I write in response to Brian Evan’s letter to the editor claiming you cannot be a Christian and vote Democrat. He will be astounded to learn that you absolutely can. Here are two easy steps. One, declare Christ as your Lord and Savior; and two, go to a voting booth and vote Democrat. It really is that simple.
I think what is un-Christian here is to conflate a worldly election between two opposing political parties, both with untold “blood on their hands” (so to speak) and endless accounts of malfeasance, with the ever enduring power of God’s grace. Singular social issues, such as abortion, don’t need to typecast the rest of your voting method. There are many aspects of capitalism, that are in and of themselves un-Christian, and Republicans have a convenient practice of ignoring them. The idea of “service to the less fortunate without judgment” comes to mind. I don’t ever remember Jesus teaching about the importance of individual liberties either. His theme seemed to be boundless and unquestioning love. And I believe it is a disservice to His message to say that you can’t both follow Him and disagree with the current template of Republican politics.
An “attack on religion” in our schools and institutions is a narrative, and one that is easily fallen for by impassioned Christians. There is a reason, and a very good one, for the separation of church and state. When it is weaponized to garner your vote, I believe it should be every Christians responsibility to question the institution pulling the strings. Politics and religion should be mutually exclusive, as a just democracy should make as much room for the non-religious as it does the religious.
Charlie Cochrane
Crawfordsville
