Vote your Values

In light of recent debates over Christianity and politics, it is important for all Christians to evaluate issues based on their Christian beliefs. I however, urge Christians to go back and read what the Bible actually says rather than relying on the media to tell you what Christians are supposed to believe. I urge all Christians to base their beliefs about politics and about how we treat others on what the Bible actually says. Please study what Jesus taught, look at how he responded in different situations and analyze his teachings and parables to find answers. Do not look for answers in single verses but instead look at Jesus’ overall message. Try to read the gospels with an open mind and with the intention of seeking the truth, not seeking verification for what you believe. If we only seek a way to backup our own beliefs then we will miss the truth.

For example, Jesus spoke frequently about poverty. He spoke at length about the rich giving their money to help the poor. He talked about how wrong it is for the rich to continue to amass money while others are suffering. I think most people have trouble applying this concept to politics today. I find it easier to use examples closer to home. Let’s say you are on the consistory (the governing body) of a large church. Your church has set aside a large amount of money to end poverty or to help the poor within your congregation. How would you spend the money? What would Jesus do? Would you give the money to anyone living below the poverty line? Probably not. You want to be fiscally responsible. Hopefully you would set up programs to help the poor. Perhaps a food bank, or pay heating bills in the winter. Maybe help single mothers with childcare while they work or get an education. Perhaps even provide special services for kids with disabilities or kids without healthcare. Would you make sure everyone is immunized and has medical care if needed? What about poor elderly people? Maybe help transport them to medical appointments or provide prescriptions. What is on you list?

Who would pay for this in your church? Well, the money comes from the offering. Everyone contributes based on how much they have. Wealthy people give more because they have more. Poor people may give very little but give all they can. Jesus spoke of the old woman who gave her last coin verses the wealthy land owner who gave a lot of money yet gave very little compared to what he had. Who gave more?

So let’s assume that the majority of the money comes from wealthy people. We can estimate using tithing. If people give 10% of their income the wealthiest people will give more than the poorest 40% of the people. This also follows the logic of the parable above.

Now let’s say there is a new consistory elected. They too claim to be following the teachings of the Bible. They present their budget to the congregation as such:
Everyone who is wealthy (lets say top 5% of the congregation) no longer needs to tithe so that they have more money to hire people at their businesses.
We will cut funding for all programs that benefit the poor by 80% due to decreased offering income. We will also give 50% of our offering, which was once allocated to the poor, to local businesses so they can afford to hire some more people.
Poor congregants must continue to tithe at the 10% rate while also now paying for their own heat bills, food, trips to the doctor and childcare. Perhaps you should apply for a job at one of the local businesses we support.
Another portion, actually most of the money from the offering, will go to taking over the church across town. We don’t really like what they’ve been preaching lately so we’ve decided to take over. They don’t take care of all their congregants like we do. By taking over we can turn them into our kind of church. Plus we can use their building as a gym and get all of them to tithe. If you are a real church member and Christian then you’ll go along with this plan. Only traitors wouldn’t agree with our new budget and plan to take over offending churches.
The church newsletter, women’s magazine and small group study guides will all only reflect this viewpoint. If anyone publishes anything or says anything that contradicts our new budget you will be called a liar and a traitor publicly and then we will repeat our new budget points over and over again until you agree.

This is purely an example on a small church level of what is going on in politics today. Claiming to use the laws of the Bible when it is convenient but ignoring God’s laws about how to treat other people. Jesus spoke harshly about the people of His day that did this very thing. The Pharisees were so focused on the personal sins of the people that they missed the purpose for which God made the laws.

