Does it Really Matter?

 Does it really matter? Our federal election is just five weeks away. We will either elect a new president or re-elect our current one. But, does it really matter who gets elected? Aren't all politicians just puppets who sing and dance at the whims of big business and global powers?  

How you answer the above questions might tell quite a bit about your attitude towards government and ours in particular. It might also indicate how you view voting. I have vivid memories of the first free elections that were to take place in Iraq. Never mind the politics. Focus on the Iraqi people. People walked, rode bicycles, drove old rickety cars, just to get to a polling station, stand in the oppressive heat, and cast their ballot. Once they voted they dipped their forefinger into blue ink.

Old men and women, looking worn out from war and death, smiled for the camera and held up their ink stained finger. Their vote was important and they held the conviction that it mattered. They faced the rumors of attacks being planned on the voters and in every town where voting was to take place. Facing violence was more important than not voting.

Their choices were important to them. Our choices as we enter the election time and the voting booth are critical this year. I'm going to be right upfront here. I did not like our current president. During the primary I voted for a different person and was saddened that he did not win. In retrospect he probably would have lost to the challenger. My dislike for the president was based on quite a few reasons that are personal.

Our current president has been a strong leader. He has tried to keep the promises he made while on the campaign trail. His is a staunch advocate for every unborn child. He has stated that every child is designed by God and is a gift. His conviction is obvious and not some pandering move to appease people.

Our president is unequivocal in his belief that America is an exceptional country and a beacon of freedom in the world. That ethos resounds within my soul. The price that men and women paid in their shed blood for the American Dream demands my respect and allegiance. My father and uncles fought the Nazi and Japanese powers to protect our liberty.

I hope and pray that you will vote on election day. You must vote your conscience. When you enter the voting booth remember the power that your vote has. I will remember the image of an Iraqi women draped in tattered material smiling an almost toothless grin, holding up her ink stained finger for the world to see. 

We are Living in Debasement

Debasement - According to Merriam-Webster: To lower in status, esteem, quality, or character.
The question to answer is: Can a political platform be the tool that contributes to the debasement of individuals? 

I believe that men and women are created in the image of God. That meaning, humans have the ability to sense God, to know God, and have communication with God. Mankind finds its greatest purposes when in communion with God. Our greatest pieces of music were those dedicated to God. The great works of art throughout the world are those dedicated to God. Hymns and poetry have touched the hearts and souls of millions. Man's greatest pursuit is in grasping the knowledge of God and thereby attaining His likeness.

People who have encountered God, in His grace, compassion, forgiveness, and mercy are filled with the desire to have His life reflected through theirs. We learn of His will and desire through Holy Scripture. We understand His priorities and purposes though His Word to mankind. We come to understand what He has ordained for His creation.

He has ordained the beginning of life as the moment egg and sperm join in conception. His word gives us very clear and vivid imagery of conception and growth. He has said, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you and ordained you." Again he said through His spokesman, "He knit me together in my mother's womb. I am fearfully and wonderfully made." For those who will plainly see there can be no doubt about God's stand on the gift of life.

God ordained the relationship that was to be the basis and foundation for society. In the Old Testament God ordained the coming together in sexual union of Adam and Eve. Their union was to be helpers and companions upon the earth and to bring forth children establishing the family. The family, for centuries, has been the bedrock of civilization. Jesus Christ blessed the union of a man and a woman. He went so far as to give us a command about the union, "What God has joined together let no man put asunder."

We are living in a society, and in a time, of great debasement. A political platform stands firmly on the destruction of the unwanted child. That destruction can be pronounced even seconds before a breath fills new lungs.Such a heinous act is law in many states.

That same platform has succeeded in redefining family, marriage, and gender. They have opened a Pandora's box that will lead to greater debauchery and confusion in the minds of millions. New calls for alternate marriages happen today. In a few states as many as thirty one gender identities have been labeled and codified.

Not every person within such a party agrees with the platform. A problem arises in the soul of the one who disagrees with such a platform, yet remains within the party. Is guilt by association a valid complaint?

Each of us will be held accountable for our convictions and actions. That includes me and you.