Goodness, I knew it wouldn't be long before I succumbed to the desire to jump in on one of the FF political discussions...I guess that's what being a former Helms School student will do to ya.
Haize, I've got to disagree with you on this one. I would argue that it's the Left that is that is pushing their worldview on the United States. When you say "their way only," well, that's funny because that's the way the Left operates as well. And as far as the discussion about legislating morality, are not the Great Society or the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act the legislation of morality (that we should help 'the least of these')?
Your arguments regarding the Right not wanting to help the poor and sick are misinformed; there are many on the Christian Right that want to help the poor and the sick and do so themselves, or via their Church or another organization. What the Christian Right opposes is legal plunder and coercive rescue - redistributive taxation and government welfare - that is not biblical. Yes, as Christians, members of God's Kingdom, we are called to help the poor and the sick, not pass the buck off to the government and be coerced into it (via the tax code, etc.). Coerced love is not love at all. Not to mention that many of the issues of poverty or extremely high medical costs are a result of government interference in the marketplace.
Now, regarding gay 'marriage' rights and abortion. Bunk. Homosexuals have the same rights as heterosexuals do - they have the freedom to marry whomever they desire of the opposite sex as long as they are of age and not a distant relative. So the call for 'equal rights' is out of the window. The push for gay 'marriages' is a push to normalize homosexual behavior, which at risk of further disruption of the thread topic, is pretty clearly dealt with in Scripture. There are many life-long, love-based relationships I have in my life - my parents, my brothers, my close friends, the guys on my hall - but none of those relationships can be defined as marriage. Marriage is a covenant relationship of one man, one woman, for life that reflects the nature of a triune God. Anything other than that is not true, biblical marriage. If the argument for it is based on tax benefits or healthcare, change the tax code or laws regarding healthcare, but to demand that I as a Christian recognize a homosexual partnership as marriage is a violation of my conscience.
Abortion has been dealt with fairly well through the posts, so I won't go into much other than saying that the Pro-Choice movement is really a Pro-Have-Sex-With-Whomever-You-Want-Whenever-You-Want-And-Don't-Face-The-Consequences movement. It is the slaughter of an innocent human life, no matter its developmental stage (the zygote has a unique and fully human DNA). The baby's right to life trumps (no pun intended...at least its on topic) the mother's rights to liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
The problem is that as a culture, process philosophy and relativism is the dominant worldview and has been at least for the last century. God has been removed as the Creator and Sustainer of all things, and in His place, man has been raised to become the measure of all things. And what is government, but man aggregated? If there is no God, something must take His place - that something is the State, and if the State takes the place of God, it must take on the attributes of God - omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience. That has been the story since the turn of the 20th century. And at times, both parties are to blame for the massive expansion of government power, however, one party tends to expand it more than the other, or at least desires to do so. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God supremely and love our neighbors as ourselves. A limited government allows for this command to be obeyed to its fullest degree.
And personally, I know quite a few people who are faithful Christians and vote Democrat, and while I disagree with their political choices and think they operate from wrong presuppositions, I still call them friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ. Just a few thoughts from one of those crazy Moral Majority types!
- By olldflame