This is going to be a political blog entry. I have keep quiet for a long time because I truly believe that in America it is not only our right to vote, but our right to be free to vote as we feel. The upcoming election has brought many points out. I am not going to say that any of the candidates are perfect. They are not. But sometimes it comes down to what is important. I am not Catholic, but I think that this video which I saw on my friend Tristi's blog says something important to people of all faiths and religions. I don't want to start a fight with this. You can disagree with me, but please do so in a manner that is clean and tasteful. The thing I want to accomplish by posting this is not to tell you who to vote for, but to ask you that before you vote at least make a prayerful decision. I know that when we ask our Heavenly Father in humble prayer, having faith in Christ, our prayers will be answered. I have made my decision through prayer and hope that everyone will do so to be at peace with the candidate you feel is the best choice for your own beliefs. My friend said an interesting thing. If you vote for something, it is like saying you believe in it. So no matter whose name you check on November 4th, just make sure you are doing what you believe in, and not just voting to Rock the vote.
6 comments:
That's such a great video
That video brought a few thoughts to mind:
* I think that starting OR continuing a war is just as important a "conscience" issue as abortion or same-sex marriage, probably more so. That's why I have been paying close attention to the candidate's plans for getting us out of Iraq.
* It's so interesting what people define as the "conscience" or "moral" issues in an election. Abortion and marriage are obvious ones, but isn't it also an issue of conscience how we care for the poor in our own country (via welfare, unemployment, etc.) or abroad (via humanitarian)? I personally have mixed feelings about our welfare system and I am not a big fan in a lot of ways, but that's a big issue to a lot of Americans. And to me, as a member of the ONE campaign, global humanitarian efforts are important to me. But then we have to take care of our own financial situation first.. blah blah blah.. it gets complicated.
* It's so complicated, that I think people really do just have to "vote their conscience" like the video said, because you can't simply say "Democrats are evil because they encourage XYZ". Complicated enough that I can't associate with either party, but prefer to stay independent!
* The most important thought I had was that the choice for who becomes president is a big, obvious thing but not the big game changer. The president can suggest, direct and lead, but he's not everything. Probably the biggest moral issue right now is happening in California with Prop 8 and most of us don't even get to vote our conscience on that because we don't live there. But the president doesn't currently have the final say in same sex marriages--that's in the individual states. So people need to stay involved locally and in other ways rather than simply marking the Republican party line (I'm using that as an example because they're generally more conservative on the issues mentioned in the video) in November and thinking the duty is done!
Hope none of that offends; that's what I was thinking when I saw the video. :) And for what it's worth, I'm just excited for the election because I think either candidate will probably be an improvement on the current administration. ;) I'm a bit of a cynic about W I guess!
Thanks for that!!!
Juliana, thanks for your comments. You bring up a lot of good issues, especailly with welfare and humanitarian efforts. I agree the war is an important issue, and somewhat of a humanitarian one. It is interesting what the media tells us as compared to what I or friends of mine have heard actual people from Iraq say about the war. All these things are why I think it is imprtant to really study and pray about the candidates, and not just the ones for President...Congress has a lot of say of what goes on, even our local leaders need to be given thought to before placing a vote for one party or the other.
Enjoyed the video and shared it with my mom. It's going to be interesting to see what happens with our country in the upcoming election and years to come!
Wow, that was really great! Important, too. Thanks so much for sharing! This election really does come down to the basics. I'm a little bit frightened to see how little people of faith see that, though. This gives me hope!
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