A view to the vertical

I thought I’d start out this post about political parties with a joke. Actually, two…’cause I want to be fair. What do you get when you cross a pilgrim with a Democrat? A God-fearing tax collector who gives thanks for what other people have. Here’s the other one: What do you call a Republican gay club? A baton.

One reason these jokes can be appreciated is because of the recognizable differences between the two parties. Democrats are generally known for favoring more taxation and Republicans are known for conservative stances on social and moral issues. And though it’s great when they can agree on things, the distinctions are very helpful when deciding who to vote for. I can’t discern well enough from the news or the candidates’ ads exactly what kind of person I’m looking at, ‘cause everybody spins. So I go with the candidate who has aligned him or herself with the values and perspective I hold, and I vote Republican.

The Republican party is the only one of the two that openly acknowledges God’s place in our country’s affairs and holds positions on life, sexuality, the family, and religious freedom that reflect biblical teaching. That’s the primary reason I support them. Ours is a nation founded on faith in and dependence on God, and our earliest leaders, almost to a man, gave Him thanks and praise for His providence in establishing us as a free and independent country. Though some individual Republicans, as well as Democrats, may stumble morally, and none that I know of measure up to the godly courage of George Washington, they still can make decisions in line with the party’s values.

I’m sure there are some truly God-fearing Democrats. I know….one. But though the Democratic party espouses concern and care for the disadvantaged, their focus seems to be exclusively horizontal, and their position on abortion and gay marriage effectively rules out God as incidental instead of the primary reason why any of us is breathing right now. I created a few diagrams to illustrate what I mean.

This represents folks, mostly Democrats, whose altruism is centered on humanism, instead of a love for and submission to God. This leads to an imbalanced approach, as the second
diagram shows, when food stamps, for example, are handed out nearly indiscriminately, resulting in decreased initiative and increased dependence.

This diagram illustrates the (ideal) Republican model…a concern for humanity that grows from a submission to God, demonstrated in how we obey His command to love our neighbor. Our submission to Him is the column that supports the crossbeam of our charity, firmly rooted in Him to keep us, and our outreach, balanced. And yes, it just happens to form a cross.

I say “ideal” model because plenty of Republicans, myself included, fail to actively love others to the degree God wants us to. And we need to work on that. But always with our eyes up and our vision on the vertical. That’s how the horizontal will grow and be more effective.

Both Democrats and Republicans care about their fellow man. The biggest difference I see is that Republican values reflect a properly preeminent allegiance to God.