“I’m a Values Voter”

Those aren’t my words. I heard a woman proudly proclaim them on NPR this morning. When pressed for what values she was speaking of, she said that she voted for life, and she was against the “gay marriage thing”. “One man and one woman”, she happily offered. She went on to say that McCain’s values are her values. I wonder if that includes secrecy, lies, and abuse of power—all things that seem to be valued on the McCain-Palin ticket.

But being a so-called values voter brings up an interesting issue. Simply because I support a woman’s right to choose, as well as the right for a gay couple to marry, does this mean I have no values? If I used her criteria, then I suppose it would. Yet, everyone has values. Whether it be power, prestige, material goods, or the more noble values such as human rights, animal welfare, or equality. All are values—the only thing that differentiates them is the people who hold them.

The woman on NPR concluded her mini-interview by stating, “God bless McCain, and God bless America!” It made me wonder if she’s thought of perhaps holding the value of humility. She didn’t demonstrate that, of course. Instead, she showed self-righteousness. But, I suppose that’s a value as well…

Eatin’ my words…

Well, I had to make a decision this week, and now I’m prepared to share it with you. Despite my earlier declarations, I am going to eat my words, and now I’m back to backin’ Obama. Why did I come back? One word—Palin.

I have spent a lot of time discussing politics here lately, but this is supposed to be a spiritual blog, so I’m giving a spiritual reason as to why I jumped back onto the Obama wagon. Sarah Palin represents all that is, in my opinion, wrong with fundamental beliefs of any religious system. She claims to support women and their progress, yet doesn’t think they should have the right to decide what to do with their bodies. This is a problem, because in case Palin hasn’t noticed, not everyone is a Christian. What is one to do if they find themselves pregnant and observing a faith other than the one Palin subscribes to? Palin wants all to observe life from a Christian perspective, but would she want to have to observe life from a Buddhist perspective? Isn’t that what freedom of religion is all about? Now, I certainly believe some rules are good for all, regardless of faith—such as not killing another person. And personally, I don’t know if I could abort my own child, as I do believe life begins at conception. However, I am extremely uncomfortable with telling others what to do with their bodes, and I think such restrictive laws (as Palin would have) actually go against the tremendous freedom that God gives us. Some may argue that the Bible instructs Christians to help one another in their walk. Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians that “if someone in your group does something wrong, you who are spiritual should go to that person and gently help make him/her right again” (Galatians 6:1). And I realize that is what Palin and others are trying to do by making abortion against the law. But, they are missing a critical point here—Paul said specifically someone in “your group”. Group—in this case, Christians—would mean others that share your belief system. Are we to impose our ways on everyone, whether they are in our faith community or not? I don’t think so.

Palin is also not going to be a poster child for the environment or the welfare of animals any time soon. A person who happily endorses shooting wolves from a helicopter is not being a good steward of God’s planet and his animals. God instructed us to care for the land and its occupants, not brutalize it.

Finally, Palin has strange tendencies—such as a curiosity about the procedure for banning a book from the library—which I think are inconsistent with the freedom we supposedly espouse in this country. Her “quirks”, as they are, are directly related to her fundamental faith, a religion she wears on her sleeve. But somehow, compassion, a concern for the least among us (health insurance for the poor, any one?), humility, and the maturity to understand that we don’t all believe in the same things, are lost on her.

I can no more protest this election than I can sit back and be comfortable with fundamentalists hijacking my faith. I don’t call myself a Christian, but I do love Jesus and strive to be like him. Yet, I would not impose my belief system on others. If I want folks to see the Jesus I see, then I must be what I want to be seen. I can’t beat others over the head with threats, fearful speeches, and laws. And when I use that stick to measure who I’d want in office, then Obama is really the only choice. Male running mate or not.