In Mathew 23 versus 1- 12 Jesus warns against the teachers and the Pharisees saying:

The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees are the authorized interpreters of Moses’ Law. So you must obey and follow everything they tell you to do; do not, however, imitate their actions, because they don’t practice what they preach. They tie onto people’s backs loads that are heavy and hard to carry, yet they aren’t willing even to lift a finger to help them carry those loads. They do everything so that people will see them. Look at the straps with scripture verses on them which they wear on their foreheads and arms, and notice how large they are! Notice also how long are the tassels on their cloaks! They love the best places at feasts and the reserved seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the market places and to have people call them ‘Teacher.’ You must not be called ‘Teacher,’ because you are all brothers of one another and have only one Teacher. And you must not call anyone here on earth ‘Father,’ because you have only the one Father in heaven. Nor should you be called ‘Leader,’ because your one and only leader is the Messiah. The greatest one among you must be your servant. Whoever makes himself great will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be made great.

These verses speak directly to what I think the religious right and neo-conservative politicians have done by using their Christianity to campaign. They wear their scripture verses on their forehead and love to be seen as great Christians, yet they are not humble. Conservative politicians and now Christians tie huge loads of responsibility onto the backs of the poor and middle class but offer no help to those people. The greatest among them should be their constituents, the American people. Jesus told us to look after the least among us. This is how we will be judged as Christians. Normally we wouldn’t hold politicians to Biblical standards. We wouldn’t necessarily ask that they do what Jesus would do. Now, however, we have a President who used his Christian faith to get elected and a Congress who uses their faith to get votes when things don’t go their way. Shouldn’t the President and these conservatives now be held to his campaign promises? His promise to use Jesus Christ to guide policy? All policy?

Take, for example, the war in Iraq. I’m actually shocked and saddened that I have to explain why war is not a Christian concept. Christians have historically opposed wars. Christians around the world continue to oppose war, except Christians in America. Christians in America have been led to believe that being an American Christian means supporting the government first and our Christian beliefs second. For some reason we seem to have turned to America worship. America is great. We should be proud of our country in many ways. As Christians, however, we are told to worship God alone. America worship has led Americans to believe that we alone are God’s chosen people. That God loves us so much that we can do what we want without thought to other people or cultures. It has even led us to abandon Jesus’ teachings that condemn war and violence. We suddenly think that those teachings don’t apply to us because our “Americanism” comes first. We were attacked. We have vengeance in our hearts. I actually heard a Christian person yesterday explaining why torturing captured Iraqis should be allowed. How have we strayed so far from the Bible?

The answer is guilt. Good old fashioned peer pressure. “If you don’t support war you’re not patriotic. You’re a traitor. You hate the troops.” I’ve heard these over and over on talk radio and in person. All of this is not true. Just like “All the cool kids smoke pot.” And “If you love me you’ll have sex.” It is peer pressure. It isn’t true. Some of the nations most brave and loyal patriots don’t support the war. Actually, I would venture to say that most high level military people don’t support the war (although only the retired ones can say so). They don’t like our brave men and women used as dispensable pawns. They would prefer the President only send soldiers (human beings) into war as a last resort. They have seen war before and know that the loss of life on both sides is not something you want to ever see again unless you have no other choice. They have buried soldiers, told families their child is dead and seen women and children killed during past wars. They have seen the destruction and they know it is something to avoid if there is even a hint of possibility to resolve the conflict peacefully. They were ignored or fired when they vocalized these sentiments.

There are, however, plenty of religious reasons to oppose war as well. Actually, as far as I can find, Jesus never sends his disciples out to kill the enemy. He doesn’t start a war against Pontious Pilate or the Romans. He doesn’t take over the temple and torture the Pharisees. Never does he suggest violence of any kind as a good solution. Even when people do wrong he tells us to do right. If someone steals your tunic give him your cloak. Open the book of Mathew and you will have plenty of examples of this moral imperative. Or, for those who prefer the Old Testament, look at the 10 commandments in the book of Exodus. The Christian right loves to quote the Ten Commandments when the commandments suit their own agenda; however they fail to turn to them on other issues, such as war, when they aren’t so convenient. They love to quote the very few versus of scripture about sodomy but skip over the volumes of material about peace, love and forgiveness.

