2008 Presidential Elections
Ok. I'm not an American, and I've not carefully studied the candidates' policies vis a vis America's economy and culture and political climate and everything. So whatever I've said is purely my own personal opinion that is inconsequential.So I like Obama. He addressed the issue of race frankly and artfully, acknowledging the african americans' still existing anger amoung some of them because of oppression acted on them in the past, and the whites also are angry that there are extra benefits awarded on the african americans because of their oppression in history. He did not think that it is realistic to say America is now past the racial divide, neither is his presidency (if) going to change much of that. But he wants to work towards greater tolerance.
That's one.I
n an earlier speech on religion and governance, he addressed why he will not impose christian rules and laws on america politics. He acknowledges the fact that America is now secularise, and when the president presides, he/she is not presiding over christians, but atheists, free-thinkers, buddhists, muslims, etc. So if he wants to enact a law, he has to consider whether the other religions can find grounds in enacting that law too. Furthermore, if christian laws are to be enforced, whose type will it be? Will it be the old testament laws, where certain seafood are illegal, or according to which denominations' directions?
I'm a fundamental Christian, and I don't agree with abortions and gay marriages. But I agree with the Westminster Confession in the separation of church and state. The president cannot act as a christian alone, but has now become the boss of many many other religions whom, even according to the Bible, that we don't stone alive and expel them from the face of the world. We lament, we pray against immorality, but in governing multi religious country definately the leader will have to allow rights of other religions.
Furthermore, US's Christianity is unique in the sense that it has been and now still is very much tied to politics, simply because America was founded by Christians. While we Christians from Singapore will not understand the extent of such dynamics, we should not quickly associate Republicans as good Christians and Democrats and liberal/bad/non christians. If anything, Republicans believe in gun possession, do we believe in that? The culture of Singapore shapes our views that holding arms is unnecessary. Off shore drilling, tax cuts for the rich, war in iraq, which of these are Biblical? They may, they may not, and we'll have to have a whole book written on each of Republican's policies to understand whether or not they are biblical. Democrats' policies are seldom biblical, but they are do include rights of minorities and environmental policies and greater wealth sharing for the poor.
But the bottomline is, we should not link politics to religion, because politics are politics. They are unstable, and may all be outright lies and panderings. Politicians pander to bases in order to earn votes. So when McCain visits a Christian university, he's not seeking God, he's pandering to Christians. George Bush is suppose to be christians, but his presidency is hardly successful and his judgement is highly questionable. It does not mean that as long as one is a christian one can do well in all things, presidency included.
I think i'm writing this because I don't like the idea of supporting one party because they are commonly associated with conservatism/liberalism, and liberal = bad = not good president. Don't get me wrong, i'm conservative. But it's a whole different ball game to be a conservative POLITICAL party in amercia. You can't equate that with being biblical and godly.
On the other hand, with efforts now to save my butt in future, i cannot guarentee Obama is going to be a wonderful president. He may be bad, he may be like bush, or he may be the last president of the united states. But politics always play out differently than the election period. It's almost unfair to say voters of the other person should have seen that coming when they voted for one president. I don't think Bush's voters knew that he'll turn back on whatever he has said in his 2000 campaign and become the person that he is, and neither can you blame them for his presidency now.In any case, let politics play out as politics. Let religion be removed from it.
On our part, we can only pray for God's will to be done, and in this last days, that perhaps America would be spared from facing apolyptical crisis.