Make America Great Again: an explanation

Here are some highlights of what MAGA means to someone who actually agrees with it:

• Immigration
• legal: plenty & reward
• illegal: none & punish
• no taxpayer freebees like cellphones, airplane rides, hotels, childcare, and apartments
• Economics
• more of what we buy should be "made in America" ("assembled in America" isn't good enough, manufacture it here)
• make with quality not planned obsolescence
• cheap, abundant energy
• export more, import less
• Government spending
• stop giving away billions of dollars over seas (obviously money laundering)
• stop the laws written with hundreds or even thousands of pages (obviously money laundering)
• every social problem is not a government program (the preamble to the constitution sets out the original scope of our government: "establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.")
• balanced budget and debt free, we should be the lenders not the borrowers
• no such thing as a "can't fail" business, not the job of the government to sustain private businesses (obviously the elites protecting their own, not protecting the people)
• Government behavior
• stronger sense of rule by the people through elected officials not by unelected bureaucrats, and stronger sense that political party ideology came from the members and the leadership followed, not from the leadership and the people follow
• censorship and those who tried to undermine the Bill of Rights were not absent, but at least they were afraid to do so openly
• election integrity was more believable
• "lawfare" wasn't a thing
• less lobbying interest groups influencing or even controlling Congress
• prioritize people over establishments
• Military
• strong military that causes peace not fights for political causes nor for its own special interests
• no maternity flight suits
• no new mandatory vaccines
• no sexual topics (no homosexuality tolerated, no transgender entertained, don't ask don't tell worked fine until we claimed it didn't)
• no racial privilege & victimization (political correctness) training
• back the blue (police) not defund them
• Education
• school used to be about education and critical thinking, not indoctrination (reading, writing, arithmetic, logic, science, language, debate, manors, these are why we send our kids, not activism, anti-racism, standardized tests, and political correctness reinforcement)
• no "sex ed" until high school
• teachers didn't have a conflict of loyalty with the unions
• teachers were empowered to be leaders (including disciplining when necessary)
• men and women, boys and girls, were clear who they were and were encouraged that the distinction is clear and good, both on the sports field, in bathrooms, changing rooms, and everywhere else
• Religion
• Biblical morality: the 10 Commandments are a good thing, the Bible is true (includes but is not limited to real history)
• the Bible is recognized as the word of God and the source of all morality, and ethics, laws, and culture are built on morals, not the other way around
• separation of church and state meant the government didn't bully the church, it wasn't that the church (or Christian values) has no say in politics
• Culture
• journalism was all about reporting the facts and none of the journalist's (or their boss's) opinions
• journalists left public declarations of immorality up to others
• single income families were common, good, and economically practical, allowing everyone in the family to prioritize strengthening both the family members and the surrounding community. Only one person in the family had to worry about paying the bills, moms (especially full-time moms) were respected for their role in society not taught to resent and reject it
• murdering babies was both taboo and illegal
• capitalism (free markets, competition) good, communism (command economies, Marxism, monopolies) bad
• corruption bad even if it just so happens to benefit you or your political agenda in the moment (see Biblical morality above)

Life is complicated, people are weird, but God is good. And MAGA (like anything) is defined by those who promote it, not by those who criticize it. For more of what the Republican Party is pushing for, watch the convention videos which I turned into an easily browsable playlist at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQ8o6Ub4ZrPQeQA3lJr3OZY8zbONk2EX5. And of course there's the official party platform and Trump's platform. At least, this is what real Republicans push for, there are more RINOs (Republican In Name Only) every year, and you can easily spot them by their votes and the words. For a shorter perspective, try https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2022/what-is-a-maga-republican/ or https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/editorcharts/USA-ELECTION-TRUMP-MAGA/0H001BBVZ2XL/ (I don't endorse either of these last two links, they're just a couple I found with minimal research to show another angle on this topic.)

