Religion and Politics DO Mix

With the upcoming elections, I've already heard people saying..., “I don’t discuss politics or religion.” Well, don’t hurt yourself laughing when I tell you I’m from Palm Beach County, Florida. Yes... the state that had the voting fiasco, where we first heard about hanging chads, dimpled chads, and we supposedly stole the election from Al Gore; but I would like to share some thoughts regarding Christians and voting!

I suspect that many avoid discussions regarding religion and politics, because they know very little about either one. Many people choose to affiliate with a particular denomination and/or political party, due to their parents’ influence. Often, they don’t even know the basic tenets of their faith or their party’s platform. This lack of understanding in a voting booth often leads to a simple and uniformed vote along party lines. Such a flippant approach toward voting smacks in the face of those who died to give us that right! Christians must rise above this intellectual apathy by researching what the candidates stand for, then voting for those who uphold biblical principles.

The question arises, “Do religion and politics really mix?” The answer is emphatically “YES!” Christians have a right and an obligation to be politically active. We should be the leaders in the community; running for political offices and making decisions based on biblical absolutes. We should be outraged to see judges and politicians rejecting every semblance of Christianity. Contrary to popular belief, the words “separation of church and state” DO NOT appear in the U.S. Constitution and the premise that religious people should stay out of politics is absurd! Had Christians been more involved in politics, there may have been fewer Ten Commandments, nativity scenes and Christian symbols removed from public places.

Religion and politics must mix in order to form an educated political and world view for the Christian. Christ-followers cannot just ignore issues such as protecting traditional marriage, abortion, homosexual adoption, and more. No issue can be politically right if it’s biblically wrong! Christians should make no apologies for voting in accordance with biblical values and candidates who support them.

Believers should be researching the biblical positions of the candidates who will appear on the November 4 ballot. Research the candidate’s voting record, his reputation, how he treats his family, whether he attends church year round or only at election time, and whether or not he represents you based on biblical values or popular opinion. For information on the candidates visit www.afa.net.

Remember, politics and religion DO mix and it’s time for Christians to become politically active! This is still one nation “UNDER GOD!”