You can't be serious ...
Don't get me wrong: I understand the concerns of the pro-life movement. I appreciate their angst over Canada's manic pre-occupation with abortion and euthanasia. I'm glad someone apparently has marginalized persons such as the unborn and aged on their agenda.
But I think the pro-life agenda would do itself a huge favour, credibility-wise, if it would spend more time loving marginalized people and less time lobbying for them.
Case in point: this week, a pro-life coalition -- comprised of Defend Traditional Marriage & Family, the Canada Family Action Coalition, and the Campaign Life Coalition -- issued a press release announcing their Election Guide for Serious Christians.
According to the press release, their voter's guide "specifically targets church-going, conservative Christians with a bold message of voting for candidates who support five Non-Negotiable Moral Principles". As it turns out, the five non-negotiable moral principles aren't really principles at all. They're pro-life positions on 1) abortion, 2) euthanasia, 3) embryonic stem cell research, 4) human cloning, and 5) homosexual marriage. The voter's guide declares these five so-called principles should be "ranked above all other issues that come up in political debate".
The coalition hopes churches will print up the guide as a Sunday bulletin insert. Failing that, lay people can stand outside the church on a public sidewalk and distribute the guide as a handout "to help fellow Christians vote the way they should".
Hmmm ....
I'm pretty suspicious of a Christian coalition that goes around deciding who's a serious Christian and who isn't. When that coalition thinks it's discerned five non-negotiables on complex social and bio-medical issues, I'm definitely doubtful. And when that same coalition thinks it can rank its agenda above all other issues and tell Christians how they should vote, I assume they're not really serious after all.
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. - James 1.27
Seriously.
Labels: abortion, Canada, CFAC, conservatives, election, evangelicals, pro-life, religion, vote
posted by The Rock 'n' Roll Preacher at
10/06/2008 12:31:00 AM
3 Comments:
Amen
The Rock and Roll Preacher was on the attack on Sunday Night.
I think Fox TV and CNN producers will be calling you for pointers.
I wondered if those of us on the outside lookig in might comment on the issue off the air.
The 'Serious Christion Guide'
Science and Religion represent two different perspectives on things ; so I should probably stay out of this issue. However in science we always like to carve up a question into smaller bits. Easier to chew on
There are two differnt issues in ' the list' for ' Serious Christians'
1. Should a politician's religious views be the principle
point on which we decide whether to vote for him or not.
2. Is 'The List' a reasonable
platform of ethical principles on which to base public policy.
On the first point, Rick Warren's Saddledome interview with McCane and Obama muddled the religious and the political. Asking the candidates ' What would you do about Evil?' is like asking a scientist If God meant us to fly. The question of evil is not political and the question of God's intent for flight is not scientific.In the same way it might be best to leave one's polititian's religious views to himself in your deliberations on who to vote for.
On the second ' The list' seems a reasonable code (though not exclusive) of principles . I can certainly get to taking care of widows and orphans from the first four on the list which value highest qualities of human life above the id . Even the fourth; recognizing that marriage may represent a religious term to many and not a tecnical one outlining tax and social rights, might persuade homosexual couples that a different language for their union would be respectful and a thoughtful gesture even if its seems at first unfair.
This was a long winded way
of saying there are many paths to choosing one's representative in the next election. 'Leave unto Caesar....' seems good advice re political/ religious views of your candidate. As well, for particular constituents, I would rather have their election guide to ponder rather than none ; if only as a basis of discussion. After all what if they are right? What if we are all right? What conclusions will that lead us to.
PS It was Election Guide for Mysterious Christians' . 'Serious' was a Typo.
E=MC**2
Einstein: I love your correction. It really should be the Election Guide for Mysterious Christians. Personally, I think the world would be a better place if Christians focused on being mysterious rather than serious. I'm going to work on it!
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