Abortion and the death penalty

We all have our preferences and that's cool. But don't confuse preferences and facts. I heard another person defend a reason for abortion by claiming it was no less immoral than the death penalty. What a sad topic, but I'd rather comment than be silent. Let's be clear:

• Abortion is a choice to end the life of an innocent person, which is the definition of murder, regardless of circumstance, therefore is categorically (always) immoral.
• Capital punishment (also known as the death penalty) is a choice to end the life of a person convicted guilty of a capital crime, so is not necessarily murder, therefore is not categorically immoral.

The difference is based on God's unchanging word.

• Our loving God, in order to promote justice and preserve societal stability and safety, commanded the death penalty (not just for a specific case but as a standard) over a dozen times in the first five books of the Bible alone (from Noah to Moses) (link). It cannot be categorically immoral then because God decides morals, not man. If we administer capital punishment for a reason God did not specify, or worse, for punishing someone for obeying one of God's commands, (or possibly worst, because they have a different political ideology than us) then our choices and behaviors are immoral. If you oppose capital punishment then oppose it because you don't trust those who'd carry it out, don't claim it's categorically immoral. Capital punishment can be morally earned, and at no point is anything God commanded (including the death penalty) categorically wrong.
• Our loving God, in order to promote justice and preserve societal stability and safety, commanded we not intentionally shed innocent blood over a dozen times in the Bible (link). Human blood is never more innocent than while in the mother's womb, regardless of how the baby got there. In the rare scenario where there's a life-threatening pregnancy complication then the baby can be removed with the intent to preserve both lives. No one can earn an abortion. It is categorically wrong to do what God commands us not to do.

If you believe in God, especially the God of the Bible, then please don't dishonor Him by bastardizing His commands by comparing abortion and the death penalty.

Just because capital crime is not categorically immoral doesn't mean we should be looking for ways to legally kill each other. I'm advocating that we take God's word seriously, and what God commanded is important. Even if Jesus paid the penalty for all our sins, then what God declared a capital crime is by definition a sin, and Jesus never excused our sin (John 8:11). Rather He raised the bar (Matthew 5:21-22). For more on this theme, here's another blog I wrote. For a Biblical perspective on abortion, here's an article I wrote.

With this, everything is possible. Without it, nothing is.

I was recently reminded of a paradigm shift. As a recent example, Mr. Biden said the following about 90% through his State of the Union Address last night:

“There’s one reason why we’re able to do all of these things: our democracy itself. It’s the most fundamental thing of all. With democracy, everything is possible. Without it, nothing is.” Source

As much as I appreciate democracy, it doesn't deserve what Biden just said about it. To say that was a distraction from what does deserve the credit. Up until a short time ago, I would've argued that capitalism (and the free market) might be a related theme. I've agreed countless times that capitalism has done more to bring more people out of poverty than any other alternative economic system. But recently I remembered that's only partially true. It is true, but it's missing a more important detail. The apostle Paul made the point almost two millennia ago when he wrote:

“where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17b NIV

Democracy without Christians in charge will be unrecognizable compared to democracy with them. The founders knew this. Just two examples are:

“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
-Patrick Henry, 1776

“Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God?”
-Thomas Jefferson, 1785

Capitalism without Christians is also unrecognizable to what it once was. For while God is both omnipotent and omnipresent, He has a tendency to correlate His involvement with our willingness to give Him credit for what He does (Romans 1:20-32). What Biden, or any Catholic, or any Christian, should have said was:

“There’s one reason why we’re able to do all of these things: our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He's the most fundamental thing of all. With God, everything is possible. Without Him, nothing is.”

Though of course, God doesn't care much for lip service (Isaiah 29:13). We need to believe it if we bother to say it. I pray that when I get the chance, I practice what I just preached.

By the way, substituting pride in our nation for pride in our God is not a new trap. The religious leaders of Jesus's day had fallen for that trick, as recorded in John 11:48. Paul gave relevant advice in 2 Timothy 2:25-26. National pride is not inherently bad, I'm no globalist. But it does tip from good to bad when it replaces or otherwise exceeds our pride in [accurately] knowing our Creator (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

Good and evil, truth and lies

Our problem

Isaiah 5:20

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Malachi 2:17a

You have wearied Yahweh with your words. Yet you say, ‘How have we wearied Him?’ In that you say, ‘Everyone who does evil is good in Yahweh’s sight, and He delights in them;’

Proverbs 17:15

He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to Yahweh.

