After learning that millions of Americans who were eligible to vote, including millions of Christians, did not actually cast their votes in the 2016 election, I want to urge my fellow citizens to vote in the upcoming election.
L. Agnes Russell
If you have not registered to vote here in Decatur, the county seat of Newton County, you have until Monday, Oct. 5, to register. The election date, of course, is Nov. 3, but the Circuit Clerk’s office, where you can cast your absentee ballot, will be open 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, and from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. on the Saturdays dated Oct. 3, 24 and 31.
I researched to find a concise comparison of the platforms of the Democratic and Republican parties to share with you. I found it in an online post by Family Research Council Action. It is much too long for this column, but I will try to lift parts of it to show the desperate need for people to vote their convictions. Before I give you this information, I want to be transparent. Therefore, I will say that my reasons for being in favor of the Republican platform is because it contains values that are important to me as a Christian.
The Democratic platform opposes any restrictions on abortion; whereas, the Republican platform states they are “proud to be the part that protects human life and offers real solutions for women” and “strongly oppose[s] infanticide.” Republicans support bans on abortion at 20 weeks, when unborn babies can feel pain, on abortion based on sex or disability, on dismemberment abortion “in which unborn babies are literally torn apart limb from limb,” on human cloning, on any sale of baby body parts and a ban on the “use of public funds to perform or promote abortion or to fund organizations, like Planned Parenthood.”
The Republican platform declares, “The American family…is the foundation of civil society, and the cornerstone of the family is natural marriage, the union of one man and one woman,” and condemns the Supreme Court’s ruling that made “same-sex marriage” legal in America. The Democratic platform instead is “silent on marriage and family being the foundation of society.” It strongly declares their determination to support the Equality Act, a bill that would alter our entire federal civil rights framework, gut religious liberty and advance abortion. It also supports all gender identity causes, including insurance coverage of “gender transition.” They will work to “guarantee transgender students’ access to facilities based on their gender identity,” and to “allow biological men to play in women’s sports if they identify as transgender women.”
Democrats condemn religious exemptions in healthcare professions because of conscience and beliefs. Republicans “respect the rights of conscience of healthcare professionals, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and organizations, especially the faith-based groups which provide a major portion of care for the nation and the needy.”
Concerning religious liberty, the Republican platform states, “[W]e strongly support the freedom of Americans to act in accordance with their religious beliefs, not only in their houses of worship, but also in their everyday lives.” Also included here is, “We value the right of America’s religious leaders to preach and Americans to speak freely, according to their faith.” The Democratic platform emphasizes the phrase found in an old letter, “the separation between church and state,” which is not in our Constitution. It rejects religious exemptions for “businesses, medical providers, social service agencies and others.” Their “Equality Act” is “a bill that would remove religious liberty protections and even force churches to violate the tenets of their faith.”
Whereas the Democratic platform is silent on the source of human rights, the Republican platform states, “If God-given, natural, inalienable rights come in conflict with government, court or human-granted rights, God-given, natural, inalienable rights always prevail.”
The Republicans do not mince words when they say they “seek to enable the courts to begin to reverse the long line of activist decisions, including Roe, Obergefell (same-sex marriage made legal) and the Obamacare cases. The Democratic party, of course, plans to try to keep all of those previous rulings from being reversed.
The Democratic platform “supports LGBTQ+inclusive” sex education, with a full range of “family planning services.” The Republicans support “sexual risk avoidance education that sets abstinence until marriage as the responsible and respected standard of behavior.”
Democrats support the public-school system. However, the Republican platform states they will “fight for school choice” and “local control,” recognizing that “parents,” not the government, “are a child’s first and foremost educators.” They also support “homeschooling, private schools, vouchers and tuition tax credits,” while encouraging “teaching the Bible as an elective in public schools.”
There is a tremendous difference of opinion concerning the military, with the Republican platform opposing the drafting of women, rejecting “the use of the military as a platform for social experimentation and will not accept…attempts to undermine military priorities and mission readiness.” This platform also supports “the religious freedom of all military members, especially chaplains, and will not tolerate attempts to ban Bibles or religious symbols from military facilities.” In contrast, Democratic statements include, “We will reverse the Trump Administration’s…ban (DOD policy on Gender Dysphoric individuals serving in the military). They call for “VA medical benefits to include abortion and gender ‘transition’ services.” And they are silent on service members’ religious liberty rights.
In years past, whether Democrat or Republican, we could always be assured that our elections would take place peaceably; with the losing side accepting that they would have another chance in four years. However, things are happening in our nation that have only occurred in other, more unstable nations. We must stand against this in order to ensure the “domestic tranquility” that our country has enjoyed for over two hundred years, based on its original Constitution. There is no other country that can say that.
As for all the discord in the nation, the violence and expression of hatred from many sides, there were a couple of ideas that were expressed to me recently worthy of repeating. Mr. Joedy Pennington, Newton County Sheriff, commented, “Being in our small, rural community, everyone pretty much knows everyone, and it doesn’t matter if they’re black or white. People in Newton County were brought up to show respect for each other, and that is what is lacking across this country. If people would just treat each other right and fair, this would be a lot better place.”
Mr. Mike Butler, Newton County Circuit Clerk, agreed, though they were not together when they spoke. He told me, “I am just disappointed with the lack of love being shown.” Maybe that is because those in a primarily Christian community, such as ours, have come to expect that people will show love toward one another, or at least common courtesy and even common sense. This is what the United States of America began with upon its founding, and we pray to God that we can keep this democratic republic those early statesmen worked to give us.
Live for Jesus! He’s coming soon! You may contact me at lagnesrussell@gmail.com.
