Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. ~ Romans 13:1
If we are called to be subject to the government, shouldn't we do our part to ensure that our government is subject to Christ? No matter who is elected, we can know that it is God's will, however, God has been gently prompting me that I need to do my part to know what is going on in my government. I wouldn't follow a pastor if I knew nothing of his beliefs, why would I blindly follow a president? Anyway, that's where my mind has been today. So I have been looking at the websites for the presidential candidates for 2012. A couple things have caught my attention, that I thought I would pass on.
#1 I really like bullet point lists when it comes to issues. If you can't tell me flat out what your goals are and what you stand for in an easy to read format, it makes me wonder how much is fluff, and how much is actual issues. One candidate never even said what he stood for, another just said that he thinks Obama has failed us (without mentioning how or why). I can't vote for either of them, because I don't know anything that they stand for.
#2 After knowing what they stand for, there are a few issues that stand out for me.
-If your main issue is creating jobs, why can't you tell me how you are going to do that? Every single candidate cares about jobs, in fact, every presidential candidate in history has claimed to better the economy and help make more jobs. Unless you have an action plan that you are willing to openly share, I just don't buy it. Sorry.
-All of our presidential candidates claim to be pro-life (well, all of those that have posted what they stand for anyway, there's no way to tell about the other 2). I think the more important issue at this point is their definition of what that means.
-The only candidates that mentioned education, specifically mentioned homeschooling. That makes me happy :)
So after that little recap of my discoveries, here is a list of the candidates and who I will be watching, and who I have written off:
Mitt Romney:
Doesn't say what he stands for (other than America and that Obama has failed). I will not be voting for, or following him through this election.
Jon Huntsman:
Also does not share his stance on issues, at all that I could find. I can't follow or vote for him either.
Rick Perry:
The current leader in this race, only mentions 4 issues, and all of the other candidates mention those as well, and there are a ton of issues that he doesn't seem to care about, so I won't be following or voting for him.
Newt Gingrich:
Instead of addressing issues, he posts solutions. I liked that. I will be watching him and learning more about who he is and what he stands for.
Rick Santorum:
Another man that I will be watching. The first thing he lists as standing for is faith and family.
Thad McCotter:
I really like that he first outlines the issues as he see's them, and then lists how he thinks we should confront them. I will be keeping my eye on him as well.
Ron Paul:
This one is surprising to me. It seems like Ron Paul has been running in the presidential race for as long as I remember, yet never wins. I always chalked that up to mean that he wasn't worth anything, I have been surprised. I will be watching him, and hope to learn more about this man that I have always ignored.
Michele Bachmann:
I'm not sure how I feel about a female president. I've been back and forth on this issue most of my life. In high school I was a feminist, and thought girls were much more capable then men. However, once I recognized Christ as Lord of my life, that view changed. I went dramatically the other way, thinking that because women need to be submissive to men and thus shouldn't run anything, only support their husbands. To recognizing Debora as a biblical leader, thus understanding that it has it's time and place. I will be following her through this election, as well as looking further into the study of women leaders in the Bible.
Did I miss anyone? I know that Tim Pawlenty has already withdrew from the race, but that's as far as I have came so far.
What about you, do you follow politics? Who are you watching this election?
I need to look into each of these and register to vote so I can do my part. I disagree with a female running for president. 1 Timothy 2 tells a woman that she is to not have authority over a man. I wouldn't agree or encourage a woman to be a preacher nor will I encourage or agree for a woman to be president. Like you, I would of, a couple of years ago, been all for it but when Christ got a hold of me that changed. :)
ReplyDeleteI would never encourage a woman to be a preacher, but someone said that Debora wasn't a church leader but a state leader and that's the difference? I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but I'm looking into it.
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