Just now I decided to open the Bible to the New Testament on a random page. I looked down on the page and found myself on Mathew 5 versus 43 to 48 which reads:

There is a saying, ‘Love your friends and hate your enemies.’ But I say: Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way you will be acting as true sons of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust too. If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even scoundrels do that much. If you are friendly only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even the heathen do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

I realize most Christians citing moral issues during the November election weren’t thinking of these issues. I’m not sure why so many Christians have stopped thinking of war, human rights, poverty, health care, etc. as Christian imperatives or moral issues. I can’t explain why Christians may feel giving soup to the poor is important but helping the poor get jobs and services is not important. I can’t explain why we send missionaries to build houses and then support a government who sends troops to bomb houses and kill 150,000 men, women and children.

Many Christians citing “morals” during the election were talking about abortion. I find this interesting. Republican candidates all say they oppose abortion. They want to make it illegal. Of course it has been legal for 30 years. During those 30 years it is Democrats who have tried repeatedly, with some success, to create programs that actually reduce the number of abortions. Sex education, daycare, health care, single mother programs, adoption; the list continues. These programs have met with great success. Abortion rates dropped dramatically during the Clinton years. People thought it was just a trend until the numbers went up considerably after Bush took office.

Democrats aren’t evil people who want to kill babies. Every democrat I’ve heard speak on the subject, including John Kerry, says they want to reduce the abortion rate. In fact they don’t want abortions to occur at all. They have proven they mean what they say by constantly proposing programs such as the ones above. Churches, too, have developed programs to help stop abortion. Many have right to life ministries that provide baby items to mothers. Some provide food or healthcare for pregnant women. Some provide daycare for single moms so they can keep their babies and work. Some help with adoption. Do these programs sound familiar? Of course they do! They are the same as the democratic programs. The democrats, the very people who are accused of killing babies and of being non-Christians constantly propose programs that are the same as many church programs.

You see, everyone opposes abortion. Not everyone seeks a governmental, constitutional amendment to make it illegal but no one is out there telling women to have more abortions. The two parties simply have opposing views as to how to solve the problem. So which is correct? Whenever I ask that question I look to the Bible.

We already know that we think abortion is wrong. We don’t need to look up passages about that. What we need to find is what God calls us to do. I looked in Mathew first because Jesus really talked the most about how we should live our lives. If we follow Jesus we should be making correct decisions. Well of course Jesus doesn’t talk about abortion. We must, then, see how Jesus deals with other sins. He does not provide a hierarchy of sin. Adultery, murder, worshiping idols, are all on the same level.
When asked by the Pharisees in Mathew 9 verse 11, “Why does your teacher associate with men like that” (meaning sinful men), Jesus replied, “Because people who are well don’t need a doctor! It’s the sick people who do!” Jesus continues in the 13th verse, “Now go away and learn the meaning of this verse of Scripture, ‘It isn’t your sacrifices and your gifts I want- I want you to be merciful.’ For I have come to urge sinners, not the self-righteous, back to God.” Notice the word “urge” instead of the word “force” or “demand”?

There are also numerous examples of Jesus talking to sinners and forgiving them. While other men were going to condemn sinners in various stories Jesus forgave them and said to the men, “Let those without sin cast the first stone.” Jesus is telling these men that the sin of others is for God to condemn or forgive. Not for man to judge.

Jesus spoke particularly harshly to and about the Pharisees. These men created and upheld many laws to honor God. They saw themselves as much more righteous than other men and would continuously chastise and punish people who broke their laws. Rather than uphold these men as more righteous Jesus chastised them for being so concerned with their own rules that they had lost sight of God’s will. An example is found in Luke 36 – 50. The Pharisee says to himself, “If this man really were a prophet, he would know who this woman is who is touching him; he would know what kind of sinful life she lives!” Jesus then tells a story and forgives the woman of all of her sins. He explains that it is her love and faithfulness that shows her sins are forgiven. It is his lack of humility and his focus on the sin of others that keeps him from God. In other words, it is his focus on keeping God’s law rather than God’s will that keep him from the truth of God’s grace.

