So the election is over. Obama won. I came back to my desk at lunch to find the news. When I checked my News Feed on Facebook, I was appalled by what I saw. In fact, at this moment, knowing the people I've seen write what they write, and knowing what they proclaim to be, I'm almost ashamed to even call myself a Christian, because to do so, knowing that I can't be the only one seeing these things, and other Christians are doing the same, I would be associated with the brutish, childish, and arrogant behavior that was being exhibited through Facebook.
What I'm now about to state is an extrapolation on what I stated earlier on Facebook. I'm going to hold back no punches. If you don't like it, fine. If you want to discuss it, fine, if it's respectful. If for some reason you want to snub your nose at me, like a lot of you have done to approximately 50% of Americans tonight, sure, delete me from Facebook. I will not be crying tears over lost friends if I'm losing friends over something like this.
I will not name any names, but I will certainly be providing certain statements that turned my stomach to see.
"I am pretty sure the Founding Fathers would be rolling over in their graves at how the current residents of most of their original colonies/states chose to vote... If our founding fathers were anything, it was for little government. Our nation was founded on folks being self-governed. I suppose when a nation of people go out of control, they get the leader they truly deserve though..."
"I think I'll take a sleeping pill that'll last four years. Wake me when it's over."
This is just a taste of it.
Now, most of these people were really strong to point out Romans 13:1 prior to the election. "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established." Yet, since they found out Obama was re-elected, that tune has changed dramatically.
Now, before I even go any further, let me state my political positions. I am pro life. I unquestionably believe life starts at conception. I oppose same-sex marriage, and believe that marriage is between one man and one woman. I am pro-Israel, because God blesses the nations who bless Israel and curses those who curse it. I voted Ron Paul in the Republican primary. I was unable to vote in the general election due to my ballot never arriving in China. Had I have received it, I would have voted for Virgil Goode of the Constitution party, and not for either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney. I had problems with both of them.
I have problems with Obama's stances on abortion and gay rights. I'm not fully aware of his stance on Israel. I'm aware that the economy has grown. I'm aware that my mother would probably be without her medication if it weren't for Obamacare, as she has been out of work for over a year due to circumstances far beyond her control. (and believe me, she'd rather work, so don't even attack her)
I have problems, first and foremost, in voting for a Mormon candidate, which any strong Christian that with a basic understanding of theology would be able to identify as a cult, which is partly why I refused to vote for Romney. I am aware he's pro-life, and pro-sanctity of marriage. But if you would into his speeches, you would see that he, like on so many issues, has flip flopped. He recently made a bumbling buffoon out of himself on his overseas jaunt, and started lashing out at China, where I am currently living, which would exacerbate the already delicate living situation I find myself in right now.
And that's that. We were honestly voting for the lesser of two evils tonight. I know full well that my vote for Goode would've been fodder, that it was only between Romney and Obama. But when I think of the path America should be taking, I see Obama as the lesser of two evils at this juncture, and more capable of leading this country than Mitt Romney. And you would be surprised how many people OUTSIDE of America, CHRISTIANS even, agree with me.
That is my honest belief, you can take it how it is. I have never lambasted anyone for voting for Romney. I disagreed with them, for reasons I'm sure this blog post will cover, but that is their choice. And voting for Obama, or Johnston, or Stein, or Goode, or Ralph Macchio, or whatever audacious write-in candidate you wanted to write in, was just another choice. Granted, it's a very important choice, one that many people don't take seriously. But it was their choice to make.
But I did watch many people post about praying before they voted this term. I watched them quote from Romans. But now a lot of these same people, I reiterate, have become rather ravenous since the results were posted. Are you guys suddenly so unsure of this verse now? If you were clinging so tightly to this verse, expecting Mitt Romney to win the election, then you really need to re-examine your own faith in God. The God I serve doesn't give us everything we expect, but everything we need.
I can come to very few conclusions about the people who referenced this then reneged it after the results came in:
1) You believe God made a mistake
2) You believe that people have a greater influence over this world than God
3) You believe you ARE God and whoever you determined was the right candidate HAS to be President
4) You don't know God
I hate to repeat this verse again, but Romans 13:1 clearly states what should have been bore in mind when the results were announced. If Obama has been re-elected, by a straightforward, Biblical standpoint, God has appointed him as the leader of America, with his political flaws and all.
By inferring that it's EVERYONE ELSE'S fault (i.e. everyone who disagreed with your vote), you are now denying God's very omnipotence, since Romans 13:1 states God is in control of even this election. All the temper tantrums you throw does nothing to change this. By throwing the temper tantrum, you are even REBELLING AGAINST GOD! Think about that. Shudder at the thought, because it's true.
I have already had pro-life, pro-sanctity, pro-Israel thrown in my face:
I certainly don't oppose this statement. No Christian should or would knowingly or willingly oppose this. HOWEVER, let me ask this. Which is more important, having a candidate who stands behind all of these things, or having a candidate who outwardly calls himself a Christian, and not by cult standpoint. Because you can dress Romney up however way you want to, but he is still a member of the LDS church. This is a group that not only reject the Trinity as it stands in the very biblical basis of it, but actually believe that should they convert enough people into LDS, they themselves will become gods of their own worlds. And the evangelical church was literally rallying Mitt Romney! Were you really so desperate to cling to those ideals that you were willing to sacrifice your very belief in the fact that LDS is a cult in order to create a strawman argument that if Mitt Romney won the election, we were magically a Christian nation again? That's a very flawed viewpoint.
