The Politcs of Religion (Blergh!)

So....News flash! I don't care who gets elected next week.

Yeah, you read that right. Let me expound.

While I certainly do have my preferences as to who I would like to see in office, I've come to realize that ultimately, it's not going to matter that much. That's not where the (church's) focus should be right now. Regardless of whether John McCain or Barack Obama becomes our next president, Jesus is still Lord.

While this Tuesday's outcome will definitely have an extremely dramatic effect on the direction our country is going to take during the next four years, at the very least, who we vote for should not, and cannot, be the sole evidence of our faith taking action in society.

Now, if you know me at all, you know that I hate politics. I hate the division that engulfs Americans and makes it near impossible to get anything done because everybody is always so caught up in making their side look better. I despise the debating and the negative campaigns and the pitting of one party against the other. Whatever happened to "Democracy bringing the people together?" Ha.

This election has been especially challenging for me because I've actually been keeping myself informed. I've been staying on top of the issues, for the most part, and figuring out where the heck I stand on everything. And, to many people's surprise, after struggling through a very long, tedious and confusing process of figuring out what I believe, I picked the "side" that I was always taught as a child was "evil" (..Democrat!). This decision ultimately led to the very reason I usually just choose to stay uninformed in the first place. I assumed that my position, which is by no means firmly grounded, just what I believe is right for me personally, was right and everybody else was wrong. But honestly, when I think about it, is my faith affected so much by what happens outwardly in society that I will have lost anything? True, there will be several things I will be very disappointed and frustrated with as far as our government and society go, but ultimately, that does not affect what I believe.

In other words, regardless of who takes the office in this election, there are more important issues that I believe need to be focused on, especially by those who call themselves Christians. I do not want to rely on the Government to help the poor when Jesus told me to treat the least as I would treat Him. I don't want to let my definition of loving people be defined by my political leanings.