Blasts From The Past, And Other Places Part 14

Evangelical Does Not Equal Lunatic Fringe

Blaming Kerry’s defeat on the outpouring of support Pres. Bush received from the Bible Belt is a simplistic explanation to a complicated issue.

First, defining who is an evangelical, compared to a run of the mill person with religious feelings, is difficult at best. Is it a person who goes to church on Sunday, one who prays to God for help, or one who does not go to church, but still believes in God? Perhaps it’s a person who bases their personal moral code on religious philosophy, Thou shall not steal, instead of depending purely upon secular laws to guide their actions?

Can a person vote for Bush because of his stance on abortion, yet not be born again Christian? Could a gay couple vote for Bush, not many did I expect, because they too feel abortion is murder?

The answer is yes to all of the above.

The problem Kerry/Edwards faced, and failed to address, is that the vast majority of the country is religious to one degree or another and a candidate must take that into consideration when developing a political platform.

In the third debate Kerry claimed to be a good Catholic. He then proceeded to list the topics on which he disagreed with the Catholic Church. He wanted it both ways.

Bush on the other hand said abortion was wrong, period, and then offered options like adoption for those who do not want to keep their soon to be born infant.

Kerry’s religious pandering was as transparent as a piece of parchment stretched from Ohio to Florida. A religious person may not agree with Bush’s view on a specific topic, but these people realize that he is a good Christian and they fully understand the set of values that guide his decision making process.

In Kerry they saw a man willing to say whatever he thought was necessary to grab a few votes.