Thoughts about God and POLITICAL PARTIES AND CANDIDATES
by Rick Jenkins, Ed.D. (June 2016)
Political Parties
Political parties play an important role in the political process in America. The United States of America has a two-party system ruled by the Democratic and Republican parties ever since the Whig Party died in the 1800s. Other political parties have existed (Libertarians, the Green Party, the Communist Party, etc.), but they have not generally been successful enough to have a significant impact on the country. The Democratic Party is the oldest, having been around since the late 1700s. The Republican Party (Grand Old Party) was established in the 1850s.
Party Platforms
Party platforms are the main principles of what the party stands for and believes in. According to the Free Dictionary, a political platform is "a document stating the aims and principles of a political party" (The Free Dictionary.com, January 4, 2016, Retrieved from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Party+platform).
Political platforms are approved by each political party every four years during their convention. The Republican 2012 PLATFORM can be found at https://www.gop.com/platform/ and https://cdn.gop.com/docs/2012GOPPlatform.pdf.
In the GOP platform approved in 2012, God is mentioned a total of ten (10) times:
- Page ii - Reaffirm that our rights come from God, are protected by government, and that the only just government is one that truly governs with the consent of the governed.
- Page ii - May God continue to shed his grace on the United States of America.
- Page 1 - We offer our Republican vision of a free people using their God-given talents, combined with hard work, self-reliance, ethical conduct, and the pursuit of opportunity, to achieve great things for themselves and the greater community.
- Page 9 - We are the party of the Constitution, the solemn compact which confirms our God-given individual rights and assures that all Americans stand equal before the law.
- Page 9 - In a free society, the primary role of government is to protect the God-given, inalienable, inherent rights of its citizens, including the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
- Page 13 - We acknowledge, support, and defend the law abiding citizen's God-given right of self-defense.
- Page 14 - We condemn decisions by activist judges to deny children the opportunity to say the Pledge of Allegiance in its entirety, including "Under God," in public schools and encourage States to promote the pledge.
- Page 15 - In assessing the various sources of potential energy, Republicans advocate an all-of-the-above diversified approach, taking advantage of all our American God-given resources. That is the best way to advance North American energy independence.
- Page 18 - As the pioneer of conservation over a century ago, the Republican Party believes in the moral obligation of the people to be good stewards of the God-given natural beauty and resources of our country and bases environmental policy on several common-sense principles.
- Page 36 - A young person's ability to achieve in school must be based on his or her God-given talent and motivation, not an address, zip code, or economic status.
The 2012 Democrat platform can be found at https://www.democrats.org/party-platform and http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/papers_pdf/101962.pdf. In the Democrat platform, God is mentioned once:
- Page 2 - We need a government that stands up for the hopes, values, and interests of working people, and gives everyone willing to work hard the chance to make the most of their God-given potential.
However, God was almost removed from the Democrat platform.
Moments after convention chairman Antonio Villaraigosa gaveled in day two of the Democratic Convention, the hall burst into chaos as Democrats voted to amend their party's platform to include the word "God" and name Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Villaraigosa called the vote three times. The first two voice votes, which require a two-thirds majority to pass, were tied between "ays" and "nos." On the third vote it was still hard to tell whether he "ays" were audibly louder than the "nays" in the half-full arena.
When Villaraigosa announced "the ays have it," loud boos erupted across the arena. (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/democrats-rapidly-revise-platform-include-god/story?id=17164108, dated 9/5/2012)
From the above, it seems as though many Democrats objected to either the word God, the reference to Jerusalem, or both. This makes one wonder what will happen to these references at the Democratic convention in 2016.
Republicans have much greater regard for God than the Democrats. According to a survey conducted by the Barna Group:
According to survey results, 57 percent of Republicans assert that the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches compared to 40 percent of Democrats. Republicans are also twice as likely to believe Satan is a real spiritual entity (33 percent versus 17 percent); more likely to reject the idea that good works can earn salvation (35 percent versus 23 percent); more commonly describe themselves as absolutely committed to Christianity (61 percent versus 48 percent); more likely to deem their religious faith to be important in their life (77 percent versus 67 percent); and more likely to believe that God is the all-knowing, perfect Creator and Ruler of the universe (75 percent to 65 percent). (The Christian Post.com, March 6, 2007, Retrieved from http://www.christianpost.com/news/how-does-the-faith-of-republicans-democrats-measure-up-26175/)
From the paragraph above, it would seem that Republicans are more Christian than Democrats, but not by a large margin.
According to Jack Wellman:
God is not a Republican, a Democrat or an Independent. He is God and He reigns supreme over all the earth. He allows Satan to do just as much as He allows and not one bit more. Mankind might like to think they reign but "God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne" (Psalm 47:8) "for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations" (Psalm 22:28), and as David proclaimed, "For you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth" (Psalm 67:4). This does not mean that we should not vote. I believe since we have the power and freedom to vote, we should. We should vote for those who uphold godly values and moral character befitting a leader but we should not be insulting those who are God-ordained in authority over us. (Wellman, J., January 4, 2016, Are Christians Republicans or Democrats? A Biblical look at politics. Retrieved from http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/are-christians-republicans-or-democrats-a-biblical-look-at-politics/)
Most Christians would agree with Mr. Wellman that God is not a Republican or a Democrat. And even though the party platforms can be indicative of their principles and beliefs, many party representatives deviate from their party platform. The party platform can be helpful, but it is not an iron-clad way to gauge a political candidate or elected government official.
Candidates
So if party platforms are not the best method to analyze an elected government official or candidate for public office, what can a voting Christian turn to for guidance?
Should we review their website and campaign literature? Yes, interested voters should certainly review the position papers on the website of the candidates and also review their campaign literature. These documents tell us what the candidate plans to do if they are elected and have their way in office. But many elected officials do not get their way when elected so many of their desires do not get implemented. Presidents must deal with Congress and many times they do not agree. Senators and Representatives only have one vote in their legislative body and may not have the influence to effect legislation.
Should we believe what they tell us in their campaign speeches? Yes and no. Many times a campaign speech is tailored for the specific audience and what is told to one audience may differ from what is told to another audience. And again, what they say is only what they hope to do - they may not have the influence to effect their desired plans.
Therefore, the best strategy is to rely on what the Bible tells us.
- By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them (Matthew 7:16-20, NIV).
Christians should examine the record of the candidate and evaluate the candidate on their past performance. What have they supported in the past? Did their position coincide with what is taught in the Bible? Was the candidate effective in getting their desired plans adopted? And Christians should never forget the power of prayer. We should always pray for guidance and direction on who to vote for. Between examining the candidate's past performance and thoughtful prayer, we can determine who is the best candidate for the Christian voter.
Remember what some politicians have told us before.
- "If you like the [health care] plan you have, you can keep it." as said by President Barack Obama, June 6, 2009 (Bill Moyers.com, January 5, 2016, Retrieved from http://billmoyers.com/content/10-big-fat-lies-and-the-liars-who-told-them/2/).
- "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." as told by President Bill Clinton (Elistmania.com, January 5, 2016, Retrieved from http://www.elistmania.com/10_notorious_political_lies_told_in_the_world/).
- "I am not a crook." as told by President Richard Nixon (History/How Stuff Works.com, January 5, 2016, Retrieved from http://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/10-biggest-lies-in-history.htm#page=9).
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