God’s expectation

Romans 12:9

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good.

Luke 12:57

Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?

John 7:24

Don’t judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Mark 13:5b

Be careful that no one leads you astray.

Romans 4:3

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

A distinction

1 Corinthians 2:14

Now the natural man (non-believer) doesn’t receive the things of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to him, and he can’t know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

2 Corinthians 6:14

Don’t be unequally yoked (choose a formal partnership) with unbelievers, for what fellowship do righteousness and iniquity have? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?

Proverbs 14:6

A scoffer seeks wisdom, and doesn’t find it, but knowledge comes easily to a discerning person.

Proverbs 17:24

Wisdom is [right in] the face of one who has [discerning], but the eyes of a fool wander to the ends of the earth.

Proverbs 29:27

A dishonest man detests the righteous, and the upright in their ways detest the wicked.

Amos 5:10 NIV

There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court and detest the one who tells the truth.

Psalm 119:163

I hate and abhor falsehood. I love your law.

Romans 12:21

Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 16:19b

Be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.

Truth

John 18:38a

Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”

John 17:17b

Your (God's) word is truth.

John 8:31-32

Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you remain in My word, then you are truly My disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me.”

John 1:14

The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw His glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Ephesians 4:21b

Truth is in Jesus.

1 Timothy 3:15b

God’s house, which is the assembly of the living God, [is] the pillar and ground of the truth.

John 4:24

God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

Proverbs 16:6

By mercy and truth iniquity is atoned for. By the fear of Yahweh men depart from evil.

Lies

1 John 2:4

One who says, “I know Him,” and doesn’t keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth isn’t in him.

1 John 2:22

Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ?

Proverbs 19:22

A poor man is better than a liar.

Proverbs 29:12

If a ruler listens to lies, all of his officials are wicked.

A contrast

Romans 3:4b

Let God be found true, but every man a liar.

Matthew 19:16-17a

One came to Him and said, “Good teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” [Jesus] said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but one, that is, God.”

John 16:8

When [the Holy Spirit comes], He will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment.

John 3:19b-21

Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.

John 10:10

The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.

Some warnings

Isaiah 13:11

I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will humble the haughtiness of the terrible.

Matthew 5:45b

He makes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.

Matthew 7:21

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 13:24-30

He set another parable before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while people slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel weeds also among the wheat, and went away. But when the blade sprang up and produced grain, then the darnel weeds appeared also. The servants of the householder came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where did these darnel weeds come from?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest perhaps while you gather up the darnel weeds, you root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First, gather up the darnel weeds, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

Matthew 13:47-50

Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some fish of every kind, which, when it was filled, fishermen drew up on the beach. They sat down and gathered the good into containers, but the bad they threw away. So will it be in the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked from among the righteous, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 15:13-14

[Jesus] answered, “Every plant which My heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted. Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

Matthew 25:31-34, 41

But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. Before Him all the nations will be gathered, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will tell those on His right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world...’ Then He will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels.’

Luke 3:16-17

John answered them all, “I indeed baptize you with water, but he comes who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire, whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Romans 1:18-32

The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known of God is revealed in them, for God revealed it to them. For the invisible things of Him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even His everlasting power and divinity, that they may be without excuse. Because knowing God, they didn’t glorify Him as God, and didn’t give thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, four-footed animals, and creeping things [idolatry, including evolution]. Therefore

• God also gave them up in the lusts of their hearts [sexual revolution] to uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves; who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason,
• God gave them up to vile passions [homosexual revolution]. For their women changed the natural function into that which is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural function of the woman, burned in their lust toward one another, men doing what is inappropriate with men, and receiving in themselves the due penalty of their error. Even as they refused to have God in their knowledge,
• God gave them up to a reprobate mind [choosing to make the insane seem normal], to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness,
  • sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil habits, secret slanderers, backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, unforgiving, unmerciful;
  who, knowing the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also approve of [and vote for] those who practice[, promote, or protect] them [effectively turning society upside down]. [Which brings us back to Isaiah 5:20.]

