Let me affirm again up front that my political stance is
that I am waiting for the Lord Jesus Christ to return and establish His
righteous rule over the entire earth. Therefore, I don’t expect a Democratic or
Republican President to fix all the problems in America and establish the pristine
kingdom of God on earth. I am waiting for Jesus to do that, and I believe that
He alone can and will. But until He returns, my hope and prayer is for a
government that will allow me to live for my Lord and Savior now in peace.
Having said that, as a Christian, I am thankful for the
privilege to biblically assess what both candidates say and believe. To do that,
it really does help to hear them give candid remarks that express their genuine
beliefs, even if they come from an open mic like Mitt Romney’s at a recent
$50,000/plate fundraiser.
Presidential candidate Mitt Romney essentially said that 47%
of Americans do not pay taxes, believe they are entitled to have the government
take care of them, and will vote for Barrack Obama no matter what. So Mitt
Romney said, and I quote, “So my job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never
convince them (that) they should take personal responsibility and care
for their lives.”
Here’s the video clip. You can hear it for yourself.
If a President believes that’s the problem, shouldn’t he
have a deep conviction try to persuade those people to embrace a worldview to
be personally responsible instead of
writing them off?
Regarding the compassion of God for the needy, the poor, the
widows, orphans, and the downcast, the Bible says:
- “‘Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God,” Lev. 19:10.
- “He is a father to the fatherless and an advocate for widows. God rules from his holy palace. God settles those who have been deserted in their own homes,” Psa. 68:5-6.
- “Therefore, because you make the poor pay taxes on their crops and exact a grain tax from them, you will not live in the houses you built with chiseled stone, nor will you drink the wine from the fine vineyards you planted. Certainly I am aware of your many rebellious acts and your numerous sins. You torment the innocent, you take bribes, and you deny justice to the needy at the city gate,” Amos 5:11-12.
I am glad Jesus is
returning. He always has my vote.
5 comments:
Bobby I agree with your sentiment about politics not being the ultimate answer and that whoever is president should seek to work on behalf of all the people. But your basic premise is wrong, Romney said what he did in the context of the election and a strategy to try and win the election. He wasn't saying he wouldn't seek to serve those 47% who don't pay taxes. He just knows he will not convince them to vote for him. The media certainly won't allow it. If he gets in and does the right things, then everyone will ultimately benefit.
At least he was shooting straight with his donors. He didn't say anything that wasn't true. If Romney is playing to the middle class and the rich, Obama is playing to the poor and using class envy and class warfare to do it. As Leviticus 19:15 says, "You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly."
I am not a great Romney fan, nor do I think he can fix all that is wrong. But I do think the media is clearly bias and will take everything Romney says and twist it. It is a wicked world.
So like you I say, "Even so Lord Jesus, come quickly!"
Upon further reflection and reading a few more stories on this, I do think Mitt needs to use this as a positive to try and explain what he is all about and what American exceptionalism is all about. He may have to buy some air time to do it, because the media will resist this.
I think the media is portraying this as Mitt giving up and that the 47% are slackards. But I don't that is entirely true. I am sure there are those in the 47% who wish they weren't there--appeal to them. He needs to key off the Obama video that just surfaced in which Obama said he believes in "wealth redistribution". It could be a very educational moment for many to see the stark contrast between the ideals America was founded upon and the canard that Big Government is the answer to all of life's ills!
That said, it does make me long God's government which is to come!
Mark, I appreciate your insightful and as usual thoughtful comments.
I really do wish that America has a real conservation this election instead of digging in our heals and attacking one another.
And I agree in the context that Mitt Romney was identifying the voters he would try to win . . .
But whenever Republican leaders and talking-heads compassionatelessly express their conservative principles in these ways:
• “So my job is not to worry about those people.
• I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives”,
they further alienate themselves from the so-called 47%.
Most African-Americans politically prescribed to conservative principles until 1964 when Republican Senator and presidential candidate Barry Goldwater voted against the Civil Rights Act. It’s beyond foolish for Republican leaders to continue to stereotype all liberals under the umbrella of being irresponsible free loading beggars, and to dismiss their concern for the plight of the poor as ingenuine. Martin Luther King exposed the problem of applying conservative principles that way when he said, “It’s all right to tell a man to lift himself by his own bootstraps, but it is cruel jest to say to a bootless man that he ought to lift himself by his own bootstraps.”
We do agree that Jesus and Jesus alone can fix the problems in America that are so deep and so wide. And so we preach Him, the One who is full of mercy and grace.
Hi Bobby I am just reposting my FB response: Bobby here is what Mitt said on Neil Cavuto last night: "No, I'm talking about a perspective of individuals who I'm not likely to get to support me. I know some believe that government should take from some to give to the others. I think the president makes it clear in the tape that was released today that that's what he believes. I think that's an entirely foreign concept. I believe America was built on the principle of government caring for those in need but getting out of the way and allowing free people to pursue their dreams, free people pursuing free enterprises is the only way we'll create a strong and growing middle class and the only way we'll help people out of poverty."
I know Barry Goldwater voted against civil rights legislation but so did many Democrats like Senator Robert Byrd, who was also a Grand Kuggle in the KKK,but that never gets mentioned in the media or the text books. It was an unfortunate time in our history. I don't think Romney was sterotyping just making an observation that is difficult to promote a smaller federal government when the other side keeps expanding government and creating greater levels of dependency. Romney is not Barry Goldwater nor is he Robert Byrd. Goldwater's racial views are not necessary to conservatism anymore than Byrd's anti-civil rights views are necessary for being a liberal.After all, Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams,two outstanding African-American economists, are conservative in every way.
At the end of the day, it is Christ that binds us together and transcends those things that divide, which is why I devoted my life to proclaiming Him to those of a different culture and race than my own. That which binds us is far greater than that which divides us! So on political matters, I can agree to disagree--I like to discuss and debate, but never take it personally. Blessings on you and your ministry there!
Mark, thank you for posting your remarks. I think people with varying political opinions really need to learn how to civilly share them. The ideological divide continues to grow because people just hear one side of the debates. I serve in a context where I constantly hear both sides.
That being said, Mitt said what he said, Mark. And he said that it wasn’t his job to try to win the 47%. I quoted Goldwater only to make the point that since 1964 Democrats have worked to win the 47%, and even with their racist past they have succeeded. But Romney, like many Republicans since 1964, has written them off. That’s unfortunate.
In my humble opinion, because conservatives have given up on the 47%, Democrats take them for granted even when their policies fail them. The jobless rate is having a staggering impact on the community where I serve.
On the other hand, some Republicans, like Pharisees, throw out a couple of Bible lines and the Christian right will support them no matter how many are exposed as insincere hypocrites. Jesus is not a republican, and it’s not the Christian party. He is a loving, all-powerful King who has authority over all political parties and government. I personally wish there was a third major party.
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