You Don't Even Have the Same Values

Author: David Cooper

Arguments over president Obama's personal faith and politics have been rampant in this election cycle with the

The current Republican Presidential candidates along with their supporters are attempting to portray President obama through the use of code words, phrases and religious innuendos. Rick Santorum has found himself embroiled in a controversy over what he perceives to be the President's beliefs. These "code words" and phrase are divisive in nature and are intended to be inflammatory. Juan Williams echoes this sentiment in a column titled "Racial code words obscure real issues".The Presidential aspiration of Newt Gingrich was assisted with the assertion that President Obama is the "food stamp president". Mitt Romney says Obama wants to lead America into a "European social welfare society."

The image of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer shaking her finger at President Obama was like a scene from Antebellum Days. The Governor was waving her finger at the President's face like a Slave Master scolding a disobedient slave. Many began to celebrate that another "uppity Black man" was being put in his place. Updated: February 27, 2012 - 12:00 AM

Prominently displayed during the 1988 Presidential Campaign was the images of Willie Horton. Horton, an African-American convict, kidnapped and raped a woman while on a weekend furlough. Is the use of racism a trend in modern politics with the express intent of capitalizing on the fears? The use of such practices is leading to violent racially motivated outbursts from both fringe elements and political leaders. What is particularly troublesome is these leaders seem intent on creating an atmosphere of violence and disrespect toward President Obama.

U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) said of Obama that he didn't "even want to have to be associated with him. It's like touching a tar baby and you get it, you're stuck." The shooting at the White House prompted the president of the University of Texas College Republicans to tweet: "Y'all as tempting as it may be don't shoot Obama. We need him to go down in history as the WORST president we've EVER had!" Her successor apparently wasn't chastened by the ensuing furor, tweeting, "My president's black, he snorts a lot of crack."

The central theme is to illustrate that President Obama does not have the same values as the rest of the nation. This divisive language is even being heard spoken from religious leaders conjuring up thoughts and images of the Spanish Inquisition.

President Barack Obama's religious views have been called into question by Reverend Graham who stated that he does not know if Obama is a Christian. Graham previously had questioned whether Obama's actions and values matched up with his identification as a Christian. What many must fully understand that Christian values are not based upon man values, but Christ value's summed up in Matthew 22: 37-39.

The religious politicization by U.S. presidents is nothing new; Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy downplayed his Catholicism when courting evangelicals. Kennedy faced anti-Catholic Protestants who were concerned that the Church would control his decisions.

"For me, the definition of a Christian is whether we have given our life to Christ and are following him in faith, and we have trusted him as our Lord and Savior," said the Reverend Franklin Graham." Furthermore, Graham called President Obama "the son of Islam" because his father was a Muslim. According to Graham, Obama's current faith and beliefs are one of expediency, a political calculation.

Yet the Bible does not provide the definition that man is looking for Man which many want to use as a measuring stick against others'. Although judging is a normal and necessary part of life, scripture warns us that we have a natural tendency to judge others in a wrong way. Jesus teaches the natural tendency is to ignore one's own faults when we evaluate and judge others. Jesus is not forbidding critical thinking in the positive sense, which means to evaluate others' words and actions carefully so we can discriminate between truth and error, right and wrong (see Matt. 7:15-16).

The true beliefs of a person can never be really known however based upon one's personal statements their actions can be appraised. At times Christians are their own worst enemies with numerous flaws and occasional absurdities of Christianity. Our plural society must continuously be open to conversations with the intent of identification our many differences.

The question is what are the values of this nation called the United States of America? Can we actually find common ground regardless of the continued divisive language and speech? Yet in this time of religious and political differences we do not want to continue the conversations, we just want to continue the rhetoric and innuendos.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/politics-articles/you-dont-even-have-the-same-values-5737745.html

About the Author

David Cooper a retired military veteran whom has submitted artcles to different publication on subjects ranging from Family Humor to Political and social issues.

The tweens had a dream-come-true moment when they opened the doors and found pop stars Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas waiting for them. The JoBros and Obama girls first met backstage at The Ellen DeGeneres Show this fall and saw each other again Monday night at the Kids' Inaugural concert