I'm Just Sayin'

The issue of religious faith has been thrust upon us as we evaluate our choices of candidates and the decisions we must make as we near this year's presidential election. While we are focused upon the presidential candidates and issues of relevance...we must remember that we will elect 440 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, one third of the members of the the U.S. Senate and thousands of local and state officials.

With regards to the upcoming elections, sadly for our country, a great deal of our decision making efforts this year will be devoted to matters of religious convictions at the expense, I believe, of many other important issues. By this I mean that we are being been forced to consider to what degree we will allow religious convictions to become a part of governmental policy. For those of us who oppose the blending of church and state...this includes myself and all others who  honor our Constitution...there can be no religion in any governmental office or governmental entity. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Americans believe in a higher power and see no problem with a little prayer here and a few commandments on the wall of this court house or that court house. The issue of violation of the first amendment has been rationalized by simply ignoring the specific meaning of that very first amendment and claiming that our true heritage is one based upon a Christian ideology and that our founders actually intended to be more explicit about this Christian devotion or directive, but somehow they must have forgotten to put it in writing. Somehow, many Christians have been able to determine what our founders really meant to say.

So, in order for one to be elected to public office and regardless of one's actual personal religious convictions, one must promote a Christian tenet..even if that means a conflict with personal beliefs and with the Constitution. So we have the complex problem of an unusual paradox... contradictory statements of values and beliefs by our political candidates. Those who are intent upon taking religion to office with them claim that they would never do so. Those who would never take religion to office with them claim that indeed, they rely upon the Bible and God for guidance. In either situation, we are being mislead.

And so, for me the dilemma of having to vote for a hypocrite exists no matter who I decide will receive my vote.  The best effort I can make is to ignore what the candidates say they believe and what they say they will do or attempt to  accomplish and look instead at what they have done...I have to look at their records. This is probably the best indicator of how a candidate will perform...Constitutionally,  if elected except in the case of a newcomer...one who doesn't really have  a voting record...I'll just have to roll the dice if I decide to give him a shot based upon what he says he believes.

It is my contention that those who would trample on any part of our Constitution have no regard for any of the Constitution. Just take a look at the Constitutional violations committed by the current administration.