Being in the wrong place

 I can remember as a child watching the Republican national convention when Eisenhower was nominated as their candidate for president. I've been interested in politics ever since. In high school I entertained the idea of going to college to be an attorney which may well have led me into politics. Of course, I never pursued either becoming an attorney or a politician, but I remain interested in the political process. Over the years I have voted for both Democrats and Republicans. I am much more interested in what the person stands for than I am what political party he or she may belong to. With this background, I believe I have earned the right to say that neither of the candidates for president in this election cycle impress me. Both have an amazing capacity to say really stupid things. It's hard for me to believe that neither party has anyone better to represent them, and our country, than these two.

While both have made comments that bother me, no statement concerns me more than Kamala Harris' comment to the individual who shouted out at her meeting, "Jesus is Lord." She responded that they were at the wrong rally in a very flippant manner. She has been under a great deal of criticism for her comment, and some suggest it indicates what her attitude towards Christianity will be if she is elected president.

On the one hand, it is one of the stupidest comments I've ever heard from a candidate of either party. To tell Christians they should not be at a political rally is saying that they and their Christians views are not welcome there. On the other hand, it is possible that this shows the potential attitude that they will have towards Christians if elected to the highest political office in the land. Either way, it sends a message to a large voting block that their beliefs and values do not matter. This is not the way to win election

Of course, she may feel safe in insulting Christians. We are told that a majority of Christians will not vote in this election. If that is true, then insulting Christians may not bother either candidate. But if it is true, this shows a serious disconnect between our responsibilities as citizens of this country. We have a responsibility to vote for those who best reflect our moral values and beliefs.

I will never tell anyone who to vote for in any political race. As a pastor I will only say that we should vote for the persons who best reflect our Christian values and beliefs. As I said earlier, I have voted for both Democrats and Republicans in the past, and I will split my ballot again this year. If you are legally registered to vote, I encourage you to vote this year.  Much depends on it.