Recently I was asked by a dear friend, "How can I support Obama?" I wish he had said President Obama, but I know his heart and don't believe he meant any disrespect by it. Nevertheless, here is my answer to him:
Terry, I wanted to take sometime before I answered your last reply to my comments. The reason, because I never wanted our conversation to get personal. I have attempted to think through my comments to you and anyone that I have talked to about this. Unlike many people today (particular Christian Conservatives), I am not married to a party, and I am not persuaded by sound-bites from MSN, CNN, MSNBC, NBC,ABC, PBS, (I refuse to go any where near Fox). For you to ask me how can I support President Obama, in the context of his views on gay marriage and abortion sounded personal..It was as if you are questioning my commitment to Christ. So, I decided not the answer you right away. I know that discussing politics with many people today can get heated and personal. Now I am ready.
Please allow me to start by restating what I have said before, there are only two (within a Biblical construct) issues that I don't agree with the President on. I think that he is wrong on the issue of life and I think he is wrong on gay marriage. However, I do believe that these two issues are the most pressing issue that faces the Church today. It is an issue of both orthodoxy and orthopraxy. I am very aware of Parenthood's founder Margaret Sanger' attitude about African Americans.
I believe in the right to life. I have women in my church that have been raped (I guess it wasn't an "legitimate rape", because their bodies did "shut the whole thing down") and they still chose to have those babies. I have first hand knowledge of what it's like to love a child and when the birth of that child is tied to so much pain. I have watch with great awe those families love for those children. I admire strength of those women in ways that goes beyond my ability to articulate. I have (in my role as Pastor and Mental Health Therapist) counseled women who were raped and aborted those babies. I have watched the tearing apart of their souls in making that decision, that was just as painful as the rap was itself. In those cases I have--at times, question God by asking why! However, there has never been a time when I concluded that the right to life was wrong. The pain is no different for the victims of incest, and it doesn't matter if the woman is black of white. I have prayed with them and when away, prayed to God that my own daughter would be spared from such a painful experience and decision. My wife--some time ago, was on the board of the local Crisis Pregnancy Center and my mother volunteers there now.
When, it comes to gay individuals, there are those that are attracted to the same sex in my church too. They have talked to me about their pain and in many cases their hate of themselves. I have counseled them, prayed with them and also walked away and prayed to God that non of may children or children’s children would have to go through such a painful experience. I thank God for the compassionate disposition of “Come As You Are Community Church” and I don’t apologize to anyone for it. We believe in the healing and emancipating power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ--And I don’t apologize to anyone for that either!
So, why did I vote for and now support President Obama given the above? It is simple, there are a host of other issues on the table. One of the main ones is a Republican Party that has lost it’s way. They dangle the carrots of same sex marriage and abortion in front of Christians Conseratives to get our vote, while they write books about slavery being good for African Americans. They talk about economics while they believe that 47 percent of Americans are takers or (in the case of Ryan) 30 Percent 'Want Welfare State,' 70 Percent 'Want The American Dream.'
They wax eloquently about family values while prostitutes gather at their convention because they tip more than Democrats. They glory in the Constitution, while the setup voter suppression laws. They support films question the President’s agenda by Dinesh D'Souzam "2016: Obama's America," (The King's College) while he is sharing a hotel room with a woman he introduced as his fiancee that isn’t his wife. When question on it, "Obviously, I wouldn't have introduced her as my fiancee if I thought we were doing anything improper," D'Souza said, adding they have called off their engagement. They brag about this being a Christian Nation, and African Americans on a Liberal Plantation, while they are urging us to vote for a Mormon who is a part of a belief system that believes:
Brigham Young second President and Prophet:
Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be (ibid., 10:110; emphasis added)
John Taylor, third President and Prophet.
after the flood we are told that the curse that had been pronounced upon Cain was continued through Ham's wife, as he had married a wife of that seed. And why did it pass through the flood? Because it was necessary that the devil should have a representation upon the earth as well as God. . . . (ibid., 23:304; emphasis added).
LDS Apostle George A. Smith:
There is not a man, from the President of the United States to the Editors of their sanctorums, clear down to the low-bred letter-writers in this Territory, but would rob the coppers from a dead nigger's eyes, if they had a good opportunity (Journal of Discourses, 5:110; emphasis added).
I could go on, but you get the point. Based on your logic and so many more Christian Conservatives, am I suppose to conclude that because you are voting for Romney, you believe this?
Let’s be honest here, Romney hasn’t been consistence on the the issue of life or gay marriage. It always depended on what crowd he was in front of and for me that truly isn’t leadership. It is only wishful thinking to suggest that he is pro-life, remember he gave money to Plan Parenthood. Was that because of the doctrine of his church--which is more in line with Margaret Sanger, than my vote for and support of President Obama.
Terry, at the end of the day, I refuse to be anyone's puppet--Republican or Democrat. So, please give me the same respect that I have given you, in respect to who you are voting for, and let's both pray for our country and it's leadership in general. We will do more in our prayer closet, than in our voting booth to help this country and advance the cause of Christ.
Anthony
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