Evil

Psalm 51:4b

I have sinned, and done that which is evil in Your sight

Psalm 119:53

Indignation has taken hold on me, because of the wicked who forsake your law.

Proverbs 5:22

The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare him. The cords of his sin hold him firmly.

Proverbs 12:13a

An evil man is trapped by sinfulness

Isaiah 13:11 NIV

I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins.

Jeremiah 36:3

It may be that [My people] will hear all the evil which I intend to do to them; that they may each return from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.

Ezekiel 3:19a NIV

If you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin

1 Timothy 6:10

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some have been led astray from the faith in their greed, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

John 7:7

The world... hates Me, because I testify about it, that its works are evil.

The evil one

John 17:15

I pray not that you would take them from the world, but that You would keep them from the evil one.

1 Peter 5:8

Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

2 Timothy 2:25-26

In gentleness [correct] those who oppose [you]: perhaps God may give them repentance leading to a full knowledge of the truth, and they may recover themselves out of the devil’s snare, having been taken captive by him to his will.

John 8:44b NIV

The devil... was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Revelation 12:9a

The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.

1 John 5:19

We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

John 14:30b

The prince of the world comes, and he has nothing [over] Me.

Ephesians 2:2b

You once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience.

2 Corinthians 4:4

The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

[Some] men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as Christ’s apostles. And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light. It is no great thing therefore if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

Ephesians 6:12

Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Calibration

Jeremiah 9:23-24 NASB

The Lord says: “Let no wise man boast of (brag, or take pride in) his wisdom, nor let the mighty man boast of his might, nor a rich man boast of his riches; but let the one who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises mercy, justice, and righteousness on the earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.

Luke 10:20

Nevertheless, don’t rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Obligation

Romans 13:1-4

Let every soul be in subjection to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those who exist are ordained by God. Therefore he who resists the authority, withstands the ordinance of God; and those who withstand will receive to themselves judgment. For rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. Do you desire to have no fear of the authority? Do that which is good, and you will have praise from the same, for he is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do that which is evil, be afraid, for he doesn’t bear the sword in vain; for he is a servant of God, an avenger for wrath to him who does evil.

Note:

• Paul all but explicitly says the government's authority is predicated on it's protecting good and punishing evil. When it does this, then it's representing God and we are commanded to obey. When it abandons its mandate and punishes good and protects evil then it forfeits its God given authority in (over) our lives. Again we return to Isaiah 5:20 and Romans 1:32, plus Proverbs 14:34 and Acts 5:29.
• In the USA and any democracy or republic, the government is the law (beginning with the constitution) not the lawyers nor the elected officials, and certainly not the beaurocrats. All these people are charged with upholding the law and are never to act above or in subversion of it. The people (the governed) determine the law. A single act of violating the law to force one's own personal political agenda invalidates their God-given authority over us, James 2:10.

Reminders

Genesis 4:7b

Sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it.

Matthew 5:17

Don’t think that I came to destroy (cancel) the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill (complete & confirm). (Compare Luke 16:17)

Luke 12:51

Do you think that I have come to give peace in the earth? I tell you, no, but rather division.

Matthew 10:22

You will be hated by all men for My name’s sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved.

Luke 17:10

When you have done all the things that are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants. We have done our duty.’

Jeremiah 49:12 CSB

This is what the Lord says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, can you possibly remain unpunished? You will not remain unpunished, for you must drink it too.

2 Timothy 3:12-14

All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you remain in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them.

Specific examples of good and evil are detailed in my separate blog post on morality, here, and my post on sexual immorality, here. All scripture quotations were from the WEB translation, except where indicated otherwise, and all italics and bracketed text were added by me.

