We are approaching the time when we must decide which candidates to support in what some are calling the most important election in recent memory. The evaluation of candidates can feel overwhelming. “Spinning” and outright lying have become the rule instead of the exception. Radio and television ads, robo telephone calls, direct mail, blogs and emails bombard voters endlessly. It is enough to drive a person crazy.
Some clarity is in order. Personally, as a follower of Jesus, where candidates stand on the life issue is the first and most important qualification I consider.
It has been said that any elected official who will not protect life, will not protect our families, our property (pursuit of happiness) and our liberty. Everything begins with the right to life. America’s founding document, The Declaration of Independence, declares three basic rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. All three come from God, not government. The right to life is the only fundamental right, from which all others are derived.
Life has been under attack since the Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973. Since then the battle over life has spread beyond abortion, including euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research (cloning). When President Obama withdrew support for the Mexico City Declaration allowing for taxpayer-funded abortions in foreign countries, it reflected this disturbing trend. The Affordable Health Care Act, commonly known as ObamaCare, intensifies the attack on life by requiring religious institutions to provide abortion-inducing drugs in the insurance coverage they provide their employees – even if such action violates their faith and conscience, robbing them of their religious liberty.
The government of the United States was instituted to protect certain unalienable rights bestowed on us by our Creator. God is the Creator of life. Life is under attack because of our denial of God throughout society. The Church bears some responsibility because it too often has sat idly by, allowing the government to affix a muzzle with a bogus interpretation of “separation of church and state.” This has to a large extent muted the Church’s prophetic voice to culture that needs to hear, “Thus saith the Lord.” No wonder the government has legalized the killing of more than 40 million innocent babies and allows the destruction of frozen embryos. This has cheapened life and mocked its Creator.
Meanwhile, relativism is corrupting public policy. Consider House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi’s bizarre defense of ObamaCare, tying it to the promises written in the Declaration of Independence. ObamaCare is “about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for the American people,” she told Capitol Hill reporters. ObamaCare “unlocks” them from a job to pursue happiness without the threat of losing their health insurance, the Politico website reported. Her dangerous assertion is an attempt to redefine what the Founders meant by “life” when they affirmed the Declaration of Independence.
Such are the consequences of a nation denying God throughout society. The Church bows too often to Caesar – an honor that should be bestowed only to God. And we wonder why there is no revival.
The Apostle Paul tells us there are no authorities except those God has established. Government is one of those. It is supposed to honor God, protect our rights and punish evildoers. Instead it has elevated man over God and continues to erode the Church’s freedom.
Reversing such erosion must begin by restoring the right to life. This is an important duty for Christian citizens. Christians in America are blessed in that they may freely take part in the election of public officials and participate in formulating public policy for the common good and to the glory of God.
John C. Munday, Jr., summed it up this way, “Our effectiveness in this restoration rests first and foremost on the recognition of the sovereignty of God the Creator. The concept of inalienable rights may be traced through the Founders … to an origin in Holy Scripture. God has created us and we are His. In Jesus Christ is life and life abundantly; He has given us true and complete freedom, and the deepest happiness flows from His salvation and His providence.” Our inalienable rights – most especially our right to life – are granted by God and can only be taken away through tyranny.
Bottom line: If a candidate will not protect life, that candidate will not protect any of our rights. Therefore, as a Christian, I will not consider voting for a candidate who is not pro-life. It matters not a whit to me where that candidate stands on anything else. The candidate who kills life kills something else – any chance of getting my vote.