In Mathew 22 verses 34-40 the Pharisees attempt to trap Jesus yet again by asking him which is the greatest of God’s commandments. Every Christian knows the answer that Jesus gave. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.” The second most important law being, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Do we love our neighbor when we condemn them for their sin and see ourselves as superior and with lesser sin? Do we love our neighbor when we focus solely on making laws to condemn others while ignoring the plight of thousands who need our help? Do we love our neighbor when we see the speck in their eye but not the plank in our own?

These neo-conservative politicians who like to use religion to gain public support are certainly the Pharisees of our day. They want a theocracy, where government and law follow the Bible and everyone must submit to their laws whether they believe in Christ or not. They believe they are somehow more righteous and just than others and therefore should be able to dictate that everyone follow the law of God as they perceive it. They lack the faith that God can and will judge these people Himself. Like Jonah, they demand that the sin of others is so great that God should strike them immediately. In absence of this intervention from God they have decided to judge people and force them to follow God. All the while they miss the hypocrisy of their own sin. They fail to see their lack of faith in God to judge His people and their lack of mercy, honesty and humility. Jesus says, in Mathew 23 verse 23:

How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You give to God one tenth even of the seasoning herbs… but you neglect to obey the really important teachings of the Law, such as justice and mercy and honesty. These you should practice, without neglecting the others. Blind guides! You strain a fly out of your drink, but swallow a camel! How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and the Pharisees! You hypocrites! You clean the outside of your cup and plate, while the inside is full of what you have gotten by violence and selfishness. Blind Pharisee! Clean what is inside the cup first and then the outside will be clean too! How terrible for you teachers of the Law and the Pharisees! You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look fine on the outside but are full of bones and decaying corpses on the inside. In the same way, on the outside you appear good to everybody, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and sins.


Now if after reading what the Bible says you continue to vote for people who say they want abortion to be illegal I respect that. I hope, however, you see the religious and MORAL basis by which others may not agree that it is the only right and moral choice. That other good, caring, Christian, moral people may see this problem as an opportunity to minister to people in a loving and supportive way just as Jesus did. Some people want to stop abortion now rather than claim to want to stop it but really do nothing.

Abortion has been legal for 30 years and will continue to be legal as long as politicians get elected solely on that issue. They would, in essence, be shooting themselves in the foot by making it illegal. While you wait, is your candidate supporting policies that reduce abortion? Do they support jobs programs for single mothers? Do they support government subsidized daycare for single moms and teen moms who want to finish high school? Do they support programs that offer housing, food and health care for pregnant women and single moms with children? Do they support programs for children with learning disabilities (many mothers who have abortions are addicted to drugs or have no prenatal care.)

Also, as a Christian voter, ask your candidate what his plan is for after abortion is illegal. How do they plan to help these 100,000 women who don’t want to be pregnant or have a baby? Will they provide money for counseling? Open more battered women shelter? (Many women who have abortion do so out of fear of being beaten or fear that their child will be born into domestic violence). Also, many women cite drug dependence as a reason for abortion. Will your candidate provide free drug treatment? Many of these women probably won’t stop taking drugs since, given a choice they would have terminated the pregnancy (remember, this is if abortion is illegal, not if there were intervention by a church or agency trying to help the woman). Will your candidate provide free healthcare for the baby even if it is born with severe health problems or disabilities due to prenatal drug abuse or lack of prenatal care? What if this care will need to continue for the rest of this person’s life? What about funding for learning disabilities which are also sometimes cause by prenatal drug abuse?

How does your candidate feel about funding foster care? Studies show most women would not put their babies up for adoption if forced to have them. There would, however, be an increase in the number of children in foster care. Is your candidate willing to start funding the department of Human Services to handle the increased number of children? Does your candidate support this program now with his or her budget decisions?

The number one reason women say they have an abortion is economic. Either they can not afford to care for a child or they will be unable to complete school and therefore will be forced into minimum wage jobs as a single mother. How does your candidate plan to keep these women out of the welfare system? Free daycare programs? Daycare in high school? Increase minimum wage? Free healthcare? Jobs programs? How does your candidate feel about sex education and birth control education in the schools? These types of programs reduce the rate of pregnancy thereby reducing the rate of abortions. Do they support abstinence only education (which studies show does not work and especially would not work in lower income situations) or are they willing to support actual counseling about safe sex and birth control?

