Can you be both a Christian and a Democrat?

This is a serious question that is not often talked about openly. However, in this historical political season, I felt it necessary to put this topic on the table for discussion. Can you be both a Christian and a Democrat? Of course, I personally know that you can, seeing as I am a Christian and I will be voting Democrat this year. However, I typically consider myself to be an Independant. I just believe in voting for the person I believe is best for the job, not necessarily for a party. Especially since many Democratic and Republican candidates of the past could have practicaly ran on the same ticket they were so similar. My political beliefs tend to be in line with the Democratic "big government" philosophy. However, my conservative Christian personal beliefs are often in line with some of the personal beliefs of several Republicans. The reason why I feel there is a need to discuss this topic is because I know there are many people who believe that if you are a Christian...a TRUE Christian, then you cannot vote Democratic. I personally find this ridiculous for many reasons. Number one, there are Christian candidates on both sides of the party lines. Number two, not every so-called Christian Republican has proven to be Christian in actions - just in words. Number three, being "Christian-like" has proved to be somewhat subjective. I personally believe that we should look at each person that is running for any office on a person by person basis. Not based on blanket claims. If, after looking at everything that a candidate is and stands for and looking at the policies that person will put in place, you find one candidate more favorable than the other, that is who we should vote for. I'm not down with voting for someone "just because they are black" or "just because she is a woman" or any other reason that is shallow. However, I am aware that people do vote based on these things and I understand that. I don't vote based on that, but I do feel that people vote for people based on a myriad of reasons. Many of those reasons are about who one can relate to. Let's be honest, if Black people were voting strictly on race, wouldn't Jesse Jackson have made it much further? I believe that people are voting for Barack Obama because he is capable. He graduated at the top of his Harvard Law class. He has worked years serving the inner city communities from which he and his wife came. He has been working in politics for years and in those years, he accomplished much. He is an excellent speech writer and speaker. He has attacked such issues as race relations in our country with grace and intelligence. His speech at the DNC a few years ago served to unite our country in a way that is necessary in order for us to move forward. He possess the tact to help repair our international reputation that has been so severely tarnished. He has proven to be a faithful and loving family man to his wife and children. He is a Christian who believes in the power of prayer and knows the role that faith plays in one's life. He is interested in improving our economy in a time when people are losing their homes and jobs. He is believes that healthcare is a basic human right, and should not just be a privilege. He believes in the importance of education. Both he and his wife are ivy league graduates and have come from working class families. They ARE the American dream in a time in our country where it is getting hard for many people to "dream." I already spoke on my reasons for opposing Sarah Palin so I will not repeat them here. There is other information swirling around about her that right now can only be categorized as rumors and therefore I will not list those here unless they are proven to be true. Instead, I will speak to some issues I have with Senator McCain. For one, I am not liking that he chose Sarah Palin as VP. I mean, I believe it was reported that he had only met her once, if at all? I truly question his reasoning for chosing her. It is very clear at this late stage of the campaign that Sarah Palin seems to be dragging the McCain campaign down. She is not very knowledgable on political issues and doesn't even know what the job of VP is all about. This is evident from her interviews, speeches, and debates. Besides that, there are definite character isssues with McCain. I honestly respect the time that he served our country in the military. Nobody can take that from him and I believe everyone tips our hat to him and all our military men and women. I could not do what it is that they do. It takes a special person to do military work. I do, however, find it distasteful that he divorced his first wife upon returning from his military duty after she was disfigured in a horrible car accident. Now, I believe that no one can really make too much of a judgement here because we were not there and don't know the dynamics of the relationship. It does start to look extra shady though when shortly after, he married a very wealthy Cindy McCain. Also, John McCain voted against the creation of a holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1983. He has recently stated that he was mistaken in that decision although he has opposed other key civil rights laws. Okay, we are not perfect and all of us make mistakes. However, I do believe that this speaks to his lack of judgement. Some might say it speaks to other things as well, but I won't go there. I just think that it is important to note as it has weighed in my decision about who I am going to vote for. McCain and his wife are also very very wealthy. He has been noted as one of the richest senators in a senate filled with millionares. I honestly do not have an issue with people being rich, but when you are so well off that you "forget how many homes you own," that is a bit much. It is not that I begrudge any one anything that they have worked hard enough for (though it seems that much of their wealth is from Cindy McCain's parents) it does make him a bit disconnected to the majority of Americans. I mean, with so many people unable to pay their mortgages, is he relatable? For many people yes, but for many others the answer is no. Perhaps this is why McCain is fighting so hard to continue a tax cute for the wealthiest Americans that was implemented by George Bush. He has ran a very dirty campaign and is now calling Obama a socialist because he wants to reverse the tax cute on Americans making over 250,000 dollars, but give a tax break to those making less than that. It is a really cheap shot and a desperate attempt by the McCain camp. Finally, McCain's education. Though he does not have a degree from a University, he did attend the United States Naval Academy. However, he graduated 5th from the last in his class. Yeah, he graduated number 894 our of 899. We won't even go into Sarah Palin's record on education. In my book, Barack Obama is the right candidate for the righ time and I am going whole hog. This is the first election that I have gotten so involved in the political process. I have volunteered at voter registration drives, donated money to the campaign, voted in the primary election, etc. It is an exciting time!

To further address the question of Christianity and politics I would like to talk about the issue of abortion. Whew! Talk about hot topics! Let me just begin by stating that my personal opinion on abortion is that it is wrong. In my house, under any circumstance, it is wrong. Barack Obama is pro-choice and believes that women should have the right to choose whether or not to have an abortion. He believes in regulating the abortion laws so that while, women can have their rights protected, putting restrictions on abortion is also necessary. Obama also believes in preventative measures for youth so as to reduce the possibility of needing an abortion in the first place. I don't think that anyone is pro-abortion. This is really about a personal right and choice. Abortion as a means of birth control is not something that anyone that I know deems as morally correct. However, in the cases of rape or incest or countless other "scenarios" the area gets a little gray. Even McCain's and his wife Cindy think that rape or incest are exceptions for abortion. The bottom line is that politically speaking, it becomes something difficult to legislate. I can believe that it is wrong. However, should a victim of incest be forced to have a baby by law? Maybe so....what about situations where the mother is going to die if she has the baby. Should it be her and her families choice to decide how to move forward on that? I'm sure that these are a small percentage of all abortions, but nontheless, it does seem like something that needs to be regulated and not a no-tolerance, blanket approach. The truth of the matter is that, politically, I believe that the issue of abortion has historically been used to gain access to the office of presidency as a smoke screeen rather than a real means to change. George Bush, is anti-abortion, yet, no abortion laws have really changed under his time as president. My point being, that issues that are difficult to legislate based on a moral decision often get a person in office but does not affect any legislation on that issue. Then all the other issues that person is for (economy, education, healthcare, etc.) are the issues that actually get passed! So, it is food for thought, but I just cannot vote based on one issue. I have to vote based on the big picture and the reality of what is truly going to be done in our country. I mean, let's be honest. Bill Clinton was not my favorite person on a personal level. I do not respect men who cheat on their wives. However, our economy was good during his presidency. This time I feel good about Barack Obama's personal character as well as his public policy decisions. It is something to pray about and truly feel comfortable with one's vote. I have done this and have peace about my decision.