When it comes to understanding politics I realize that many people feel overwhelmed, and disappointed and would rather avoid it altogether. However, it is still an important part of our lives. Who we vote to represent us affects the economy, taxes, the price of food and gas, health policies, and how free we remain as a people. The Bible was written during the time of the Monarchs which of course is very different from what we have today. So there is much debate about how involved Christians should be in the political arena. For me it is simple. Jesus said that we are the light of the world and I am pretty sure he wouldn’t have said: “except for politics”. We just have to know that our trust is ultimately in Jesus Christ and to let him guide us in that area as well. So how do we decide who we vote for?
Know the Platform of the party you vote for
One of the falsehoods that we are led to believe is that we vote for the person, not the party. This is entrenched in many minds because we hear it repeated often and it sounds genuine. But when you live in a state that only has one party really holding all the power and nothing seems to change you really need to ask yourself if that is true. What you may not realize is that each party has its own platform which clearly states the ideals and goals of that political party. For your convenience, I have attached links at the bottom of this post so you can read for yourself what each party considers their priorities. I would highly encourage you to read the Resolutions. Even the ones that go back a few years. This will give you a clear-eyed view of just exactly where their values lie.
My opinion, they both use words like freedom but one party seems to value religious freedom and protecting children from exposure to inappropriate sexual infromation while the other party seems antagonistic towards religious freedom and intent on exposing our children to all kinds of sexual subjects. To be fair that isn’t the whole of each of the platforms. They speak of environmental concerns and other things. Sure, I have strong opinions as a pastor but I want you to read for yourself and do the work so that when you go vote it is with eyes wide open. Click the Links and read them for yourselves. You decide.
If a particular party champions freedom of speech and thought and freedom of religion then you might have room for candidates that vary in secondary positions. However, if the party that you choose has a collectivist mindset where every candidate is expected to think the same and where freedom of speech and thought and religion is not only not highly valued but suppressed then can you really say that you are voting for the person and not the party?
looking past the “Word Salads”
Politics is known for being a place where people are skilled at using a lot of words without really saying anything. In our past there have truly been masters of the art, However, we are living in a time where there isn’t as much patience for that kind of rhetoric. Our culture has definitely shifted to where politicians are saying the quiet part outloud and there is no putting that genie back in the bottle. Its here to stay. With that being said it is still important to act civil. Straight talk doesn’t need to be profane or crass. just simple and civil. So when you watch the local debates take notice of those who use many words to skirt around the issue. I have more respect for people that just answer the question. The word Salad person either doesn’t know what they are talking about or they are trying to appeal to a very wide base. They would be better off picking a target and use a laser beam focus with straight talk. We don’t want word Salads we want solid meat positions and values that we can understand clearly and get behind.. So first pick the party that reflects your values the most and then look for the candidates within that party that brings out some solid positions that you can sink your teeth into
https://www.hawaiidemocrats.org/party-documents