Do I believe that my nation was built and founded on principles that were intended to be consistent with Holy Scripture? I absolutely do. Do I believe that we are a great nation, at least in part, because we have cared about those moral imperatives? I really do. Do I believe that my vote should not just be a pragmatic one, but a spiritual one as well? I do. Do I believe that in weighing my vote, I should try to find the candidate that most reflects the nature of God that I find in scripture?
I certainly do.
And that's why I am voting for Barack Obama.
God, in the Bible was very much concerned and invested in the success of a small clan of people called the Israelites. He gave them Laws that can be found in the OT Book of Leviticus if anyone cares to read them. Some of these Laws were intended to keep His people safe and healthy. (What to eat and not eat. What to avoid in way of touching others, etc.) Some were intended to give them moral direction. (Do not steal, murder, etc.) It was not only Holy and good....but it was just smart. Can anyone argue that a society has the ability to grow best when it practices good health practices, and strong moral underpinings?
But God also asked the Nation of Israel to take care of herself and her land in a way that would honor Him. God had certain Laws that helped the nation of Israel as a community of people grow in leaps and bounds in comparison to other nations.
In short...God was a Redistributor.
Law A: Year of Jubilee
Every 50 years the trumpets would sound and people would rejoice because everybody was set free from the restraints that may have been involved in keeping them captive. All slaves were released. All debts HAD to be forgiven. All land had to be given up by owners and become unowned again. This was huge because it meant that land (which meant wealth back then) could not simply be passed down from one generation to another, to another. People could make bad decisions with money, and even go into huge debt. But every 50 years...they received a do-over. Slaves had an opportunity to become meaningful citizens again. After all...isn't that what we all want? Um hmmmm....Republicans?
The Year of Jubilee was God's answer to the age old problem of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.
Sounds pretty good to me too.
Law B: The Law of Gleaning
God demanded that everyone who owned fields and harvested food could not harvest everything. They HAD to leave some for the poor and unfortunate. They couldn't harvest the fruit that fell to the ground. They had to leave that for the poor to harvest. They had to leave some areas of their fields unharvested so that the poor could come in and always find a meal when they needed.
This was God's way of making sure that those who had much also took care of those who had little. This wasn't just morally right...this was smart. Everyone was taken care of, and so the nation grew.
Law C: The Law of First Fruits
Everyone had to take the very first "fruits" of their harvest (but this could also be the first baby lambs, or cows, etc) to the priests. These animals and fruit and grain were then sold often, and the funds that were received got tallied every 3 years and given to the poor.
This was God's way of ensuring that those who were less fortunate didn't just get the last fruit off the ground, they were so important to God that He wanted them to have the FIRST of what a richer person would realize as well. This engrained into the minds of His people that He cared about EVERYONE.
Law D: The Law of Sabbatical Year
Every 7 years God told His people that they could not plant or harvest from the ground. They had to take a year off. And more importantly...the EARTH had to take a year off. Again, this wasn't just the right thing to do, but it was just smart. So, while other civilizations were raping their resources and stripping their land bare, the Israelites always produced the best crops in Biblical times. This also taught them to save because they knew that every 7 years they wouldn't be harvesting a crop.
Sounds like God was also an Environmentalist.
Law E: The Israelites could not charge interest on any loans.
It didn't matter what they were loaning...they just couldn't do it within their community. God saw this as a way rich(er) people were exploiting poor(er) people. He didn't like that. Now compare that with the preditory lending practices that the Republicans allowed in the name of "Trickle-Down Economics" and "Capitalism."
God's Laws seen as a whole had a really simple but rather profound underlying paradigm. His people could not prosper unless everyone prospered. His nation could not become great unless everyone stooped down with a hand to someone who was below them. His nation could not be a shining beacon of light to other nations unless she cared about "the least of these."
Please know this post is not about whether or not you agree with the Bible or the initial tenets I propose. To argue that would be a waste of time for me and you.
This diary is more about trying to understand why those people who DO believe in the Bible (like me) continue to vote for Republicans.
Abortion? Gay Marriage? Really? Are you kidding me?
Who cares if these things are legal. Those things only give a person the right as a citizen to partake. Why is that so scary? Those things are not actions...they are allowances. And those things certainly do not impel the one who disagrees with them to partake.
I may not agree on a moral basis that we should not sue one another (and the Bible makes it clear that we should not)...but does that allowance in our law impel me to sue? Or my children?
Are Christians not in an uproar over laws like these because they find more benefit in using them? I wonder...
And lastely...
If I hear one more Republican Christian talk about not wanting to give up their wealth because they have worked so hard for it, and so, why should they do that for people who are lazy....blah, blah, blah... I am going to scream!
Meet Marilisa. She will die here in Guatemala a very poor woman. She works extremely hard everyday as a little girl. Harder than I have ever worked. She has to in order to make enough money to buy food everyday. But God forbid we think she's trying to take our hard-earned money!
These poor ladies spend every day walking miles and miles up and down mountains with heavy loads on their backs. The problemm with these poor ladies is that they don't work hard enough I think.
Yep, you got it. Another slacker. Jose Manuel walks miles everyday on a bad leg to get to local markets where he can sell his trinkets which he spent all night making with his one good hand. He needs to do this to survive.
His issue is not a redistribution issue...it must be because he's lazy, or sinful, or stupid.
I came to Guatemala to make a difference.
What I received was an education on what it means to care for those beneath us.
Barack Obama, although not perfect, understands this much better than John McCain.