I've Gone And Done It Now!
I have voted for a president for exactly the second time in my life. I was raised in a largely right wing environment. I guess that's why voting for Ross Perot in 1992 was such a big deal. I was breaking with tradition, starting to think for myself. I became a bit disillusioned with the two-party system and decided to forgo voting for a while. Then I started regaining an interest in politics. The problem was that you can't speak to something that you are not participating in. So I registered, and here we are.
I am not as timid about my views anymore. Thanks to my wife, I have learned to talk about issues in a more articulate way. Sometimes. Okay, maybe I still bludgeon people with them. I guess we all become our parents eventually. Either way, we should not have to vote out of fear. We should be voting FOR something, not simply AGAINST something. Jim Wallis in a blog entry on God's Politics articulates how fear is not what we should be subjected to or subjecting other people to:
"The fact that Barack Obama is the first black nominee of a major party for president gives all the fear a decidedly racial undertone. YouTube has quickly become populated with video after video of the dark underbelly of American fear and racism. The innuendos and rumors have brought to the surface latent fears and thinly veiled biases that many had hoped were gone from our country. The message of fear is the same: Obama may look okay on the surface, but we don’t know what might lie beneath.
Regardless of whether one favors Obama or McCain, this development should be of concern to all Americans, and especially people of faith. There is now a new spiritual dimension to this election, and it is decidedly evil. Christians believe that “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out all fear...” (1 John 4:18.) There are, of course, good and decent motivations to vote either way in this election. Strong people of faith will be marking different boxes on Election Day, but for people of faith there will be a spiritual decision to be made as well. Will we put our trust in the power of fear or hope?:
I agree. We can disagree without hate. Really, we can do it. We simply have to keep the dialogue going in a caring manner. There, how hard can it be? Peace.
I am not as timid about my views anymore. Thanks to my wife, I have learned to talk about issues in a more articulate way. Sometimes. Okay, maybe I still bludgeon people with them. I guess we all become our parents eventually. Either way, we should not have to vote out of fear. We should be voting FOR something, not simply AGAINST something. Jim Wallis in a blog entry on God's Politics articulates how fear is not what we should be subjected to or subjecting other people to:
"The fact that Barack Obama is the first black nominee of a major party for president gives all the fear a decidedly racial undertone. YouTube has quickly become populated with video after video of the dark underbelly of American fear and racism. The innuendos and rumors have brought to the surface latent fears and thinly veiled biases that many had hoped were gone from our country. The message of fear is the same: Obama may look okay on the surface, but we don’t know what might lie beneath.
Regardless of whether one favors Obama or McCain, this development should be of concern to all Americans, and especially people of faith. There is now a new spiritual dimension to this election, and it is decidedly evil. Christians believe that “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out all fear...” (1 John 4:18.) There are, of course, good and decent motivations to vote either way in this election. Strong people of faith will be marking different boxes on Election Day, but for people of faith there will be a spiritual decision to be made as well. Will we put our trust in the power of fear or hope?:
I agree. We can disagree without hate. Really, we can do it. We simply have to keep the dialogue going in a caring manner. There, how hard can it be? Peace.
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