The Joyful Journey - Emily's "Post Election Trauma"

The Joyful Journey

6 November 2008

Emily's "Post Election Trauma"

This election has been a particularly difficult one. So much emotion. So much angst. So much frustration. So much anger. I have found disagreement in places where I would NEVER have expected to find it. Division where there has always been unity. Issues that seemed so "black and white" before, seem to have become "grey" for so many. It's baffling to me.

It's also baffling to Emily. Not so long ago Emily was a just little girl in mud boots playing in the woods with my own daughters. Now eighteen years old and a student at a private Christian college, Emily is discovering that grey areas abound for many of her fellow believers. And that's a somewhat bitter pill to swallow.

Here is Emily's response to the events of the last few days....

post election trauma
thats what im having
not because of who won
no, i'm confident in my God
i know, he knows
but i wonder to myself
as i observe the amount
of my believing friends
who voted for the elected
what now has this Church
that i belong to become?
is this a Church that
no longer believes in the
sanctity of life?
no longer believes in the
right of the family?

this is my post election trauma
not for the sake of my country
but for the sake of my church
to choose lower taxes over life
seems hardly fair to me
but i guess it's not for me to judge
but if this is the American Church
LEAVE ME OUT!

Our young people need to see people in the Church who stand on Biblical principals no matter how much "we need change". We are accountable to God to lead them by our example.

"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea." Mark 9:42

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Comments

7 November 2008 - recommended read

Posted by Anonymous

There is a GREAT book titled, "How Would Jesus Vote?" Check it out...... It says basically the same thing you've just written.

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7 November 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Summer @ Wired For Noise

Emily, and you as well, might like to read this. It's a small town pastor's wife talking about her own experience leaning her faith wasn't white and black as she thought and how that affected her vote. It's very passionately and beautifully written.

http://www.welcometomybrain.net/2008/11/story-of-baptist-pastors-wife-who-voted.html

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7 November 2008 - Summer....

Posted by Prodoceo

Thanks for sharing the link. I wish I could agree with her points, but I'm really struggling (and so is Emily) to reconcile what I believe the Bible teaches with voting for policies that are so clearly contrary to what I believe. That's just where I am.

And again, I really appreciate you sharing the link! LOTS of Christians voted for Obama and I'm really trying to understand why....so thanks!

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7 November 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Arby

I could not agree with Emily more, or the scripture Prodoceo placed on the bottom of her post. I could not disagree with the linked article left by Summer more, and I left the following comment on the blogsite she linked to (with apologies for its length):

"It never ceases to amaze me how God talks to so many Christians and leads them in ways that completely conflict with one another. He tells some people to vote Democratic and some people to vote Republican and each one knows for certain that their choice is a direct reflection of God’s will expressed to them. His ways are truly amazing and a complete mystery to me. I can only wonder if God wants the United States to be a political scrambled egg. We are the 21st century’s Tower of Babel.

"We live in a nation where we have the freedom of speech and the right to vote in elections to choose our citizen legislators, without reprisal. Forgive me if I am not impressed by your dramatic stand in voting for President-elect Obama, because 122,145,887 citizens voted without reprisal (except for those voters intimidated by Black Panthers with night sticks outside Philadelphia polling places - http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1179491/black_panthers_accused_of_philadelphia.html), and of those 122,145,887 voters, the majority of them voted for Obama. Your vote really wasn’t a profile in courage, regardless of how red your state map appears.

"What stands out in your very honest and passionate blog entry is the complete lack of a factual look at a nation trillions of dollars in debt with no plan for eliminating debt but many promises of higher taxes and higher spending. As a nation we have to borrow money every day to keep operating. This isn’t Republican or Democrat, or upper class or lower class – it’s American debt and economics and we can’t spend our way out of this problem. Financially, the US is sinking fast, and President –elect Obama appears to have no ideas about how to stop the descent.

"We have a nation headed for universal health care even though universal healthcare has many problems, the least of which is the growing trend in nations such as England of rationing health care and choosing who gets treated and who does not based on issues such as weight and smoking status. At least in the US, fat smokers can get health care. Canada has situations where people like Pastor Lehotsky die of their disease before they can get an appointment to diagnose the condition (he went to the Mayo in the US for a diagnosis, and died months before his Canadian appointment for initial consultation). And we can afford universal health care, how?