Extra-Biblical quotes

“Imaginary evil is romantic and varied; real evil is gloomy, monotonous, barren boring. Imaginary good is boring; real good is always new, marvelous, intoxicating.” -Simone Weil, Gravity and Grace

“The function of wisdom is to discriminate between good and evil.” -Marcus Tullius Cicero

“We must be careful not to confuse witty and wise.”

Election Thoughts on the Eve of the Inauguration

Since conservative concerns over election irregularities were dismissed and ignored by liberals and leftists, the best case scenario election map will forever remain like this to conservatives. The election and inauguration of Biden was on the surface fully legal, but the irregularities of governors and secretaries of state arbitrarily changing election practice without the consent of the legislature in the name of the pandemic was a serious breach of law that was clearly done to favor one candidate, will never be forgotten, and should never be repeated (by either party).

Some claim Biden won by a landslide. Shyea. If these maps from 270towin.com (link) are accurate, then clearly we've had some electoral college landslides in our past, but Biden wasn't one of them.

Remember for the next 4 hours, 4 days, 4 weeks, 4 months, and 4 years that the final numbers, whether we believe them or not, show Joe Biden won the popular vote by a lackluster 4%. It's not like he won 90-10. He won 51-46. He didn't even win by double digits. And Leftists in the Democratic party are calling for sweeping reform, including political and literal destruction of Republicans. Hmm. That rhetoric would smell like a totalitarian rule. And for all you Trump haters, he just proved you wrong when you called him a dictator, by peacefully relinquishing power. Fascist dictators don't get censored by their own people, and don't hand over power. (As the Babylon Bee pointed out, here.) You were wrong about Trump, we'll see how long it takes you to realize how horribly wrong you were about Biden and Harris.

Here were the supposed popular results:

• Biden: 81,284,778 (51.27%)
• Trump: 74,224,501 (46.82%)
• Source

Difference: 4.45% (7.06M votes). While Biden supposedly won by 4% overall, that includes the overkill votes in silicon valley, Chicago, and New York. Eight states were decided by even less:

• Georgia:  0.24%  of 5M voters = 11,779 margin (B)
• Arizona:  0.31%  of 3.4M = 10,457 (B)
• Wisconsin:  0.63%  of 3.3M = 20,682 (B)
• Pennsylvania:  1.18%  of 7M = 82,155 (B)
• North Carolina:  1.35%  of 5.5M = 74,481 (T)
• Nevada:  2.39%  of 1.4M = 33,596 (B)
• Michigan:  2.78%  of 5.5M = 154,188 (B)
• Florida:  3.35%  of 11.1M = 371,686 (T)
• Source

In this moment I'm not complaining about the narrow state margins, the suspected fraud, nor the Republican loss. I am simply pointing out that a win of a lousy 4% is not justification for Democratic party leaders and their media friends to be calling for the eradication and demonization of the losing party. For example:

• CNN Anchor: Everyone Who Voted For Trump Sided With ‘The Klan,’ ‘Nazis,’ Rioters (Jan 14) https://www.dailywire.com/news/cnn-anchor-everyone-who-voted-for-trump-sided-with-the-klan-nazis-rioters
• Twitter Hasn’t Suspended These Accounts Or Tweets That Openly Incite Violence (Jan 10) https://thefederalist.com/2021/01/10/twitter-hasnt-suspended-these-accounts-or-tweets-that-openly-incite-violence/
• Democrats’ ‘Return To Normalcy’ Under Biden Includes Making Lists Of Trump Supporters To Harass (Nov 9) https://thefederalist.com/2020/11/09/democrats-return-to-normalcy-under-biden-includes-making-lists-of-trump-supporters-to-harass/

Let us not forget that career politicians who look more for their own personal political gain than for the good of their constituents are our greatest problem in Washington, DC. Lastly, even though I fear Republicans will always disappoint me and Democrats will always anger me, don't forget what each party self describes they stand for, because they vote aligned with these platforms more often than not:

https://awakeamerica.org/party-platform-comparison/

Vote Strategically

While Trump may not be the model Christian, he is clearly doing a far better job than his competition at protecting those who are. Anti-Christian members of our society are convincing Christians to vote against themselves by distracting us with Trump's personality.