Two verses came to mind in this regard:
"Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth." --Revelation 2:15-16
We don't know exactly what the teaching of the Nicolaitans was, but we can obviously find that it was bad. Possibly false doctrine or cult practices. But people were rallying behind Romney. Too many people were congregating around someone who could, very well, in this present day, be a Nicolaitan. Your only basis for this was pro-life, pro-Israel, anti-Gay Marriage.
If you are so staunchly for those issues, but refuses to merit a man based on his belief in God, and how he exercises his faith, then you should have no problems voting for a Muslim, on the (offshoot) chance that he is not only pro-life, pro-sanctity, but also pro-Israel, right? I mean, hey, who cares what he believes about God, right? So long as women can't kill babies, homosexuals cannot marry, and Israel's protected by our extensive military arm. Right?
Christians should have opposed Romney as strongly as they oppose Islam if they believe in the God of the Bible. This is absolute truth. Neither is any more correct than the other from a Biblical standpoint. If you wanted a Christian nation, then you would not have voted for Romney.
American Christians had their chance to vote in a Christian who was pro-life, pro-Israel (despite being non-interventional unless Israel requested help), and believed marriage was between a man and a woman in Ron Paul. But he was severely ignored, even by the Christians. But Romney claims to be a Christian (which, in itself is ironic, since the LDS church has long tried to dissociate themselves with the mainstream Christian church over the persecution they purportedly suffered at the hands of it, and the fact that they believe that they're right and mainstream Christians are wrong), and people church ate it from his hands.
Moreover, let's not forget that Romney not only flip-flopped repeatedly on the campaign trail regarding his political platform, but was outright caught making hateful statements, refused to be transparent during his campaign, and at times, outright lied. And yet we throw defense lawyers to the wolves if they let guilty men go free, because they have to lie to do so. And I was supposed to rally behind him to be my next president?
Meanwhile, we have a president, who despite his misgivings, declares himself a Christian, and declares that he reads the Bible daily and prays. We can only take him at his word on this. What he does in his office is beyond what we know, so we can only pray he's telling the truth, and it is between him and God whether he is or not. And so many, as Christians, are calling out the rest of the country as lunatics for voting for him again.
It is almost like people believe that President Obama is a brainless robot* with no brain. That he cannot change his mind. But I have an idea. Maybe it sounds absurd. But we should be praying for this man. He says he's a Christian. He says he prays and reads the Bible and does devotionals every day. Well here's an absurd thought. Let's assume, and this is crazy, that he has a brain and a heart, and that God, through this prayer and Bible reading, can penetrate his heart like he's known to do. God can change this man as much as he can change ours.
*If he's a robot, he could still be reprogrammed. They still have memory chips inside.*
"I urge then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone--for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." --1 Timothy 2:1-2
If you are in such turmoil over the results, then you are clearly not practicing this. I would have prayed regardless of who won the election, even if Daniel Larusso crane technique'd his way into the White House on write-in votes.
When should these prayers have happened? As soon as your ballot was cast, in my personal opinion. And not the, "God, please let Romney win," kind of prayer. The intercession on who was to be the next President, regardless of the outcome. But seeing some people's responses, that wasn't the case.
Moreover, we should be thanking God we even have this chance. I know that's cliche by now. But I have really learned this over the last year. Some of the people I hold close to my heart couldn't even envision the possibility of electing their officials. If you don't like the choice your fellow Americans made, and refuse to support it, then I would greatly encourage you to defect to North Korea. You wouldn't ever have to worry about these elections ever again (or at least until the government there cannibalizes itself and the country reunifies). Then we can bring some of those North Koreans over to America, because they'd kill to have a choice. And they'd probably be a 1,000,000 times more respectful than people have been in the last 24 hours to whoever won the election, because at least they had a say a matter for the first time in their lives.
But instead, it's better to bemoan the fact that America made a huge mistake on Facebook right? Which, based on your beliefs, infers that God made a mistake. Then how can we even stand firm on Biblical truths anymore? If God makes mistakes, then maybe the whole creation was a mistake. Or what if there is no God? You are opening a Pandora's box by making these kind of statements. Which is why we need to think before we speak.
As far as the effectiveness of our stance on abortion, gay marriage, and Israel, I have already delved into that in a previous posting, and I don't want to prolong this already long post any further.
Today, we had a choice to bless or curse, and I saw too many people speaking curses who proclaim to know a God who blesses all who loves him. With us acting as God's representation on Earth, what does that say to the world about God? Let me say this, your antics on Facebook makes the job of ministry workers in all fields HARDER, because this is what they have to contend with. Think about that before you begin to rail out of self-righteousness, pettiness, and arrogance.
I'm sure this post will ruffle some feathers, and lose me some friends. But I'll stand physically alone if I have to on this one, because enough is enough.
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