Sinful Politics

Note: this post is fueled by my Christian values, so if you do not identify with Christ as your Savior you very well may not agree with them. And even if you do, you still may not agree, but that's OK because I'm not here to make a political statement that pleases you.

This week I was dismayed to learn that my two favorite television shows, Scandal and Grey's Anatomy (yes, I still watch that) would not be aired on Thursday so that instead we, as a nation, could continue to rip our fellow "friends" a new one.

I'm not big into politics, not because I enjoy being ignorant, but because I find that people only want their respective parties to win, and there are very few people who are actually concerned with the wellbeing of this nation.

No matter which political party you are affiliated with, you need to check yourself.

Supporters of the conservative party watched the Presidential Debate last week and boasted a sure win by Romney with his arrogant smirks and continuous interruptions, saying that the Chief in Office "couldn't even focus" and "had to keep looking down" as if "he didn't even want to be there."

Newsflash people: he didn't want to be there. It was his freaking anniversary. And a milestone at that. I didn't even want to be around people when my man and I celebrated our one-year, and we just picked a day because neither of us know when we actually started dating.

President Obama showed up because that is his job. How often have you taken a day off of work for a birthday, anniversary, doctor's appointment, etc? He doesn't get that luxury. Give the man a break.

And then we get to the Vice Presidential Debates.

Joe Biden was short of comical last night with his outbursts, and the Democratic Party celebrated his rudeness while Ryan guzzled down an entire Brita pitcher.

While composure and truth seem to be more important factors for the American people than the candidates in this race, there's one thing, as a Christian, I cannot shake:

What we are doing here, as Conservatives and Democrats, what we are doing is the same thing Pharisees did in the Bible and present-day hypocrites do in judging others.

We see everyone's sin but our own.

The Book of Matthew shares this, but I'm going to use the verse from Luke, one many of you are familiar with.

"How can you say to your brother,

'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,'

when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye?

You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye,

and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

Luke 6:42

Conservatives, please sit down. Do not say one word about Joe Biden's composure last night after Romney's performance last week. You can't be serious.

Democrats, you sit down, too. Biden was surely disrespectful last night, and you can't celebrate that and in the same breath disregard how upset you were with Mitt's spectacle last week.

If you are wondering from which stance I am writing, or if you are just nosey, I am registered Unaffiliated. I have many conservative values, yet believe in many democratic policies. (But please note, Unaffiliated does not mean Undecided.) Also, my personal belief is that I don't need to be bound to a political party when the only true hope of this world is found in Jesus Christ.

Which brings me back to my point: we cannot continue to attack the other party and then practice offense when they attack back!

Rather, we need to examine what's going on with ourselves, seek to rectify that, and come together to make a better world.

This is easier said than done from the level in which we stand in government, and I know that. So rather than seeking control in a political forum, aside from educating ourselves and voting because everybody needs to do that, consider taking things into your own hands on a local level.

Don't just shake your head at the homeless people you pass on Tryon, go serve at a food and clothing shelter or soup kitchen one night a month. Don't just scoff at the statistics of drop-outs and teen pregnancies, go mentor a child. Don't just get revved up about making this a better nation once every four years.

You want the world to be a better place, make it a better place. Stop coaching and start playing. 

And for goodness sakes, get off Facebook with your rhetoric, especially those of you who claim to be Christians because you are NOT making a case for Jesus' love with all of your cussing and hatred toward the opposing party.



*Unless you have something constructive to add to the conversation, do not comment or endorse any candidate here. You have your own social forum on which to do that and any snide remarks will be removed.