I'm just going to do what you're not supposed to do and write a blog about politics so close to a presidential election day.
I've been thinking a lot about this because like any responsible citizen I feel the duty to vote--especially every four years for the presidential election. I may not get to the polls every other year, but like many Americans, I make a point to get there to cast the presidential vote.
It's kind of ironic, really. It matters to me who is leading the country, so I vote. Yet, it doesn't matter enough to me to keep track of the major (and minor) issues throughout the years in between, unless the issue directly affects me. So then it comes to about August 2012, and I'm getting bombarded with articles, news outlets, facebook and twitter feeds swinging this way or that, DEBATES, propaganda, documentaries, etcetera, etcetera.
The problem is sometimes I find myself so far removed from an issue that I can't properly pick a side until I do some digging.
This isn't the only area that I have this problem.
In my own personal spiritual life I have chosen the leader. Every day I am faced with the decision--Who do I follow? Who gets my vote?
I choose God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
It is an important decision to make, right? So I have to make it. I can't just bide my time on the fence. I have to pick one or the other. Someone will be leading, so if I don't choose, someone will.
So, I pick. God.
He will guide me, help me do the right thing, protect me from ultimate harm, bless me in various ways He promised, so I get a gold star for decision-making.
I put my gold star sticker on the back of my hand and go on with my life. Mostly my Bible sits quietly, closed, and I don't bother myself with the details (kind of like the political issues I try to ignore). Oh, sometimes something lands in my lap. A good book. A popular Bible study. So I study the prescribed ideal, exactly what the author wants me to study (kind of like the right-wing slant of FOX news telling the stories they want me to hear exactly how they want me to hear it).
It's interesting that during this time in between choosing the leaders in my life (both spiritually and politically), I end up letting a lot of people lead me around by the ear, leaving me unable to form my own opinions about the real issues.
This is a really complex issue now that I'm trying to put it into words. Plain and simple, I need to take charge of my life--my spiritual life and my political life, as well as every other facet of my life.
It's not just my problem though! I see people all the time who get something in the mail from a religious organization, read through it, and then adhere to the prescribed doctrine therein.
I see people on my facebook and twitter feeds that see a movie or a news story, a doctored photograph or audio recording of a candidate or politician and prescribe to the doctrine therein.
The truth is I am proud to be an American citizen, and I need to also be a proud voter and active in the issues that make America America.
I am also and foremost a proud Christian, and I need to also be a proud disciple, leader, and Christian example--not just when a religious debate comes up on facebook--but all the time.
Form my own opinions.
Learn my own viewpoint.
Study study study.
Then maybe I can teach someone else something too.
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