Politics & Religion

Note: This single entry will probably be the extent of my political blogging this election season, so enjoy it. Just saying.

So there was a Vice-Presidential debate on TV last night. Most of you probably watched it. I watched it too, but really only because it knocked The Office off of the air for the week. And the group I was with wanted to watch it. See, you have to understand, I really can't stand politics. Now voting, I'm all about voting, I vote every chance I get. But that has to do with people and government. Politics, and especially election politics, is just talk. In fact, the single greatest benefit for me of having a DVR has been being able to skip the commercials this time of year. But I digress...

We recently got a new small group going at Centerpoint of 18-20somethings. Very cool. There aren't a lot of us that age in this particular church, and it's been nice to be able to get together, enjoy a little food and wine, and talk about things from a different perspective. We meet on Thursdays, so last night's discussion naturally drifted to the impending debate more than once... we ran a little late, so we all ended up watching it together, too. Here's the thing, though - a large part of our discussion last night centered on honesty. We talked about some "little white lies" we've all told to keep people happy, and then posed the question: "Would Jesus have told those lies?" The answer was a resounding "no"... which brought us back to politics. Somebody mentioned that a straight answer from the politicians would be nice once in a while, which I think is the point. It's all about telling you what you want to hear. Jesus wouldn't have done that. He would have given us the straight truth, even if it was hard to swallow. That's why I trust in Jesus, but not politicians.

The truth is, every one of these folks has a group (or rather lots of groups) that they're trying to appeal to: the conservative right, the liberal left, moderates, Christians, Jews, whites, blacks, small business owners, rich folks, poor folks, or even the American public as a whole. The vast majority of politicians will say whatever those groups want to hear... and that goes for both sides. I've already seen news stories today exposing lies that both of the Veep candidates told last night. Aren't we better than that?!? Aren't we, the American people, smart enough to rise above our petty partisanship and demand straight answers from everyone, whether they be Republican, Democrat, or anything else?

I've seen great blogs written by Christian leaders that I deeply respect in support of both candidates (and additional stuff about their VP picks). All of it has been pretty balanced. Everyone admits that they have disagreements with their own candidate; that there are some things they like better about the other. And that's the way it should be. I won't be revealing my own pick here on this blog (although I have decided), because that's not what it's all about. Don't trust what celebrities, other politicians, or other pastors say. Don't trust what I say. Above all else, don't trust what the candidates say. Instead, get online, and do your homework! Find out what these guys are really all about. See what they say and do and vote for when the entire world isn't watching. See what lines up more with your own views and beliefs and what lines up with the teachings of Jesus, and then make your own decision. Because that's the point. And because politics suck.