It's important we make as strategic a choice as possible when we vote later this month. We mustn't treat this as a personality contest. This year, as four years ago, neither candidate is a gem. Don't pretend either one is. It's more strategic to vote on platforms than just on personalities. FRC made an excellent party platform summary at https://prayvotestand.org/platforms (and the full platforms are direct linked below). Giving weight to the party platforms in our voting decision is important because:

• the party informs & influences the politician (president or otherwise) far more than the individual politician informs & influences the platform, and
• politicians have proven to vote/act aligned with their party platform on average more than 80% of the time (https://www.vox.com/2016/7/12/12060358/political-science-of-platforms) over the last 25 years.

One platform is clearly superior over the other, therefore one candidate is the clear choice, depending on your worldview. You can be Christian and liberal just as much as you can be Christian and conservative. However, a Christian Leftist is kidding themselves because the Left's agenda is antithetical to the Biblical worldview. Here's a 6-minute video summarizing some differences between liberal and Left, without even taking religion into account: https://www.prageru.com/video/left-or-liberal/, and here's an overly simplistic illustration:

The leaders of both (all) political parties are human, and therefore flawed. Don't spend your time pointing out those flaws as if it's news. And don't pretend that one candidate is all honest and full of integrity while the other isn't, no one's buying that. However, it's strategically important to note the Democratic party has experienced what business people call a "hostile takeover" (an involuntary internal change of leadership) and those same people want to do the same to the entire government. The Democratic party used to be the liberal party, but is now led & controlled by Leftists. To vote for a Democratic candidate now (whether president, governor, or legislator) is to endorse Leftist ideals and invite them to become dominant in society. Liberals and conservatives have common goals, just different ways of achieving them. But Leftists have different goals entirely. Since Leftist ideas are at odds with and threatened by Christian ideas, a vote for a candidate in a Leftist-controlled party is a vote against Christian values, regardless of how the individual candidates talk, behave, or promise.

In the Old Testament, Moses relayed from God at least two types of laws:

1. moral (Exodus 20:13-14, Deuteronomy 12:31)
2. ceremonial (Exodus 30:19, Leviticus 2:1)

All were not equal (1 Samuel 15:22), the former (a) was the foundation for the later (b). When Jesus came, He was more strict about the moral law (Matthew 5:27-28, 19:7-9) and completely laxed the ceremony (Mark 2:23-28, Matthew 27:50-51). This was because the moral law was absolute, but the ceremonial law was no longer needed after Jesus (Acts 15:23-29, 1 Corinthians 10:25‭-‬27, Hebrews 10:8-9).

In the USA today, we have at least three types of laws:

1. moral (honesty, marriage, murder, privacy, property, sexuality)
2. civil (defense, education, justice, rights)
3. fiscal (budgets, debt, healthcare, infrastructure, social security, welfare)

All are not equal, the former (a) is the foundation for the later (b and c). Bickering about the later while neglecting the former is a receipe for disaster, and would be a horrible strategy for voting.

The Left says the following about morality:

