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Edited on Tue Oct-26-04 11:32 PM by friesianrider
Just got this from someone from work - I sent it to my fundie step-grandmother...
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Is George W. Bush a good choice for Christians? The answer is no.
"By their fruits you shall know them." Mat 7:20.
Christians have a choice in the upcoming election. Consider the Word of God:
1. We should not borrow, and if we borrow, we are to make good our debt. If another should ask of us, we should not turn him away. We should pay our fair share of taxes. Deu 15:6; 28:12; Exd 22:14; Matt 5:42; 22:21; Mar 12:27; Luk 20:25.
Bush turned record surplus into record debt, a $521 billion deficit. The National Debt under Bush has increased an average of $1.69 billion dollars per day. Bush refused to use taxes to pay for expenses, including the costly war in Iraq. The richest 1% of Americans have received an $89 billion tax cut, more than the bottom 80% combined, while the tax burden for the middle class has increased. Bush cut state funding, forcing increases in state, local and property taxes while wages have gone down and the costs of health care and energy have risen. Bush supporters claim the rich pay most of the taxes; the top 10% pay 53% of the total tax, down from 56% in 2000. They fail to mention the top 10% have 75% of America's total wealth. Those with 25% of total wealth in America shoulder 47% of the total tax burden.
2. We are never to oppress the poor, but are to feed the hungry, house the homeless, clothe the naked, tend to the sick. Deu 24:14; Lev 25:26; Job 22:9; 24:10; Pro 14:21-31; 19:17; 25:10; 29:7; Isa 58:7; Zec 7:10; Mat 25:31-46; Luk 10:30-37; Rom 12:20
Bush oppresses the poor creating more of the destitute. He supports eliminating overtime compensation and labor unions. He opposes raising the minimum wage, while housing, energy, healthcare and other costs have increased. The poverty rate in America has risen from 11.7% in 2000 to 12.5% in 2003. 4.3 million people have fallen into poverty (total 36 million including 13 million children.) Typical household income declined $1,535 under Bush; declines for low-income families have been proportionately larger. Bush has put America's most widely-used public housing program, Section 8, in jeopardy, no longer paying rent vouchers that help nearly 2 million poor families.
5/2003: Bush blocked human rights cases from US courts. 2/2003: Bush cut federal housing subsidies. 2/2003: Bush cut aid to the poor. 1/2003: Bush proposes more tax cuts for the rich. 12/2002: Bush killed rule allowing new parents to collect unemployment. 9/2002: Bush proposed reduction in Medicare payments. 4/2002 Bush considered eliminating requirements to test children for lead. 4/2001 Bush cut health programs for uninsured.
3. We are to deal honestly and not accept bribes. Exo 20:15; Lev 19:11; Deu 5:19; Mic 6:8-12; 7:3; Amo 5:12; 8:4-7; Isa 3:14-16; Luk 8:15; Rom 13:13; 2Cr 13:7.
Drug companies and HMOs are among Bush's major campaign contributors, giving over $25 million in contributions. Bush's Medicare plan gives $139 billion to the drug companies and another $46 billion to HMOs, while senior citizens see a 17% hike in their premiums. He catered to multi-billionaire campaign contributors with tax cuts for the richest Americans. He received campaign contributions from Ken Lay of Enron, has profited from big oil companies and awarded a no-bid contract to Halliburton, a company under investigation for illegal dealings with Iran, Iran and Libya, and for overcharging us on gas and other expenses, gouging American taxpayers out of millions of dollars.
4. We are not to bear false witness against our neighbor. Exd 20:16; Deu 5:20; 19:16-20; Pro 19:5-9; 21:28; 25:18; Mat 19:18; Mar 10:19; Luk 18:20; Rom 13:9.
George Bush and his administration have repeatedly borne false witness against both enemy and ally. They falsely accused Saddam Hussein of having stockpiles of weapons, having ties to Al Queda, attempting to get uranium from Nigeria, and countless other lies. He repeatedly told America that the situation in Iraq is improving when clearly, it's getting worse. His campaign lied about their involvement with a Swift boat group against Kerry, whose claims have been debunked and whose own false witnesses has been numerous. He falsely accused Kerry of raising taxes 350 times, and of inconsistency on Iraq by providing hundreds of out-of-context quotes, if you look up the source of the quotes, Kerry clearly has been consistent. The Bush campaign accused Kerry of cutting defense programs when the cuts were sponsored by Republicans and voted for by Dick Cheney. Bush has repeatedly violated God's commandment against false witness.
