I see God’s sovereignty and grace through all forms of government. Look at the strength and resilience of the church in China, or the growth of the church in North Korea. Even under atheistic governments God’s kingdom reigns and grows.

Jesus wasn’t about government while on earth but he was about justice. I think we (the church) should work for justice and love mercy but through the church, not government.

I have no experience with Planned Parenthood, so I won’t even try to discuss that point.

I wanted to clarify that my hopes are not in one man. Not in any way! I like Obama, and I am writing about that a lot. Where I live, it is against certain unspoken norms to vote non-Republican. You just don’t do that in conservative Christian circles, because there is only ONE ISSUE you are allowed to vote on, and that is the pro-life issue. And I’m sick of it. There are a lot more issues. If you read a bit more on my blog (and maybe you have), you’ll see that a huge issue for me is the care of the disabled. I have a son with a disability, and believe me, this administration has done nothing that helps or supports him in any way. Now, mind you, they’ll tell women that they HAVE TO bear children like my son, but once they are born, well sorry. No support to be found. That is not a consistent pro-life position.

I can’t speak for Nicole, but I’m not siding “with a candidate who is so resolutely pro-abortion simply because you don’t see the pro-life side being pro-life throughout a persons life.” I am saying (and have said in another post) that my hope is not in a candidate or in the government. It has proven quite ineffective to change hearts. Abortion rates are still high; in spite of an all-Republican-controlled government, no law was overturned (and what would happen if Roe v Wade was overturned?). As you suggested, I am not placing my faith and expectations in one man, when what we need is a change of heart. That is EXACTLY what I see the religious right doing over and over and over. Placing their hope in a political candidate. I’m saying I’m finished voting because I am placing my hopes in a President to change the rates of abortion. It isn’t a political issue for me any more. It is a personal one–an issue of the heart.

And that has freed me up to vote for ANY candidate I think is qualified based on a lot of other issues that are meaningful to me.

I have no doubt that PP has helped women. But I also see their strong belief in a teen’s choice - which seems to focus on choosing sex and advertising their clinics for birth control/counseling/abortions. And I think the most abhorrent claim PP makes is that having an abortion is completely safe and claim the reports that state otherwise are propaganda from the anti-abortionists.

Pro-choice, as a general definition, tends to mean you are in favor of a woman having the choice of an abortion or not, regardless of the health of the child in her womb. It may be just a matter of semantics but generally that’s how the term is understood. Perhaps you see pro-life defined the same way - pro-life means no abortion regardless of the health of the mother, cases of rape, incest. I don’t agree with that. I believe (and correct me if I’m wrong) abortion should be and has been a legal option when the mothers health is at risk (prior to Roe v. Wade).

It seems odd to side with a candidate who is so resolutely pro-abortion simply because you don’t see the pro-life side being pro-life throughout a persons life.

What I’ve seen, heard and read of Obama is very slick, very convincing, very inspirational yet without a lot of substance - not a lot of how he’s going to get the job done. And all I can imagine if he is in office is our taxes going up and up to afford all these social programs he’s imagined will supposedly solve all our country’s ills. What I hoped to communicate is that folks are placing so much faith and expectations in this man, while what is required is a change of heart - which can only happen by the Holy Spirit. But for some reason folks believe Obama to be the road to salvation.

I debated a while whether to respond because it seems only frustration arise through blog comments, partially because the conversation is so stilted and we too often misunderstand each other’s meaning and intent. But you asked me a question, Nicole, so I needed to answer. I don’t want to offend anyone personally. I am just baffled by the reverence over this candidate.

And to lump people who are pro-choice as pro-abortion is just as untrue. I abhor abortion, truly feel it is murder, pray for it to end. However as someone who has gone through a prenatal diagnosis in which the medical establishment would have ENCOURAGED an abortion, I shudder thinking that I might not have had a choice to keep my beautiful girl! My body, my child, MY decision! Pro-choice…because it can go both ways in our scary society.

And sorry, but what has the Republican party done to show the down trodden how ot pick themselves up and provide for themselves? Have the numbers gotten better in the past 8 years? No they have not.

Just because someone inspires, does not mean that those whom they excite will elevate them to Messiah status. Only Jesus serves that role for me, and He guides whom I will vote for.

I find it ironic that he sees a need for spiritual revival in our country yet that revival must come, in his opinion, through the work of a politician. Revival comes when peoples hearts are changed - not their party affiliation - and that can only happen by the grace of God - not Barack Obama (but it seems he’s been elevated to Messiah-status as of late).

So the Republicans are not fully living a pro-life stand. They may stand against abortion but they do little to support the struggling single mother or billions are poured into the war, or they kowtow to big business. So the solution is to throw our hat in with Planned Parenthood-whose business is to insure our youth are sexually active so they have a decent profit margin, and get richer off the backs of tax-payers?

Obama is the most pro-abortion candidate out there. He proudly stands on that platform. But I believe you must ask - not whether this is a pro-choice or a woman’s rights issue, what is abortion? Is it the taking of life? Yes is always the answer. Granted abortion is sometimes, infrequently necessary for the sake of the life of a mother and most pro-life advocates stand for abortion when the mother’s life is endangered.

The answer is not to side with someone who is so pro-abortion but to call into account those representatives, senators, leaders who are pro-life to be completely pro-life - in the womb and outside the womb. But then again, there are no black and white answers to what it means to be pro-life outside the womb.

Democrats, Obama, would say, it is for government to support financially those who are down-trodden - it is our moral obligation to do so. While Republicans say, let us show how the down-trodden can pick themselves up to become independent and not dependent on a government that tends to be undependable.

I believe, after hearing a few Obama speeches, that Barack, if elected, would bankrupt our country morally and fiscally.

http://www.reformedcatholicism.com/?p=1367

What Franky says about the Clintons & also much of the religious right is probably accurate, but by his overarching pessimism of all things evangelical, he sometimes paints with too broad a brush.