Jonathan, I am just waiting for the Holy
Spirit to work in your heart in this realm of politics. Izzy
From:
[EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Hughes Jonathan
Sent: Wednesday, September 22,
2004 8:10 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: RE: [TruthTalk] Who to
Vote for, and WHY?
Izzy in a tizzy. Shall I understand
your answer to be that you will not discuss the issues in light of the
Bible? Should our Christianity infuse our politics? Is this an area
of life that Christ cannot touch? Does Christ only infuse conservative
politics? Is God a Republican? Is it not worthwhile looking at our
ideas and opinions in light of the Word?
Jonathan
Hughes
From:
[EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of ShieldsFamily
Sent: Wednesday, September 22,
2004 9:12 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: RE: [TruthTalk] Who to
Vote for, and WHY?
Let’s change our name to
“PoliticalTalk”??? Izzy
From:
[EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jonathan Hughes
Sent: Wednesday, September 22,
2004 6:38 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [TruthTalk] Who to Vote
for, and WHY?
What is below is taken from www.sojo.net.
Please read it and discuss. Based upon the criteria below who
should you vote for? Shall we take each issue below and see who is the
best candidate? Is anyone willing to discuss the issues?
"It is the responsibility of every political conservative, every
evangelical Christian, every pro-life Catholic, every traditional Jew...to get
serious about re-electing President Bush."
- Jerry Falwell, The New York Times, July 16, 2004
"I think George Bush is going to win in a walk. I really believe
I'm hearing from the Lord it's going to be like a blowout election in 2004. The
Lord has just blessed him.... It doesn't make any difference what he does, good
or bad."
- Pat Robertson, AP/Fox News, January 2, 2004
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These leaders of the Religious Right mistakenly
claim that God has taken a side in this election, and that Christians should
only vote for George W. Bush.
We believe that claims of divine appointment for the
President, uncritical affirmation of his policies, and assertions that all
Christians must vote for his re-election constitute bad theology and
dangerous religion.
We believe that sincere Christians and other people of
faith can choose to vote for President Bush or Senator Kerry - for reasons deeply rooted in their faith.
We believe all candidates should be examined by
measuring their policies against the complete range of Christian ethics and
values.
We will measure the candidates by whether they enhance
human life, human dignity, and human rights; whether they strengthen family
life and protect children; whether they promote racial reconciliation and
support gender equality; whether they serve peace and social justice; and
whether they advance the common good rather than only individual, national,
and special interests.
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We are not single-issue voters.
We believe that poverty -
caring for the poor and vulnerable - is a religious issue. Do
the candidates' budget and tax policies reward the rich or show compassion
for poor families? Do their foreign policies include fair trade and debt
cancellation for the poorest countries? (Matthew 25:35-40, Isaiah 10:1-2)
We believe that the
environment - caring for God's earth - is a religious issue. Do
the candidates' policies protect the creation or serve corporate interests
that damage it? (Genesis 2:15, Psalm 24:1)
We believe that war - and our
call to be peacemakers - is a religious issue. Do
the candidates' policies pursue "wars of choice" or respect
international law and cooperation in responding to real global threats? (Matthew 5:9)
We believe that truth-telling
is a religious issue. Do the candidates tell the
truth in justifying war and in other foreign and domestic policies? (John 8:32)
We believe that human rights -
respecting the image of God in every person - is a religious issue. How
do the candidates propose to change the attitudes and policies that led to
the abuse and torture of Iraqi prisoners? (Genesis 1:27)
We believe that our response
to terrorism is a religious issue. Do the
candidates adopt the dangerous language of righteous empire in the war on
terrorism and confuse the roles of God, church, and nation? Do the
candidates see evil only in our enemies but never in our own policies? (Matthew 6:33, Proverbs 8:12-13 )
We believe that a consistent
ethic of human life is a religious issue. Do the
candidates' positions on abortion, capital punishment, euthanasia, weapons
of mass destruction, HIV/AIDS-and other pandemics-and genocide around the
world obey the biblical injunction to choose life? (Deuteronomy 30:19)
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We also admonish both parties and candidates to avoid
the exploitation of religion or our congregations for partisan political
purposes.
By signing this statement, we call Christians and other
people of faith to a more thoughtful involvement in this election, rather
than claiming God's endorsement of any candidate.
This is the meaning of responsible Christian
citizenship.
Jonathan
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