I watched the RNC speeches (yes, all of them :-) ) and have been reading commentary on them ever since. I love reading people's comments on news sites - both from the right and the left - and I have been noticing a very interesting dynamic emerging.
Some Christians aren't too pleased with the Republican party these days.
And I think I understand why.
What I saw come out of the RNC was a bunch of hate and belittlement. Attacking with fervor, venom - vicious glee. The laughter of the crowd; they were eating it up. The horrible slam on "community organizing", belittling people who work very, very hard to make a difference in people's lives (in contrast, community organizing was one of the things that initially attracted me to Obama; I'm now beginning active involvement in volunteering in my community, and possibly overseas someday, as a result). This behavior from the RNC is the kind of hypocritical, self-serving behavior that made me turn my back on Christianity, and the Republican party, after the 2000 Bush campaign almost a decade ago.
So, after that awe-inspiring (and not in a good way) performance from St. Paul, how do evangelical voters really feel about the "gift" they have been offered?
I have a bunch of examples here of Christians voicing their opinions regarding Palin's speech (most are graciously compiled by a poster at DailyKos, credit where credit is due). These comments are heartfelt and genuine; I know there are a lot of them, but I encourage you to read them. Please note that I don't necessarily subscribe to these opinions - I am pro-choice and pro-gay - but I deeply respect their convictions. (I have more to say below the comments).
It is so frustrating to try to convince my Christian brothers and sisters that there is more to righteousness than not being a homosexual and not having aborted a baby. While these are both abominations to God, we forget that slander is also an abomination, something John McCain has made his lifestyle in this campaign. This is the main reason why homosexuals and athiests hate us so much. I know we all know John 3:16, but what about John 3:17. "For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved." We spend so much time showing hate to this group of people that they draw further and further away from God, which is in it self us being disobedient to God. Refer to Mark 12:30-31 "And you shall love the Lord your God with with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." Right there it shows that the greatest 2 commandments are to love. There is no other greater, so there is no excuse for the condemning behavior of Christians. Barack Obama's campaign has been based on this commandment because no matter how much his opponents try to tear him down, he turns the other cheek and shows love. The exact thing God tells us to do. And when it comes to abortion and gay marriages, try not to twist peoples words because the Bible tells us that manipulation is witchcraft. He is not in favor of either, nor does he oppose God's views; however, he will not take away anyone's God given right to choose. You all chose to be servants of God, so why take that right away from anybody else. Perhaps if we behaved the way God called for us to, there might be more peace.
Jesus was a community organizer.
As a Christian and as a human being who believes in the sanctity of all human life and that it is time to beat the weapons of war created out of our inability to love one another and to understand what God means, as concerns justice, I tremble at the idea of someone who believes that war is blessed by God. Those who attack us also think that their cause is ordained by God. Peace is ordained by the Jesus I know. I am starting, regrettably, to think of people who agree with Sarah Palin on this point as anti Christian and modern day heretics. I cannot imagine wanting to possibly put Palin's finger on the "N" button.
I have long respected McCain even when I didn't agree with him, but I am sickened by this choice. Out of so many qualified, brilliant women in the republican party, he chose a beauty queen hockey-mom soley based on superficial reasons, mainly her pro-life status. When will we realize there were a million abortions the year before roe, and there will be abortions after roe, overturning roe simply returns to the states, and we all saw what happened in South Dakota, but the common denominator among 2/3 or more seeking abortions is poverty or extreme financial crisis? The way to save babies is to help and empower women, not through punitive measures designed to reprove moral turpitude. That's why in the Netherlands where abortion is safe and legal, its rare, but it skyrockets in Brazil, where illegal, but women lack adequate resources and rights. I'm waiting for a real pro-life candidate, that cares about ALL life, all God's creation...Obama's as close as it gets for now.
Many evangelical will be propelled by the unfortunate personal attacks on her family and the media backlash. How quickly some Christians want to see themselves victimized and sharing the cross of Christ. Too bad the identity of those who are the truly crucified, the poor, unwanted immigrants, and our own mother earth will go unnoticed. I have yet to hear anything from her to indicate that she has her heart with them and a commitment to them._I also thought it audacious that she would dare to speak about the inexperience of Obama, given her own limited knowledge, lack of experience, lack of a passport. We think with our gut in this country and by-pass the head. I pray the truth wins out on this one - if it does, it will be an act of God's grace.
Though likeable, I found her speech to be mean-spirited, full of personal jabs, and divisive. But, she wants the base and I am not a part of the base, so she does not want me. Thank God, Jesus wants us all. By the way, isn't that the Christian way?
