Christian in a Post-Christian USA

Oh, politics. I've always detested political science (my worst class in college) and government (my worst in high school). Not that the subjects are hard, not at all. I simply find them difficult to study because nothing in the system seems to work quite as properly as it should once people are added to it. When alleged Christian politicians are being recorded making horrific, personal statements against people in authority, that's just wrong.

Titus 3:1-2 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing humility to all.

Professionally pointing out documented flaws (in that particular party's belief system) in another politician's actions, I can handle. The verbal backstabbing and poison darts, not so much. It's immature, unnecessary, and embarrassing on an international scale.

Furthermore, it seems that every year I get farther and farther away from each of the political parties. There is nobody to represent me properly, and I balk at voting for someone just for the sake of "not wasting my vote". It's not really being wasted if the politician isn't going to represent me anyway.

The problem has been on my mind for awhile: what exactly do I want from my political representative? There's the [major] rub. I want a Christian who doesn't run on a Christian platform. When did the Republican party become the "Christian" party? Doesn't anyone realize doing so is folly, especially when they get tangled up in sordid affairs after being elected? And what about the separation of church and state? Good heavens, part of the reason the colonists revolted against England because we were tired of being told what, who, and how to believe in something. I love Jesus, I really do. Because of Him, I will never run for any public office. I just don't want to go there. But if a Christian feels compelled to run for office, I really don't want to hear about it. Let your Christianity be seen by your lifestyle, not your campaign promises. Ostracizing 50% or more of the electorate is not a good idea in this post-Christian nation. How can your electorate trust you to truly represent them and not yourself?

As far as the "issues" go, I have nowhere to turn.

1. Abortion. I don't believe in using abortion as a birth control method. According to Planned Parenthood, 1 in 3 women has had an abortion by the age of 45, and "more than half of abortions are obtained by women under 25 years of age. In fact, 35 percent of pregnant teenagers have an abortion, according to the National Abortion Federation" (livestrong.com). So a lot of women have abortions for a myriad of reasons. But if a majority of abortions are going to happen under the age of 25, then why not make it possible for females of child-bearing age to have access to free or very reduced-price birth control? Why not make it a requirement for single women accepting any kind of government support (welfare, military, etc.)? Single mothers work hard, and they often don't have the opportunity to "get ahead" because they chose to keep their child. Preventing pregnancy is far better than the possible risk and guilt associated with ending a pregnancy.

That being said, abortions could still be available, but their use would probably be dramatically reduced on the pregnancy prevention plan.

2. Taxes. When Warren Buffett is complaining that he's not paying his fair share of taxes (he paid 17.4% on his taxable income last year), there's something going on. There's no reason average and below-average Joes and Janes should be paying 25-28% of their incomes. Make it fair, folks! Get rid of loopholes. Incentives are okay (e.g., charity, having kids), but I draw the line at the home mortgage interest deduction. That thing is costing our government a whole lot of money! Every should have a home, yes, but not everyone needs to own a home.

3. Social activities. I support helping people in need. However, there should be limits on the amount of time a person gets support. I know families who are on their fourth generation of folks on welfare. I understand that if you're poor, it's hard to break out of the system. However, there has to be an incentive to get out of it! So many people I know on welfare refuse to go to school or work because they make more money by simply hanging out at home. That's ridiculous.

Additionally, this whole unemployment paycheck for 99 weeks is insane. Two years' worth of unemployment pay does not provide anyone incentive to find a job. There are some people who genuinely need the help, of course, but there needs to be a tiered system and extra requirements for folks who are going to be drawing unemployment for that long.

In order to qualify for government assistance of any kind, there should be very rigid requirements. Drug testing (for welfare or educational assistance) and proof of actions (depending on the assistance) are two ways to get people moving toward supporting themselves. My brother's solution to welfare is simple: If after X years, adults are still on welfare, then they should be sent to work as harvesters, much like migrant workers. When did Americans get "too good" for outside work, anyway?

4. Environment. Why do you have to be a Democrat if you care about the environment? Every Christian should be clamoring for better environmental controls. Man's first job was to name the animals (Gen. 2: 19) and was even created, in part, to till the ground (Gen. 2:5). God even gave Moses laws on how to protect wild game (Deut. 22:6-7). I don't want to drill more, I want viable green options. I want the government to pour money into making green energy feasible instead of just supporting the corn industry. I want our nation to be mindful of the toxicity of our everyday objects, processes, and habits. We need local governments to provide incentives for their local businesses to change their dirty practices.

Those are my four "big" issues. The only person who could represent me properly right now is my husband, and he's tied down in his current job. Who in the world would vote for someone on that platform anyway? Christians would call us a bunch of traitors. Democrats would call us unhinged social terrorists. Republicans would call us anti-capitalist terrorists. And so next year brings me another year in which I will be misrepresented by whoever is chosen to speak on my behalf. Grrr.

The only thing to do is act right based on my beliefs and be the change I want to see, right? Because the Bible clearly says that I need to be obedient to my authorities, and if I want them to see things my way, I need to be nice about it...which is hard for me. I'm not the nicest of people.

Challenge: If you're frustrated with your current representative's views and can find a viable alternative, then vote for the other person. If not, then start making your own changes. Research the topics you're passionate about and start writing letters to your representatives, making environmental changes, talking to people about XYZ. It's easier to find a representative if the representative knows what it is that you want.

Domestic Goddess out.