"Lastly, when a baby is aborted a life is killed. Square that with the commandment, “Thou shalt not murder.” I fail to see the gray in that issue. Every time there is an abortion a baby dies. It’s pretty black and white to me. I do not know what God is telling you about abortion, but He obviously isn’t telling me the same things.

"You have written an honest statement and I respect your right to say what you have said. I am happy to see that you voted. I hope that you live happily with the results of your choice."

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7 November 2008 - Thanks, Arby...

Posted by Prodoceo

Excellent response to a post that I couldn't find the words, let alone the emotional strength, to respond to. I just know that just because someone said "God led me to...." doesn't necessarily make it right. We are so easily led by our emotions, our experiences, etc. I was troubled by how many people over there responded so "gushingly" to what I considered a very troubling post. Honest? Yes. Passionate? Yes. Of the Lord? Not so sure.

I'm feeling very conflicted about all of this. Very troubled. Thanks again!

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7 November 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous

I know, it's just so sad!

I think most of the problem is that the media lied to us. A lot of people had no idea what Mr. Obama stands for, they just liked the way he talks.

Heather

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8 November 2008 - The Questions, The Questions

Posted by rcelliott

As I read this post and the responses my mind, which is very small and cluttered anyway, began to smoke with different thoughts bouncing around and banging into one another.

One one hand I understand and agree with conservative thought. Abortion is terrible, murderous, and should be stopped immediately. God is pro life.

On the other hand poverty is awful. God did orchestrate the Bible to contain many instances of how often Jesus was with the poor and the downcast despite the condition of their heart before meeting Him. God is pro taking care of the poor.

On the other hand is high morality standards. The Republicans seem to have much higher standards than the Democrats. God is pro holiness and sinlesness.

On the other hand is social justice. Many look at certain people and precast thoughts about them based on appearance, possibly encouraging them to become statistics by their treatment of them. But, God is often for the obscure and the outcasts. Jesus spent much of His time with them as well as the poor. The outcasts are not given equality on our society socially. God is pro social justice.

While we are on it, right next to that hand are some additional fingers. Those fingers are the fingers of racism. Racism has plagued our country for over 400 years. Did you know that the word "racism" is an awful word? Black, Asian, German, Americans... we all fall under one race, the human race. I would like to assert that maybe God is trying to bring some healing to our nation in this area by Him electing Obama to be our next president. I cannot actually speak for the mind of God in this matter, but it is possible that He knows more of what He is doing and what His creation needs than we do.

But, with all of these hands you have a big scary monster. Our minds can only comprehend what we know, which is that there are only supposed to be two hands. What we do then is to prioritize these things to shape them into our understanding of God and us. We prioritize politically according to pro life, freedom of speech, the sanctity of marriage, right to bear arms, right to comfort features like 2.5 kids 2 cars 40 acres and a garage, etc... as though that is how God does.

I would like to assert again that this is very wrong on our behalf. We too often try to fit God into our reasoning. We think of God as having priorities. It is possible that God is equally concerned with all of these things and that none takes a priority over another. It is possible that God does not think in terms of "either or", but in terms of "both and."

I am sure I am casting a very negative view, but the intent here is to point us back to Christ. Emily wants no part of the American church. I say Good. We have all been too Americanized and not enough shaped by the Gospel. I stand convicted as I write this. All I can say is that I don't want to see people conflicted. Having been involved in missions and working with the inner city church, though, I can say that God has such a big agenda and He needs the church to rise up and embody the Gospel, and be the message to a dying world! The verse at the end of the post says a lot, but the whole post says a lot, too. To be this conflicted and upset over an election is a good thing IF it drives you to the Father.

Look at these issues this way. Most abortions are by inner city girls who are pregnant out of wedlock. The second highest number is of women in adultery. If these women are facing abortions, that means one simple fact. The church wasn't there in time. I truly believe that God is trying to wake us up to the fact that we have been too programmed by the wrong things and not shaped enough by the Gospel. I could take all of these issues and make similar cases for each, but I think you get the idea.

I apologize for the length of this comment, but, as I said before, a lot of stuff was going on in my head from reading the post.

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18 November 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by mkpierce

Amen! What a wonderful poem! Emily put that angst into words so well!

Thanks for stopping by Treasured Chapters and sharing about your kids. What an amazing testimony to what God did through you in raising His kids!

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About Me

"There is a joy in the journey, there's a light we can love on the way. There is a wonder and wildness to life, and freedom for those who obey." (Michael Card)