I did not see a lot of dignity last night. I am very sincere when I say that I would not have wanted my children to see adults acting in those ways even if they were too young to understand whatever was being said. I saw the darker side of the human ego "electrified." The mocking, the jeering, and the purposeful yet unjustified self-righteousness was shocking. I used to be a proud republican and although I was already an Obama supporter, I saw something in the republican party last night that made me think I could have nothing to do with them until I would see a radical and consistent change in the state of mind and heart. These are the leaders for us and our children?
I just couldn't continue to listen to her speech - there was just too much venom - and as folks have said earlier if she is carrying the marks of a true Christian - God help us - Someone take a look at the Romans 12:9-21 - Somehow this woman misses the "marks" completely! And we have seeing a double standard - I'm still infuriated with the way Hillary was treated - here was a women of integrity, experience, and all the qualities you want in a president - and now the republicians show up with a woman our of no-where and we're all supposed to jump on board - I don't think so...and...I'm also the mom of a young lady who had a baby at 17 - the last thing in the world her father and I would have advised her to do is get married! She was only 17---What is Palin thinking?? Her daughter is only a child - not mature enough to handle a marriage and all the responsibilities that go with it - what kind of future does Palin think these two children will have? My daughter is 32 now - mature and happily married.
I was deeply disappointed to hear such unChrist-like rhetoric coming from all the speakers last night. I disagree with Jim Wallis. While I am all for women's rights and equality, I find it very hard to imagine having a pregnant 17 year old daughter and a 5 month old baby with special needs, and wanting to run for VP. That is certainly not in line with MY family values. And speaking of family values, why does John McCain get a free ride for having "cheated numerous times" on his wife and then finding someone 17years younger, gets a marriage license even before his divorce is final! Again, not in line with MY family values. I was horrified by her address last night. I don't think I have ever seen such glee in a person's eyes as I saw in Palin's as she delivered her sarcasm and outright lies. I am a Christian and as such, I believe in truth and charity. I also do not believe you can use the devil's tools of lies, innuendo and downright nastiness and hope for a good outcome.
She gave a real picture of her character last night... and it didn't have anything to do with Christian, patriotic or family values. She was just plain rude and condescending. What a disappointment.
"experience, depth and temperament to step into the Oval Office. What many of those Americans need to see are qualities like judgment, wisdom, tolerance and flexibility."" depth and temperament are two things I am looking for in both President and VP... does the candidate make decisions with caution, seek advice from several sources, work well with others, consider those with whom there may be strong differences??? the President and Vice President represent all USA citizens, all religions, all walks of life.. and have a responsibility to consider the least among us... one out of three vice presidents has had to step into the Presidential role and so these qualities are crucial for both candidates.
What was missing on the governor's speech was a temperament of tolerance and compassion. what i mean is if she is a follower of christ as she claims to be why is the bulk of her message an attack on a fellow follower? the tone of our political landscape is harsh, mean spirited and without biblical witness. we are called to use our words to encourage and build each other up no matter our political bent, love your enemies and all that.
I am SO heartened that so many Christians apparently found last night's carefully orchestrated drama-speech so basically offensive. Along with all the trappings leading up to last night and what's to surely come....at least from one side of the aisle. The religious right was conned and hypocritically used by Bush-Rove before to our collective grief and sadness, now the obvious pandering used by McCain and the ex-Bush advisors should be a clear wake-up call. Jim (Wallis), you were too kind, you owed it to people to be more open and on point.. John M. has done a waffling 180 degrees from who he was when he was justly respected.
Jim, normally I agree with you, but I must differ on this one: we saw much more than personality last night. We saw a revelation of character, and it wasn't a pretty sight, despite the pretty shade of lipstick on pit bulls. Conventions, I feel, are similar to Sunday morning church services: you can tell a lot about a church by the sermons, the songs chosen, the things that excite the congregation. My old pastor used to call Sunday morning "the frosting on the cake" and always reminded us that the real work of being Christians took place Monday-Saturday. But Sunday showed what we cared about, and got us ready for the challenges of Monday. If I'd been "church-shopping" these past two weeks, I think I could tell where the story of gospel love and inclusion and generosity got proclaimed.
I cannot even begin to describe how refreshing these comments are to read. These people are articulate, speak with conviction, and are not condescending or petty. They have faith and believe in true service. They are not impressed by those who belittle others or hide behind gross misstatements, vicious attacks or who point the finger at the other guy, while virtually ignoring serious issues that voters need to know (illegal immigration? jobs? the housing market? healthcare? a strong plan for the economy?). These people revive my respect for "true" Christians (I've found them increasingly rare these past few years).
I feel like the Republican party has been throwing the Christian faith down the gutter these past eight years, and we on the "outside" find this a stellar example of just that. I would not want Palin as our President - she won't even talk to the media, won't answer questions, and it's likely that this will continue in one regard or another all the way to election day. The question is: why is the media not demanding that she allow interviews? Why is she hiding? It doesn't take a stretch to figure the answer out to that one, but you can decide for yourself.
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