I start to hate this time of year. You can't turn anywhere without hearing about the presidential candidates, its like a continuous infomercial thats on every channel of your tv and radio and magazines and news papers. I've been active in politics off and on, I do vote and consider that important to do, I write letters to the editor if I get really ticked off and call my representatives when I want my voice heard.

What really floors me is how politics divides people. Not just individuals, but entire families and workplaces. It even can divide churches. Politics always narrows our beliefs down to true/false questions when our heart only has answers for essay questions. Going to a "fundamentalist" church(hate that word), and living in a conservative family, I am so used to these ideas that I don't really think about they affect others around us. My church does not preach from the pulpit that we must vote for George W. Bush, but the values that it does preach are so aligned with those of the Republican Party, there is very little doubt what is the "right" way to vote.

But someone recently pointed out to me how unfriendly an atmosphere our church is to someone that does not like George Bush and is going to vote for John Kerry. I know its not possible to change this, I wish there was some way I could. I don't think my pastor means to be like this but he is ingrained into the Right Wing Christian culture and probabally can't see it. He is a good man with a good heart and does the best he can, but he's got a blind spot.

I'm frustrated that Republicans represent some of the enduring values of Western-Judeo-Christian ethics, but don't seem to represent the virtues of caring for those less fortunate. They major on the foundations of morality, but also seem to worship profit and tax cuts over social programs. I have mostly voted republican for most of my life because of certain issues that I hold very dear(none o ya bizness), but if I don't see a change towards those less fortunate, I may have to vote the other way.

In order to gain votes the platforms of each party are so incredibly sacred. Therefore so is the labeling. If I want more gun control I must be a liberal, If I'm a member of the NRA I must be a right wing facist. If I'm not comfortable with Gay Marriages I must be a closed minded bigot, if I want Gay adoption I must hate the family and all that is good. On and on it goes, this machine of labeling and pigeonholing everyone of us into liberal or conservative, sinful and righteous, facist or communist, good or evil. It's all bullshit. That's right, hot and steaming, freshly deposited out of the north end of a south bound bull.

Christianity is not a political party, and neither party represents all of Christianity by a long shot. You are decieved if you think you are on the side of God when there is money, power and ambitious men in the mix. I can't tell you who to vote for, I can just say this, determine what is important to you, and who you think is the best person to represent those concerns.