1. Abortion should be legalized, have zero-restrictions, and be tax-payer funded.
1. To a Christian, the word "abortion" isn't in the Bible, but it's equivalent, "child sacrifice," is, and that was repeatedly condemned (Jeremiah 32:35). Human life begins at fertilization, not before and not after, and legalized murder is not acceptable. There are plenty of alternatives.
2. LGBTetc should be normalized and protected by law.
1. To a Christian, sexual immorality is clearly defined in the Bible, and discouraged from Genesis through Revelation (Ephesians 5:3). National accountability is a real concept and also described in the Bible (Proverbs 14:34). It's not ok to live in a country that voluntarily normalizes what God defines as sin. The USA was founded as a Christian nation so Christians should put in the effort to preserve that, not simply let it evaporate. (The Supreme Court of the US declared in a unanimous decision "this is a Christian nation" in 1892. They weren't legislating from the bench, they were stating the obvious.)
3. Anyone who identifies as female may compete in female sports and use female designated locker rooms and bathrooms.
1. To most of the rest of us, the sports issue is unfair and the locker room situation is unsafe for people with no Y chromosome. To a Christian with a strong Biblical worldview, God only made two sexes (Genesis 1:27) and our gender should match the sex declared by the genes in every cell in our body. Anything else is confusion that can and should be corrected, not encouraged nor protected.
4. Marriage is whatever we make of it.
1. To a Christian, God defined marriage (Matthew 19:4-6), the government did not, so the government has no jurisdiction to redefine it. (This was so obvious that the Supreme Court of Texas recognized it in writing in their decision in Grigsby v. Reib in 1913 and a bipartisan congress, including Joe Biden, voted in a law called the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996 with 86% yea.)
5. Popular opinion determines right and wrong. Though the opinion of the political elite dictates what is politically correct.
1. To a Chrisitian, God gave standards thousands of years ago which still apply to us today. God was our Creator and He determines right and wrong (John 16:8). Our laws should supplement that, not contradict (Romans 13:1, Acts 5:29). Political correctness is just a cover for people who can't win a logical argument by being scientifically correct.
6. Systemic racism is a huge problem in our nation.
1. Every non-Leftist I know is sympathetic to people who've felt discriminated against, but beg the question: if the racism is systemic or structural then show us the law/​policy that needs fixed? If there is none, then it's not technically systemic nor structural. Don't forget, we elected an African American to the office of president, twice. To a Christian, the concept of racism is technically misguided anyway because we're all descended from Adam and Eve and so all one race (Genesis 3:20, 10:32). The government-run atheist-lead Human Genome Project also came to the same conclusion in 2003. Discrimination and prejudice are issues that exist everywhere, and have always existed, and the citizens of the USA need to improve our selfishness no more than every other nation, because all nations are full of humans. The best solution to fixing "race" issues is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not defunding nor transforming the police, and certainly not "freedom from religion." Replacing Christianity (such as removing the 10 Commandments) with evolution (which inherently teaches racist ideas) in society is necessarily counterproductive towards the goal of ending racism, and which political party is pushing for it?

The Left says the following about civility:

