They'll know we are Christians by our love

I got an email today. It was a smoke-screen, nasty attack on Barack Obama's family. It had nothing to do with politics and everything to do with prejudice. Isn't that a shame? Did you hear Barack's response to the news of Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter's pregnancy? He was a gentleman. The favor was not returned in regard to his own family history.

To my Christian friends who want to expound politically and enlighten me, please stick to good reasons like Obama's stance on abortion, anything not based on the color of his skin, his relatives' beliefs, his childhood, his mother's sins, and his name. To use his family pictures in a hateful way is an inexcusable thing for a Christian to do. It is possible, and more effective, to state your convictions without sharing dirt or taking cheap shots. If people will know we are Christians by our love, make no mistake, they'll know we are hypocrites by our lack thereof.

While campaigning against Jimmy Carter in 1980, Ronald Reagan asked, "Is our country better off than it was 4 years ago? Are you better off?" The answer for most Americans was apparently, "No." And he won the election handily. I'm using that question and changing 4 years to 8 years, and the answer is a resounding NO. (My previous voting revolved around the single issue, pro-life. There are no fewer abortions for having a pro-life leader all these years. We have to think of a better way to save babies than relying on the lip service of politicians.) So hey, it's a free country. I'm going to exercise my freedom and vote for a change in party leadership.

I'm still avoiding sharing my good reasons...for now let's just say I'm audacious enough to hope.