"Do you see any good in Democrats?"

In response to my post on why evangelicals voted for Bush, Buster Stronghart said...

Is there a single thing about Democrats that might be seen as good by Christians? Is the good samaritan dead? Should we allow the poor to remain hungry, uneducated, and without healthcare? Is that okay?

Just asking you to think a little before you answer.

BusterStronghart@gmail.com

I've thought about it and have an answer to his questions:

Yes, there are many good things about Democrats that are seen as good by Christians. I know Democrats who have nice cars, nice hair, and nice Republican wives or husbands. I even know Democrats who are Christians, although they obviously don't take their Christianity seriously if they have voted Democrat in recent times.

But the question here should be: Does God see a single good thing about Democrats (or Republicans, or Independents)? The answer is NO!

Romans 3: 10-12 says:
None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.

In those verses, the apostle Paul was talking about the similarities and complete sinfulness of both Jews and non-Jews. But it applies to Democrats and Republicans as well, "For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:22-23). Therefore, if Christians wish to think like God thinks, we should not see a single thing good about Democrats (or anyone else who has not been washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ).

•   In fact, the Good Samaritan is not living now or dead, he was just a parable, not a true story. However, one of the many reasons that I vote Republican is because I believe in the principles taught in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. I believe that we should help struggling people to get back on their feet and to be able to fend for themselves once they have done so. I don't believe in forcing these people to remain in their squalor while we give them such things as TVs, cigarettes, alcohol, junk food, and absentee ballots already filled out for the Democrat ticket. I believe that we should secure the liberty of those who would be abused as was the man who was robbed in the parable. Thus the reason for my support of the war in Iraq.

•   No, we shouldn't allow the poor to remain hungry (1 John 3:17). That is why I support Republican efforts to help people in poverty to learn a trade so they can make a living, support their families, and contribute to society. This, too, is a biblical principle—that we when we are blessed by God we should turn around and give to others who have less than we.

•   We should not deny education to the poor and no one that I know of is advocating a prohibition on education (making it a rather odd statement from someone who advises "think before you answer." The Republicans are trying to improve education for the poor by giving them educational choice through school vouchers, another positive effort that the Democrats are violently opposed to. The Bible says Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). We need to give parents the opportunity to train a child in the appropriate way—not in the way the public school system thinks is best for the majority of the children.

•  I'm not particularly happy about the fact that some people are without healthcare and I well understand that situation since my family was one of those families without healthcare for almost a decade because we couldn't afford it. We were able to get out of that regretable situation through the good samaritan-like efforts of Christians who helped us through that time of poverty while I worked to learn a craft that I could use to support my family. This is the way that Christians believe we should take care of the poor who cannot afford healthcare. The Christian community is commanded to care for the poor in our communities and many local churches are doing that very thing. We are also commanded to give alms in secret, which precludes going on CBS News and telling Dan Rather what wonderful people we Christians are for taking care of the poor.

The question is not whether or not I like Democrats, but are you a follower of Jesus Christ? The answer to this will mean everything after these other issues are no longer important.