I'm a Christian first and a Conservative next

So far I haven't done an adequate job of letting people who read this blog know that I'm a Christian. As a Christian, I'm instructed to spread the Word of God (Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15-16, Psalm 96:3). My faith in Christ is something that I value and the Bible influences the way I make important decisions (1 John 5:3, Proverbs 3:5-6). I'm sharing my hope in Christ on this blog not only because I want others to know of and experience the hope I have in Jesus, but it's also important for readers to know what my morals are based on. 

Some people say that the Bible shouldn't be anywhere near politics, however, I ask: If you don't base political decisions on the Bible, then what do you base it on? I mean that sincerely, it's not sarcasm. It's vital to know what someone believes, or their when reading things that they write. If you don't know what they believe, then you can be misled or you can read too much into their works. This concept applies to all written works, not just opinion articles on blogs, but fiction books, non-fiction books, poetry, news articles, etc. 

I had an English instructor in college that told me the author's intentions and background don't matter. They just don't matter. His reasoning was that all written works are meant to be interpreted. To me that takes every strand of importance out of a written work and converts it to meaningless garble on paper. It's useless to even read by that belief.

The other point I want to emphasize is worrying about who gets elected. I'm talking being worried as opposed to being concerned. Being concerned about who gets elected is good concern to have and it motivates people to go vote. Voting is a great attribute of a democratic government and I encourage everyone to vote, Christians an non-Christians alike. Now, being worried about who gets elected is not a good thing. Whether a leader is good or evil they have been allowed to rule by God (Romans 13:1-6). Regardless of who gets elected God will never abandon you (Deuteronomy 31:6), so there is no need to worry (Matthew 6:25-34). God has a plan for everything and everyone (Jeremiah 29:11, Revelation 21:1-7, Psalm 23:1-6).

My example of this is the most recent election. I know people who were scared to death that Clinton would get elected and I know people who were scared to death that Trump would get elected. Some of these people were Christians at that. I was genuinely concerned about a few friends during the election. By no means am I criticizing these people, I'm just as guilty of being scared and anxious about things. However, I wasn't scared about who would get elected and I give all the credit to God. God is the one who is in control, not a political candidate. Politics only matters in this world. And this world is not our home, we're waiting on our home (Hebrews 13:14).

The Election is Finally Over

Trump is not my ideal candidate for president, but I voted for him because I'm willing to give the man a chance. I'm asking everyone who reads this to give Trump a chance before you start criticizing him. I'm not naive, so I know most people aren't going to give him a chance, but it's worth a shot. And I accept that I, and other Trump voters, will be looked down upon by the news media and by ignorant folks on social media as xenophobic, racist, or bigoted (or maybe even all three). If you know me, then you know I'm not xenophobic or things like that. I'm not perfect by any means, but I do care about the citizens of this country regardless of race or nationality.

I voted for Trump because I don't think Clinton would lead our country in a positive direction due to her corruption. I would have voted for anybody other than Trump if I thought he would destroy the country or become an autocrat. I truly don't believe that Trump is going to be the end of our country, I believe that he has the potential to be a good leader.

Most of this hatred of Trump supporters comes from people who are too immature to accept the result of the. Some people have gone as far as blaming the electoral college and the sovereignty of a constitutional republic. I saw a post on Facebook today criticizing the electoral college saying that it's an old idea and it gives us presidents nobody wants. Well, using that logic: Obama won the electoral college vote, so that must mean that nobody wanted Obama as president. 

Not everyone who didn't vote Trump is angry at Trump voters, the majority of America is calm. For those people out there who are acting civilized, thank you for not going ballistic. I'm not asking you to like Trump, but let's not divide our country. You can love your country without liking the president at the time.

As Abraham Lincoln said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." The only way America survives is if we can unite as Americans. I hope and pray that our country will be more unified one day.