said - as usual. I was just discussing this issue with a girlfriend here in KY. I am not a fan of McCain, but I find Obama's EXTREME liberal stance on MOST issues literally overwhelming. I am overwhelmed by the number of Christians that will overlook his socialistic tendencies, past associations with homeland terrorists, and willingness to not only let the unborn die - but the born as well! Do you know he voted "present" when he had the chance to vote "YES" for a law making it legal to provide medical attention to a baby who has survived an abortion! Talk about covering your tracks! It's as if he fears the voices of those surviving nearly-murdered infants will grow up and come back to find him, to speak up for what he (and others) allowed. I know he has every excuse for why he voted "present", but that vote coupled with everything else he's done to not only support but encourage a woman's right to choose murder make me livid! I can't imagine what God's going to have to say about all of this - and what He's going to say to those of us who call ourselves His Children that did nothing to stop it. If we don't speak up for the unborn, who will?!?!
Ok...gotta comment on the above mentioned website. I'm saying this as respectfully as I can muster, but are you kidding me? Throw money at the problem and then it will go away. Isn't this just the message of soooo many liberals out there? Isn't this why 99% of hollywood is liberal - we feel guilty for having all this money we've done little to earn, let's force everyone to throw their money at every problem and make our consciences feel better. AND overturning Roe V Wade won't DO anything? What? So, 2 wrongs make a right? I don't care what the liberal states will do! Just because it will still occur, legal or not, does not mean the government should condone it. How about teaching personal responsibility? How about putting a stigma back on pregnancy out of wedlock and encouraging those who will abort for economic reasons to place that child for adoption. I know maaaany infertile couples on long waiting lists for just such a baby. So sorry, but this issue fuels me. I'm so sick of my tax dollars going to those individuals who are so irresponsible as to not practice safe sex -and NO it's not an education problem. Everyone and their middle school student (unfortunately) knows what safe sex is these days. The problem is this overly dependent society we've created that lives at the dinner table of government just waiting for a handout.
Great ideas, Erika. I know that whatever happens, God is in control, but we still have a responsibility to vote our conscience and try to hold back the policies and activities that dishonor God.
Love your blog and all the pictures of your amazing kiddies! Love to all,
JF
can you believe geert willem is already more than two years old? and that we already have another child? or can you believe that it's almost been two years since you wrote a post?! c'mon, oma! i miss your commentary...
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