We often hear comments like “ Who one votes for is not a test of Christian authenticity.” Or “churches shouldn’t preach about politics. They have no place in our pulpits.”
In light of todays political platforms, however, I contend that it is a sin to vote for any member of the Democratic Party. I am making this comment in light of the opposing party platforms not the candidate. But this is not how many think. Many vote personalities bony platforms.
In August of 2020 I had an experience that helped me understand why many conservatives vote for Democrats.
Judy and I went off the road and into the ditch in southern Wisconsin. A sincere and kind woman in her late forties saw our distress and pulled off to help. She had been out of town for the weekend and was returning to her family in Minneapolis. She was happily married to a successful husband with four teenage children. While waiting for the tow truck, we got into a lively conversation. I asked about her politics. She was somewhere between liberal and conservative.
“Who will you vote for?”
“I don’t like Trump. I don’t trust him, so I think I’ll vote for Biden.”
“I’m surprised,” I said. “You seem too conservative to vote for Biden.”
“I lean toward conservatives,” she answered. “In fact, I usually vote Republican. But there’s something about Trump. I just don’t like him.”
“I don’t particularly like him either. But I vote more for the party platform than the individual,” I answered. A vote for Biden is a vote for the Democratic Party platform.”
She didn’t seem to understand the platforms and didn’t care. It was not important to her. The personality of the politician was the main thing.
It was a friendly discussion. She was a reasonable person. We were able to discuss conflicting ideas without either me or her feeling threatened—a rare experience today.
Members of the Republican and Democratic parties are dedicated to implementing their party platform. How do the two compare? Here are just a few of the differences
Platforms
Democrats oppose any restriction on abortion up to and including the time of birth. Republicans support a ban on abortion after twenty weeks.
The Democrat platform says nothing about marriage. The Republican platform strongly states that the nuclear family is the foundation of society, and that the marriage of one man and one woman is the foundation of marriage.
The Democratic platform supports mandatory insurance coverage for “gender transition,” including “surgery and hormone therapy; wants to ensure that all transgender and non-binary people can procure official government identification documents that accurately reflect their gender identity; supports banning practices aimed at assisting patients with unwanted same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria; will work to “guarantee transgender students’ access to facilities based on their gender identity; will protect the rights of transgender students; will fight to enact the Equality Act” – a diabolical bill that would allow biological men to play in women’s sports if they identify as transgender women.” All of this the Republican platform rejects.
The Democratic platform supports the HHS contraception mandate that coerces faith- based groups like Little Sisters of the Poor to support financially. The Republican platform wants freedom of conscience for all.
This takes us to religious freedom. The Democratic platform will fight to enact the above referenced “Equality Act” – a bill that would remove religious liberty protections and even force churches to violate the tenets of their faith. The Republican platform rejects the “Equality Act.”
What about human rights? The Republican platform states that if God-given, natural, inalienable rights come in conflict with the government, court, or human-granted rights, God-given, natural, inalienable rights will always prevail. Because they believe that rights are not God-given, the Democratic platform is silent on this issue.
What about sex education? The Democratic platform supports “LGBTQ+ inclusive” sex education with a full range of “family planning services. The Republican platform supports “sexual risk avoidance education that sets abstinence until marriage as the responsible and respected standard of behavior.
On top of the above we have all witnessed the democratic support of no southern borders, the defund the police movement, Joe Biden’s support of the war in Ukraine, reckless out-of-control federal deficit spending, constant attempts to cancel free speech, celebration of the LGBTQ agenda, trampling the rule, and persistent rejection of our constitution.
In sum, a vote for a Democrat at any level in our political system, no matter how winsome their personality, is a vote for the democratic platform. That platform is diabolical.
Some say Christians should stay out of politics. Others, say that we shouldn’t preach on these subjects, but I don’t see how any true Christian can possibly vote for anyone even remotely associated with the Democratic policy without sinning against a holy God.
Very well reasoned and articulated Bill! The line is very clear!
Thanks Steve. Appreciate the encouragement.
Bill, your article is 100% “on point” and one thing that is too often lacking in our current state democracy, is the ability to critically think, judiciously evaluate, and fundamentally understand what each candidate represents from an ideological point of view. A vote should never be cast, purely on the basis of a candidate’s “likability” quotient. The Democrats have purposely careened to the outer limits of extreme liberalism, and the resulting policies undermine fiscal responsibility, traditional family values, gender identification, traditionally accepted moral values, immigration laws & border protection, the sanctity of life itself, proper education, lawful political conduct, and perhaps surprisingly, race equality. I could go on and on, but these are just SOME of the profoundly troubling avenues that the Dems are attacking in all sorts of devious ways. All aspects of the Democratic platform concurrently service to weaken our nation on every conceivable front. Just look at the degrading current state of California, Oregon, Western Washington, New York, Chicago, Minneapolis etc., and the one common element is so-called Democratic “governance”. Who could EVER want that for our entire country? I very much appreciate the manner in which you clearly delineated between political platform and candidate personality. A politician can be generally likable, yet at the same time, inherently destructive via ideology & resulting policy. All voters need to fundamentally understand this difference, and cast a vote that is firmly planted in an understanding of the issues and the political platform that defines the ultimate approach. The Dems are not liberal “progressives”, they are ideological “regressives”, pushing our great country closer & closer to the wanton immorality of the likes of Sodom & Gomorrah. An incalculable price will be paid, and every single one of us will feel that impact. Great article!
Forrest. You just spoke the truth with great eloquence. Thanks for your thoughtful response.