Yesterday I received a letter in the church office that was unlike any letter I have ever received in 15 years of ministry!!! It was from a political candidate that was urging me to do several things. One, promote the individual in our services by obtaining and reading an Internet letter designed to be read to congregations from the candidate. Two, to invite people to church home groups where we would promote that candidate. Three, to promote issues that the candidate feels are important to their campaign by listing them for me in a four page letter for informing my congregation.
Obviously I am not going to do any of these things. I have never done those things for any candidate. When my friends talk to me face to face I will readily tell you who I am voting for and why. I have nothing to hide. But as a pastor, and as a church, we (I) do not promote individual candidates. When Jesus runs for office we will support a candidate!
The only thing that I will tell you in my blog is this, you need to vote with Biblical values when it comes to specific issues. As a Pastor I am unashamedly pro-life. The legalization of abortion in our country is bad law. Laws are made by people, and some laws are simply in error. For instance, there are current economic laws that I believe are bad (but no candidate is talking about them). There are proposals for new laws that are also bad. In a democracy like ours we have a part in promoting just and moral laws. Laws that destroy traditional marriage (one man and one woman) are wrong proposals. Laws that give equal marriage rights to civil unions are semantically promoting traditional marriage, but in content they are allowing same sex marriage.
I am voting my conscience when it comes to many fiscal issues. I am voting based on my experience since the early 1990's when I became independent and started keeping my tax records, applying for student grants, and doing my own finances as a college student. You can love Jesus and live wholeheartedly for him and disagree with me on money issues. But more important than voting my pocketbook, I am also voting my morals. When you go to vote in two weeks I urge you to remember that "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people." Proverbs 14:34.
Finally, get informed. Do your country some good, get out and vote! "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins" (James 4:17).
3 comments:
I found it very interesting to see where the candidates stand on energy.
Obama “Cites cost and safety concerns, but has not ruled it out as part of the energy mix.” NY Times.
McCain “Would support subsidies for building new nuclear power plants in the U.S.” NY Times.
http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/issues/energy.html
Obama wants to remove nuclear power. Why would we want to remove one of the cleanest forms of power? Lets take a look at France. Most of France’s power is generated from nuclear plants. And of all industrialized countries there air is the cleanest. Source Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_France
Is nuclear power safe? I think so, and I hope so. There is a Nuclear power plant just west from my house. Surrounding the plant is a wildlife refuge. The air is clean and the wildlife is abundant and healthy. I am so glad the wind is blowing from the nuclear plant and not the coal plant on the east side of me.
McCain is promoting the construction of 45 new nuclear plants. This will provide clean cheap electric (as in France) and lead the way for electric cars (can you say less petrol?). That will twofold our efforts to remove pollution and energy independence.
Obama is pursuing “Clean Coal” what is it? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_coal
I think it should be called cleanish coal. Consider the pollutants in just the coal mining process. Further more coal produces more radioactive waste than nuclear power and it is pumped into the air through there smoke stacks not contained like nuclear. This does not include the toxic waste it also produces such as mercury that ends up in the food we eat. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_debate#Environmental_effects Nuclear power is sometimes considered cleaner then hydroelectric power. (read the article)
Q. Do I think nuclear power is the best solution?
A. NO but it the best we have right now. Solar, Wind, and Hydro do not produce anywhere near enough to meet our needs yet. Our technology has come far enough to allow us to produce clean safe nuclear power.
I vote for McCain.
I agree with you regarding energy. My dad worked at a nuclear powwer plant for over 20 years. True regarding the results of wind and water power, they don't put out enough energy. Furthermore, hydro power usually means a dam. They are ecologically problematic for many water species and have a limited life span that can result in failure and devastation. So, there is still some risk. I hate nuclear waste, but I also hate burning fossil fuels. Moving to electric cars means two things. First, fuel taxes will someday be a moot subject and a disappearing source of highway funding. Second, we will need more electricity to our homes.
In addition to the well known toxic waste of coal such as mercury that is being pumped into the air and acids such as sulfur compounds, there are also radioactive pollutants that are being pumped into the air too. Much more than all the nuclear plants produce. It is true that storing the unrecyclable nuclear waste is a problem but it is by far better then releasing it into the air.
FYI Don’t eat the fish. Or not the ones high on the food chain like shark and swordfish. Because of the current mercury levels in the sea these fish are considered a very strong hazard to all women, children through young adults and anyone considering having a child. Even older men are recommended to regulate the amount they eat.
Thanks a lot coal power. Soon enough all salt water fish will be off limits as a food source. (Do you Mr. Obama think we should keep pursuing coal?)
This is an article that relates to mercury levels in fish in Missouri http://www.dnr.mo.gov/env/wpp/TMDL/INFO/MERCURY-INFO.PDF it tells what fish you should not eat from what water sources.
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