If we do make abortion illegal then don’t we as a society have an obligation to help these mothers raise their children? Their lives will forever be changed. Don’t we as Christians have an obligation to support them? Our current administration’s policies don’t support any of these programs mentioned yet they want to make abortion illegal. Will they change all of their social policies at the federal, state and local level if they succeed?

These questions need to be asked by every Christian who seeks this solution to the problem of abortion. It is easy to condemn what is wrong but will you follow through by forcing the government to support these women and their children? 39 million people in the United States live in poverty. The majority are children and single mothers. This number will only increase. What will you do to stop it? The current administration does not concern itself with these people now. It gave tax cuts to people making over $200,000 per year and cut programs to those living in poverty and people in the lower middle class. I’m not saying women should have abortions to avoid these problems. I am, however, concerned about people who want to make it illegal but have a history of voting against every program that helps single women and children. We can’t have it both ways without major disaster!

It is very easy to say that you are voting for moral values each election without thinking about what that means. The press and the politicians have again labeled one group of people and group of policies as moral while the other is then automatically assumed to be amoral. It is too easy to just believe that and go in to vote without thinking about whether it is really true. What are your morals? What do you teach your children? Do you just say, “Don’t have an abortion or marry someone of the same sex and you’ll be fine”? Or do your morals include being kind to others, helping those in need, peaceful solutions to world problems, grace, humility, mercy, honesty, caring? If they include something other than abortion then moral values isn’t as black and white as some politicians would claim. There are many ways to follow the Bible and God’s teachings. You must decide what is right for you. But first, base your decision on the facts and the actual scripture. Base your decision on the actions of the politician not empty promises and claims of a higher calling. Vote what Jesus Christ said, not on what a politician, who needs your vote to get elected, says are moral values.

