I have recently gotten into some in depth political discussions with some friends on Facebook. I am shocked about how much we differ! I especially find it ironic that several of us share the same faith, which has lead someone to ask me how I can justify my vote alongside Christianity. I was even portrayed as some anti-American, cold-hearted crazy lady, which is completely not me. (Crazy - yeah, sure; anti-American or cold-hearted - actually quite the opposite!) Since I had typed so much, I thought I cut and paste in order to would share some of it here as well. These are in response to questions asked of me. If you choose to read it, it will give a you a huge glimpse of what a "Christian liberal" looks like!
The truth is that I am just a good ol' small-town, Christ-following girl who grew up hunting and farming on our land - much like many Republicans - yet my morals, conscious, and Christian values point me more to the Democratic side. I come from a family of hard-working Democrats, including my grandfather who was a very pro-union tool and die maker for General Dynamics. We never had a lot, yet always felt that we were still more well off than many others. I show love to my neighbors (whether or not they believe the same as me), and feel the call to respond to the needs of the poor, weak, and oppressed just the way the Bible says that we should. I refer back to the Word of the Lord in Matthew 25 - "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for THE LEAST OF THESE, you did for me." I also respect ALL people, whether or not I personally agree with them or their lifestyle, just as Christ has called me to do. I have dear friends who are Republican as well as who are Democrats, who are straight as well as who are gay/lesbian, who are Christian as well as of other Religious views (Muslim, Buddhist, etc - and even Atheist), who are American-Caucasian like me as well as friends from multiple other countries and of every "color".... that list can go on and on - but the sum of it is I am tolerant.
"The Constitution says government can't restrict [guns/ammo]."
Sure, the Constitution states that we have a right to bear arms, and nobody will take that away. People just differ on HOW MUCH to control guns - but EVERYONE does believe in some form of "gun control." For example, do what want your child's teacher to keep a gun in his or her desk just in case the kids get unruly? Of course not! She does not "need" that, and it would be absurd to allow it, even if she does "want" it. But some could argue "isn't that her right?!" I just personally don't feel, like I have previously stated, every yahoo out there needs to have easy access to assault riffles. Nobody really needs an M4 Carbine lying around their home - sorry. (I do agree that they can still get them if they want, but why make it any easier.)
Again, I am actually PRO GUN! Along the lines of NRA, I have no problems with the organization as a whole. They do some good things, but to have Obama's picture on the cover of the magazine implies to people that he will indeed take all of their guns away, which is not truthful. As I have stated, we own guns, have them in our home, and I grew up around them my entire life. I colored the Eddie Eagle coloring sheets and had the "Stop, Leave the area, Tell an adult" motto drilled though my head (does anyone else remember those?!), and will be teaching my boys the same.
I think Rachel Maddow must bother some to the extent Rush bothers me - I enjoy Rachel Maddow (I don't personally hear any "outright cruelty" from her; her wit and sarcasm make me smile and chuckle a little inside), yet Rush and especially Levin get my blood boiling.
When a person says "you" to mean "liberals" as described in the manner above, they are actually making a HUGE stereo-typical generalization in which I will argue and take offense. I have 100% RESPECT for ANYONE who has served our country in any capacity. Although I don't agree with the war at hand, those soldiers are just doing their job, and many don't agree with the war either. I do not know of anyone personally who has had anything less than respect for a soldier who is "just doin' what they're told," but am sadly aware that those people do exist. On the other hand, I do not think every "conservative" has blown up a Planned Parenthood site or killed a doctor who performs such procedure, even though those people sadly exist too. There are obviously extremes on both sides.
ON THAT NOTE...
I don't think I can make it clear enough that I am anti-abortion. It PERSONALLY saddens my heart and quite frankly makes me sick to my stomach - in any trimester. (As a matter of fact, we are about to celebrate one year of having Gabe in our lives, just as we did with Jacob and Caleb when they were 2 1/2 months old!) HOWEVER, just as it is not anyone's place to take away your guns, it is not our place to prohibit anyone having an abortion as long as Roe v. Wade is still in place. I value the sanctity of life (just like the lives of those serving in Iraq and the blood shed from innocent Iraqi children, women, and men) and, being a nurse and Momma, know full well that the heart begins beating in 18 days - a time before most women know that they are pregnant. I understand that, however, since abortion is indeed legal, it is not my place to tell a woman that she "cannot" choose that path. It's only my right to make her aware of other options if she allows me to do so, and then pray. If a woman does choose abortion, she is not therefore a monster, just a fellow Child of God who needs some love and support through a undoubtedly difficult time in her life.
In addition (and this is a HUGE one for me), the Republican Party has had multiple opportunities to overturn Roe v. Wade (when they had control of the House, Senate, AND Presidency for 6 years), yet has not done so. Therefore, why in the world would I vote for them on merely one issue (which is not being addressed) when there are SO MANY more issues out there (HEALTH CARE, human rights, the economy, etc)?
Abortions did occur prior to 1973, and would still occur even if RvW was overturned. They are at an all-time low now (have been in decline continuously for 20 years), mostly because entities such as Planned Parenthood are available to give women other options.
And for the record, I am a supporter of BOTH Planned Parenthood AND area Pregnancy Resource Centers. I would love to make every woman aware of all of their options before choosing an abortion, yet am an even stronger advocate of preventing "unwanted" or "unplanned" (I hate those terms) pregnancies in the first place through more effective sex-ed/birth control rather than abstinence only education. I'd be great if everyone waited until they were ready for and wanted a child to have sex, yet it's not reality, so why not make teens and adults alike aware of other options! After all, many abortions do occur in MARRIED women who just don't want a child at that time. The biggest goal of PPNT is advocating the right of every person to receive education and proper birth control to actually PREVENT abortions from occurring.
Do you consider good, old fashion birth control pills to be a form of abortion? I am not being sarcastic there! By strict definition, they do cause very early abortions, yet many pro-lifers are on them... just curious...
*WHEW* I feel better now that I've justified my stance! I am open and would love to hear other views as well. Like I mentioned, I am TOLERANT of my fellow man. This really is all very interesting to me.
Thanks to those who made it this far!
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1 comment:
First of all, kudos to you for speaking up. I think too often people shy away from talking about controversial topics- that is unless they can talk about those topics with like-minded folks! And it's a real shame. Only by listening to one another - really listening - can we ever hope to find some kind of common ground.
You were quite articulate and well-researched, and if every "couch pundit" was the same, I think I'd be a little more tolerant to hear their side. But the sad fact is that most people like to toss around sloganized one-liners that have little substance and no real basis in fact. I actually had students (I teach middle school) tell me that Obama was the anti-Christ the other day. I was SHOCKED! And then to hear the other students chime in with all of the ridiculous things that THEY'D heard, was too much. I spent the better part of an hour refuting their statements and discussing the importance of considering the source of the information. Little good it does me when the source of their information is their church or their parents, but I digress.
It is just nice to see someone speak cogently about issues and not be afraid of a little controversy. What a breath of fresh air.
You should check out Frank Rich's op-ed piece on November 9, "It Still Felt Good the Next Day." It's pretty good.
Take care, and keep those blogs coming. It is often a real bright spot in my day!
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