And he made him ruler over all the land...

The 2008 presidential election is upon us. I'm sure most of you are like me and just a bit over-burdened by hearing about it on television or radio. It seems like every 4 years, the elections keep getting more and more over-exposed until you almost can't escape hearing about it.

This one is no different. And unless you've been hiding under a rock, you know that in 13 very short days, we'll know whether our next president will be named Obama or McCain.

So the question is this: Which one can a Christian in good conscience vote for??

There are certainly faults in every party. I don't agree with all the ideals of any one party, be they Democrat, Republican, Constitution, Libertarian, Green, etc. But which of these parties should we as Christians support in the election of our next president?

There are several key issues which I believe should be the focal point for any Christian when they go to the polls on November 4.

ABORTION:

What does the Bible say?
Mat 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Mat 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

Clearly the Bible teaches that we are not to kill, nor are we to harm children. The Psalmist David also repeatedly refers to his life starting in the womb at conception.

What does Barack Obama say?
From barackobama.com, "Barack Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as President. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case."

What does John McCain say?
From johnmccain.com, "John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench.

Constitutional balance would be restored by the reversal of Roe v. Wade, returning the abortion question to the individual states. The difficult issue of abortion should not be decided by judicial fiat.

However, the reversal of Roe v. Wade represents only one step in the long path toward ending abortion. Once the question is returned to the states, the fight for life will be one of courage and compassion - the courage of a pregnant mother to bring her child into the world and the compassion of civil society to meet her needs and those of her newborn baby. The pro-life movement has done tremendous work in building and reinforcing the infrastructure of civil society by strengthening faith-based, community, and neighborhood organizations that provide critical services to pregnant mothers in need. This work must continue and government must find new ways to empower and strengthen these armies of compassion. These important groups can help build the consensus necessary to end abortion at the state level. As John McCain has publicly noted, "At its core, abortion is a human tragedy. To effect meaningful change, we must engage the debate at a human level."

EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH:

What the Bible says:
The verses applied for abortion also apply here, as the Bible strongly protects the sanctity of human life and therefore prohibits the use of unborn children as simple lab rats.

What Barack Obama says:
From Obama's Senate website:

I stand in full support of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act as I did when this bill was introduced and sent to the President’s desk in the 109th Congress. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill.

Embryonic stem cells can be obtained from a number of sources, including in vitro fertilization. At this very moment, there are over 400,000 embryos being stored in over 400 facilities throughout the United States. The majority of these are reserved for infertile couples. However, many of these embryos will go unused, destined for permanent storage in a freezer or disposal. We should expand and accelerate research using these embryos, just as we should continue to explore the viability of adult stem cell use, cord blood use, and amniotic fluid use.

My hope, and the hope of so many in this country, is to provide our researchers with the means to explore the uses of embryonic stem cells so that we can begin to turn the tide on the devastating diseases affecting our nation and the world.

What John McCain says:
From johnmccain.com: Stem cell research offers tremendous hope for those suffering from a variety of deadly diseases - hope for both cures and life-extending treatments. However, the compassion to relieve suffering and to cure deadly disease cannot erode moral and ethical principles.

For this reason, John McCain opposes the intentional creation of human embryos for research purposes. To that end, Senator McCain voted to ban the practice of "fetal farming," making it a federal crime for researchers to use cells or fetal tissue from an embryo created for research purposes. Furthermore, he voted to ban attempts to use or obtain human cells gestated in animals. Finally, John McCain strongly opposes human cloning and voted to ban the practice, and any related experimentation, under federal law.

As president, John McCain will strongly support funding for promising research programs, including amniotic fluid and adult stem cell research and other types of scientific study that do not involve the use of human embryos.

Where federal funds are used for stem cell research, Senator McCain believes clear lines should be drawn that reflect a refusal to sacrifice moral values and ethical principles for the sake of scientific progress, and that any such research should be subject to strict federal guidelines.

MARRIAGE:

What the Bible says:
Heb 13:4 Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

Mar 10:6-9 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Rom 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Clearly, the Bible teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman. The Bible also clearly teaches that a homosexual union is abnormal and an abomination. God has even shown in cases such as Sodom and Gomorrah that he is willing to let a civilization perish because of embracing homosexuality.

What Obama says:

From the website Lesbian Life: Barack Obama supported gay rights during his Illinois Senate tenure. He sponsored legislation in Illinois that would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Every two years the Human Rights Campaign, the largest national gay and lesbian organization, issues a scorecard for members of the Senate based on their sponsorship and voting on key issues of importance to gay and lesbian citizens. Barack Obama scored 89 out of 100% in the 2006 scorecard.

Barack Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and believes it should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

Barack Obama believes we need to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. His campaign literature says, "The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve."

Barack Obama believes gays and lesbians should have the same rights to adopt children as heterosexuals.

Although Barack Obama has said that he supports civil unions, he is against gay marriage. In an interview with the Chicago Daily Tribune, Obama said, "I'm a Christian. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue, I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman."

Barack Obama did vote against a Federal Marriage Amendment and opposed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996.

He said he would support civil unions between gay and lesbian couples, as well as letting individual states determine if marriage between gay and lesbian couples should be legalized.

"Giving them a set of basic rights would allow them to experience their relationship and live their lives in a way that doesn't cause discrimination," Obama said. "I think it is the right balance to strike in this society."

What John McCain says:
From johnmccain.com: "As president, John McCain would nominate judges who understand that the role of the Court is not to subvert the rights of the people by legislating from the bench. Critical to Constitutional balance is ensuring that, where state and local governments do act to preserve the traditional family, the Courts must not overstep their authority and thwart the Constitutional right of the people to decide this question.

The family represents the foundation of Western Civilization and civil society and John McCain believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman. It is only this definition that sufficiently recognizes the vital and unique role played by mothers and fathers in the raising of children, and the role of the family in shaping, stabilizing, and strengthening communities and our nation.

As with most issues vital to the preservation and health of civil society, the basic responsibility for preserving and strengthening the family should reside at the level of government closest to the people. In their wisdom, the Founding Fathers reserved for the States the authority and responsibility to protect and strengthen the vital institutions of our civil society. They did so to ensure that the voices of America's families could not be ignored by an indifferent national government or suffocated through filibusters and clever legislative maneuvering in Congress."

Other issues:

Sigh... do other issues really matter in the mind of the Christian?

It's quite obvious from the way that Obama's team is running their campaign that they are trying to force the ECONOMY as the issue. (This is quite similar, actually, to Bill Clinton's very successful tactics.) It's fairly difficult to even find Obama's stance on most moral issues, as they are buried deep within his website and often not even present at all.

Christians need to remember, though, that each time a nation has left the Lord, that nation has fallen. (Study the recorded history of the Israelites in the Old Testament, for example.) Jesus made it clear in Mat. 16:26 that it would do us no good to gain the whole world if we lost our soul. So it's not the economy that a Christian should have on his mind while voting. Financial good times come and go. The important thing is that we not favor economic solvency over moral fiber.

In all these tests, Barack Obama fails. John McCain is the clear choice for the Christian.

Another point: many of my friends are strong advocates of third parties, because they are more conservative than McCain. That's true. But a vote for one of these third party candidates is a vote for Obama. Don't think that's true? Two words for you: Ross Perot. He's the reason why we suffered through 8 years of an immoral Clinton administration.

Obama, if elected, will have the opportunity to nominate a couple of Supreme Court justices. His presidency could tip the majority of the Court over to the liberals. Think about that when you're voting for your third party.

Please vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin on November 4.