Speech by Texas State Rep. Senofria Thompson (D-Houston)>>>

"I have been a member of this august body for three decades, and today>> is one of the all-time low points. We are going in the wrong> direction,> in the direction of hate and fear and discrimination. Members, we all> know what this is about; this is the politics of divisiveness at its> worst, a wedge issue that is meant to divide.>> Members, this issue is a distraction from the real things we need to> be> working on. At the end of this session, this Legislature, this> Leadership will not be able to deliver the people of Texas,> fundamental> and fair answers to the pressing issues of our day.>> Let's look at what this amendment does not do: It does not give one> Texas citizen meaningful tax relief. It does not reform or fully fund> our education system. It does not restore one child to CHIP, who was> cut from health insurance last session. It does not put one dime into> raising Texas' Third World access to health care. It does not do one> thing to care for or protect one elderly person or one child in this> state. In fact, it does not even do anything to protect one marriage.>> Members, this bill is about hate and fear and discrimination. I know> something about hate and fear and discrimination. When I was a small> girl, white folks used to talk about "protecting the institution of> marriage" as well. What they meant was if people of my color tried to> marry people of Mr. Chisum's color, you'd often find the people of my> color hanging from a tree. That's what the white folks did back then> to> "protect marriage." Fifty years ago, white folks thought inter-racial> marriages were a "threat to the institution of marriage.">> Members, I'm> a Christian and a proud Christian. I read the good book, and do my> best> to live by it. I have never read the verse where it says, "gay people> can't marry." I have never read the verse where it says, "thou shalt> discriminate against those not like me." I have never read the verse> where it says, "let's base our public policy on hate and fear and> discrimination." Christianity to me is love and hope and faith and> forgiveness-- not hate and discrimination.>> I have served in this body a lot of years-- and I have seen a lot of> promises broken. I should be up here demanding my 40 acres and a mule> because that's another promise you broke. You used a wealthy white> minister cloaked in the cloth to ease the stench of that form of> discrimination.>> So, now that blacks and women can vote, and now that blacks and women> have equal rights-- you turn your hatred to homosexuals-- and you> still> use your misguided reading of the Bible to justify your hatred. You> want to pass this ridiculous amendment so you can go home and brag--> brag about what? Declare that you saved the people of Texas from what?>> Persons of the same sex cannot get married in this State now. Texas> does not now recognize same-sex marriages, civil unions, religious> unions, domestic partnerships, contractual arrangements or Christian> blessings entered into in this State-- or anywhere else on this planet>> Earth.>> If you want to make your hateful political statements then that is one>> thing-- the Chisum amendment does real harm. It repeals the contracts> that many single people have paid thousands of dollars to purchase to> obtain medical powers of attorney, powers of attorney, hospital> visitation, joint ownership and support agreements. You have lost your>> way-- this is obscene.>> Today, you are playing to the lowest common denominator-- you are> putting aside the real issues of substance that we need to address so> that you can instead play on the public's fears and prejudices to> deceive and manipulate voters into thinking that we have done> something> important.>> I realize that gay rights are not the same as civil rights-- but I can>> guarantee you we are going in the wrong direction. I can not hide my> skin color. In fact, in most of the South, people as pink as Rep.> Wayne> Smith were still Black by law if they had a great grandparent who was> African. I was unable to attend an integrated and equally funded> school> until I got my Master of Laws degree. There were separate and unequal> facilities for nearly everything.>> I got second-hand textbooks even worse than the kind you're trying to> pass off on every public school student next year. I had to ride to> school on the back of the bus. I had to quench my thirst from filthy> coloreds-only drinking fountains. I had to enter restaurants from the> kitchen door. I was banned from entering most public accommodations,> even from serving on a jury. I had to live with the fear that getting> too uppity could get you killed --- or worse. I know what third-class> citizenship feels like. In my first term, one of my colleagues walked> up and down this aisle muttering about how Nigras should be back in> the> field picking cotton instead of picking out committees.>> So, I have to wonder about Rep. Chisum's 3/5 of a person amendment.> Some of you folks hid behind your Bible then, too, to justify your> cultural prejudices, your denial of liberty, and your gunpoint robbery>> of human dignity.>> We have worked hard at putting our prejudices against homosexuals in> law. We have denied them basic job protections. We have denied them> and> their children freedom from bullying and harassment at school. We have>> tried to criminalize their very existence. But, we have also absolved> them of all family duties and responsibilities: to care for and> support> their spouses and children, to count their family's assets in> determining public assistance, to obtain health insurance for> dependents, to make end-of-life or necessary medical decisions for> their life partners--- sometimes even to visit in the hospital, even> to> defend our own country. And then, we can stand on our two hind legs> and> proclaim, "See, I told you homosexual families are unstable." And> nearly every one of you on this Floor has a homosexual in their> extended families.>> Some of you have shunned and isolated these family members. Some of> you, even some of the joint coauthors, have embraced them within your> own family for the essence of Christianity is love. Yet,you are now> poised to constitutionalize discrimination against a particular class> of people. I thought we would be debating real issues: education,> health care for kids, teacher's health insurance, health care for the> elderly, protecting survivors of sexual assault, protecting the> pensions of seniors in nursing homes.>> I thought we would be debating> economic development, property tax relief, protecting seniors pensions>> and stem cell research, to save lives of Texans who are waiting for a> more abundant life. Instead we are wasting this body's time with this> political stunt that is nothing more than constitutionalizing> discrimination. The prejudices exhibited by members of this body> disgust me.>> Last week, Republicans used a political wedge issue to pull kids--> sweet> little vulnerable kids-- out of the homes of loving parents and put> them> back in a state orphanage just because those parents are gay. That's> disgusting. Today, we are telling homosexuals that just like people of>> my ilk, when I was a small child; they too are second class citizens.>> I have listened to all the arguments. I have listened to all of the> crap.> Mr. Chisum, is a person who I consider my good friend and revere. But,>> I want you to know that this amendment is blowing smoke to fuel the> hell-fire flames of bigotry.>> You are trying to protect your constituents from danger. This> amendment> is a CYB amendment for you to go home and talk about.">>>