Friday, February 1, 2008

She's got something up her sleeve

Where do you wear your faith? ...on your sleeve like Obama, Huckabee and others in this presidential race? ...or do you find a little harder to talk about your faith even though it is an integral part of your life like Clinton and Giuliani?
I have become a bit skeptical of all of these candidates that continuously speak of how important their faith is to them, but also how important it will be to put this faith to the side when it comes to making decisions for our nation. Have we come to the point where the candidates feel obligated to talk about their faith, not because it is what is at the core of who they are, but because it helps to get votes?
I think a candidate, like Hillary, who acknowledged to CBS news that speaking about her faith does not come easy to her and because of her upbringing she is weary of those that "wear their faith on their sleeves" shows just as much faith, if not more, than the other candidates. Tell me, how can we find fault in someone that openly admits that her faith has brought her through the struggles she has faced in life (abuse, infedelity, etc.)? It doesn't seem to be a question that Clinton has strength and that she can carry on, isn't this vital for a president? Clinton wants to win the race for who she is, not for who people want her to be. Faith, for her, and for many other Americans is carried in the heart and while it is present at the core of their being it can be expressed in other ways than just their words.
Giuliani, when he was still in the race, was asked about his religion and he answered saying, "My religious affiliation, my religious practices and the degree to which I am a good or not-so-good Catholic, I prefer to leave to the priests." While this answer can be aggravating, and somewhat humorous, I think we must respect this. Instead of making a huge deal out of his faith only to say that it will be set aside when in the oval office, he established how it would be, not leading people on just to get another vote.
I think that as God's faithful we need to look less at what the politicians are wearing on their sleeves and look to the heart of the actions that they have taken in the past and the present, not just their words. I am not at all saying that by broadcasting their faith it means that they really don't have it, but we should not just accept it as truth -- look for evidence.

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