I have to post, pretty much in its entirety, a forwarded e-mail that I received from my friend Heather, who knows someone's sister who wrote this lovely e-mail discussing Jesus, politics, and the role that religion should (or shouldn't) play in this election.
She wrote it in response to a circulating e-mail that had a number of misquoted facts, which she very eloquently works to dispel.
What's astounded me throughout this election is how the basis for some people not voting for Obama has either been religious (believing that because he has a Muslim name that he must be Muslim, and therefore unelectable), or the perpetuation of other myths like his alleged support for Black Supremacy or certain kinds of abortion. I'm always fascinated that when Republicans have NOTHING else to talk about, they absolutely must scream about the Right To Life, but you certainly may not ask about the Right to A Life Once You're Here.
So I'll get out of the way now. This is from Joselyn Martin, and I think she put it more brilliantly than I could:
"Obama only moved to Chicago in 1993, shortly after which he took a hiatus to go to Harvard Law. When he became president of the Harvard Law Review, instead of using it to appoint all black liberal writers, as his friends urged him to do, and Trinity pastor Wright probably would have liked, he appointed the best writers, which happened to be white, three of the top spots going to Republican whites. So, no Trinity church for 20 years, no black supremacism.
As for his affinity for partial birth abortion, this was a vote that was on the state floor of IL, and Obama didn't vote for it because such a law already exists in the Federal government. In fact, the IL branch of the board of medical professionals wouldn't even vote for it. Some Republicans wouldn't even vote for it. This was a bill intended to be inflammatory, to get votes from people who didn't do their homework enough to see that there were other measures in the bill that had nothing to do with abortion, but had everything to do with certain state senators who wanted money fortheir special interests. So to say that Obama supports genocide is not only incorrect by definition (genocide is the killing off of a certain race of people, babies are not a race), but incorrect by voting record since Obama supports the current Federal law against infanticide.
And while I'm getting my nickers in a twist about the abortion issue, let it be known that McCain is a Federalist on the issue, meaning that he favors measures to put the power of determining the legality of abortion in the hands of the state, rather than the Supreme Court, regardless of whether that means that the state would allow abortion to remain legal. This means he opposes the idea that abortion is a constitutional right, but does not support a federal-mandated ban on all abortion. He is very clear about his distaste for abortion, but would not use it as a litmus test to rule out the appointing of new Supreme Court justices. He said just last night, and has said before then, that he would appoint a pro-choice supreme court justice as long as they were qualified and had a record of complete understanding of the constitution.
Ahmadinejad, Chavez, Castro, and Hamas do not love him, and it's kind of silly to say something like that.
One last thing about Sodom and Gomorrah and the flaming gays: The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were not destroyed because they had men living in civil unions with other men. Homosexuality was only one thing in a whole long list of reasons Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, among them were greed, mistreatment of the poor and widowed, and pride. The fact that there are homeless women and children and crazy old vets in the streets where corporations employ some of the wealthiest in the country does not enrage because its easier to call someone a baby killer than call them indifferent.
When Jesus walked the earth he didn't look at the prostitute and say 'you're a prostitute because you have no ambition to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps,' nor did he attempt to outlaw prostitution as a practice. He simply loved the person, gave them food and turned their hearts so that the prostitution itself became a non-issue for them. I take issue with people who want to make darn sure every pregnant mother in this country brings her baby into this world, but don't want to lift a finger to help that baby once it gets here. Most of these babies will be born poor, most will be born without expectations of education or even access to health care. What would Jesus think of that?
I don't care who people vote for. My role as a Christian does not change based on who wins the election. But for goodness sake, vote for someone because you agree with their policies, their views on the role of government, their rojections for the future. Don't go around making up silly and inflammatory ideas about either candidate, and don't go around speculating about who Jesus would vote for. I have a feeling He doesn't appreciate it.
And now I will very carefully dislodge my panties from betwixt my fanny halves.'"
Thank you Jocelyn!
Sloganizer
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