5. We are to help widows and orphans Exd 22:22; Deu 27:19; Job 22:9; Jer 7:6; Isa 1:17; 10:1-3; Zec 7:10; Mat 23:14; Mar 12:40; Luk 20:47;1 Ti 5:3; Jam 1:27
Widows groups, including many Republicans, have opposed Bush's campaign, and for good reason. Bush opposed the 9/11 commission, to the distress of the 9/11 widows, who had to fight, first to form the 9/11 Commission, then to properly finance it, then to give it enough time to do its work. "We spent 14 months begging for a commission..it was President Bush who thwarted our efforts at every turn." Patty Casazza of Colts Neck, NJ. Meanwhile, Bush's foreign policy has created many widows and orphans, such as in Iraq, a war which has become a recruitment tool for Al Qaeda, creating the potential for thousands more widows and orphans in the coming months, years and decades.
6. We are to be merciful and forgiving; we are not to judge; we are to be peace makers and turn the other cheek. Pro 11:17; 16:6; 21:21;Hsa 6:6; 10:12; 12:6; Mic 6:8; Zec 7:9; Mat 5:7-48; 6:14; 7:1-5; 12:7; 18:22; 23:23; 26:42; Luk 6:36; 10:29-37.
Bush has been anything but merciful. In Talk magazine interview, Bush mocked Karla Faye Tucker's appeal for her life, in a squeaky voice saying, "Please don't kill me." Jesus told Peter when asked in Mat 18:22, "How many times shall I forgive my brother? Seven?" "Seventy times seven." Asked if he planned to set a deadline for Saddam, Bush said it would be pointless to extend "another, another, another last chance." Bush has created a violent, hostile environment in Iraq, with deaths and beheadings as daily occurrences. We are called to be peacemakers, but Bush has been a warmonger.
7. Capital Punishment "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." John 8:1-11
During his tenure as Governor of Texas, Bush presided over a record setting 152 executions...The Washington Post's Richard Cohen reported in October 2000 that one of the execution chamber's "tie down team" members, Fred Allen, had to prepare so many people for lethal injections during 2000, he quit his job in disgust.
8. We should not swear loyalty oaths to anyone. Jam 5:12
The Bush administration have required loyalty oaths for acceptance to their rallies, in violation of God's instructions in James 5:12.
What about homosexuality? Many Christians view homosexuality as a sin.
Rom 3:23 All have sinned and fallen short of the grace of God.
Mat 7:1-5 We are called not to judge others but to consider our own sins.
Mat 22:39 We are called on us to love our neighbors and to love our enemies.
Bush/Cheney have been hypocritical on gay marriage. Cheney 10/5/00: "People should be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to enter into. It's no one else's business trying to regulate or prohibit behavior.. that matter is regulated by the states.. different states are likely to come to different conclusions and that's appropriate." Bush 8/15/04: "That's up to the states, you know. If states choose to do that.. if they want to provide legal protections for gays, that's great! That's fine! " While trying to use a Constitutional Amendment as a political tool, Bush has waffled on gay marriage.
Kerry stands for a Christian attitude towards homosexuals. While he opposes gay marriage, he also opposes using the Constitution for politics. On other issues regarding homosexuality, Kerry stands on the side of Christ. Christians must oppose discrimination and acts of violence against homosexuals. The men who brutally murdered Matthew Sheppard for being homosexual believed they acted as Christians, but their actions were not Christian. Bush opposed hate-crime legislation to prevent such unspeakable brutality.
Christ's teachings were not of hate, but of love and compassion. He said the most important commandments are to love God and your neighbor. When Christ did express anger, it was against hypocritical church leaders who failed to help the sick and the poor. The Christian attitude towards homosexuals is love and opposition to hate and violence.
What about abortion?
Abortion is another area in which George Bush has flip-flopped, he ran as pro-choice as a candidate for Congress in 1978. He has supported candidates who favor abortion rights including John McCain, Rudy Guliani, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Arlen Specter.
John Kerry is not pro-abortion. He voted to restrict late-term abortions except in cases where a woman's life or health are at risk. Bush pushed through a different bill, struck down by the courts, which would not protect the life or health of the mother. Further, Kerry favors social programs which will reduce the total number of abortions by providing education and economic opportunities to women.Total abortions dropped under Clinton, but rose under Bush and other Republican administrations.
Will Democrats try to Ban the Bible?
Of course not! This absurd and offensive claim is false witness. The Bush campaign distributed materials claiming Democrats would ban the Bible, a fear tactic that couldn't be further from the truth!
Christians: Be innocent as doves and wise as serpents. Bush is a wolf in sheeps clothing. Voting for Christian values means voting for John Kerry.
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