7. America was never great.
1. The Left's stance on this is based on their anti-Christian worldview. The founding of America was clearly done on Christian principles, so they feel they must discredit and abandon it, and move on to something new (that they create). Good Christians acknowledge the problems of the past (and the present) but appreciate the Godly heritage this country has and recognize God as the source of our blessings (Deuteronomy 8:17-18). We were a great nation and while in many ways we still are, the Left is destroying it (for reasons and in ways itemized on this page). That's why Trump popularized the slogan "Make America Great Again," specifically as an anti-Leftist and pro-original intent message, and so naturally the Left hates it. This is also the reason for the "1619 Project," whose goal is not simply innocent education but to slanderously discredit the USA and worse, make our children resent it so they'll willingly vote to destroy it sooner or later (Psalms 11:3).
8. The First Amendment to the USA Constitution promises freedom *from* religion.
1. In reality, it promised freedom from the government declaring an official denomination to be the official religion of the country (as had been the case in England) then it promised freedom *of* religion. Making the nation atheist is not protecting us from religion, it's forcing a specific set of beliefs on us (including evolution and naturalism). By looking at their writing, many of our Founding Fathers were clearly devout, religious people and expected us to be too. The Left is attempting to bully Christianity out of schools, the media, law, and all of society. The removal of the 10 Commandments was an example of religious persecution because simply having those monuments, posters, etc, was a recognition of history, not a forcing of people in what they had to believe. God warned His people not to forget Him after He had richly blessed them, and that warning still applies today (Deuteronomy 6:10-15).
9. Freedom of conscience (such as to not pay for an employee's abortion or not make a custom-designed cake or custom flower bouquet for a gay wedding) is just a cover by conservatives (Christians) for bigotry.
1. To a Christian, accepting God or not is a personal choice because God gives us freedom of choice, beginning back in Genesis 3. Christians simply don't want to be compelled to do or support people or activities we honestly believe are discouraged by God in the Bible. This is called "freedom of conscience," was just as much an issue in the 1700s, was granted fully by the Founding Fathers, but now Leftists are attempting to eliminate in favor of ideological uniformity. (Funny, atheists have told Christians for years how immoral it was for the church to force conformity on everyone in the middle ages, and yet how quickly they're willing to do it themselves now.)
10. The State is the source of all rights.
1. To a Christian, God gave us rights and the government is a steward of those (Leviticus 25:10, Galatians 5:1). If the government wants to afford its people more rights, that's their prerogative, as long as the state-invented rights don't contradict God-defined morality. The Founding Fathers recognized this in the Declaration of Independence, and many other places.
11. Judges should push any agenda that Congress can't.
1. To everyone else (Christian or otherwise) the separation of powers should be honored. Judges should interpret the laws as they were written by the people who wrote them and apply them to current cases. Or if a law is invalid they can and should say so. But judges aren't supposed to make policy or change it, that's the legislature's job. This isn't my opinion, it's their job description as explained in our Constitution.
12. Climate change is the greatest threat to humanity in our lifetime.
1. To a Christian, God already promised in Genesis 9:11 that He'd never destroy the earth in a worldwide flood again. It stands to reason He wouldn't allow it to be flooded by us, either (global warming) for risk that such a flood would give even the appearance of breaking His promise, which would be a first for Him. Climate change is real and not insignificant, but it's not as catastrophic as Leftists claim. Worse, the Left uses climate change and "green energy" as shams on a global scale. Leaders who shout about carbon emissions and ask for billions of tax-payer dollars to implement corrective solutions, yet fly on private jets and own private vacation homes on the beach, are certainly among the hypocrites.
13. Education is the State's responsibility, and the State allows (permits) parents to raise their children.
1. To a Christian, kids and their education are the responsibility of the parents (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, 11:18-19). Many parents choose to outsource the education part to the government, but even then it's still the parents' choice. Further, parents should truly be allowed to choose any school they want for their kids.

The Left says the following about economics (fiscal policy):

14. Nothing, other than whatever the public wants to hear. Their goal is to take over, and once they do their economy strategy nor promises won't matter. So they just listen for what people want and say that, with no intention to follow through. Because by definition they consider themselves the political elite, and they know what's best for us, and once they're in control, they'll tell us what to think about economics, and everything else. They already do this with the media. (Notice how no one simply reports facts anymore? The media used to do that. There was even a name for it, it was called "journalistic integrity." Now they tell us what to think and only if we're lucky do they give us some facts. Sadly, this new form of reporting isn't limited to Leftists, but has spilled into most other news sources, too. But it's no coincidence the trend started when Leftists were coming into power.)
1. To a Christian, how we allocate our tax dollars between social programs, and which social programs we have, should be far less important than whether we honor God or not on moral issues. Similarly, whether we abandon our foundation of Christian principles for socialist principles is far more important than our economic priorities. Because if we get the economy going but let our nation rot otherwise, the economy won't last anyway. But if we get the moral and civil issues right, we have the best chance of coming to a long term win-win scenario on the economy.

Other social issues (like nationalism vs globalism and our COVID-19 response) I may come back and comment on later. Since the Left's stance on all the above is opposite to a Biblical worldview, and based on the atheist/​humanist worldview, and looking at atheist precedence in the last 100 years around the globe, it's inevitable that once they have the power they'll make dissent illegal. They've already proven their intention to do this with the Equality Act last January, which theoretically was a fair idea, but the authors rejected recommendations to word it in such a way that would prevent it from obviously being used as a club against faith-based organizations (link). As I was publishing this blog, another perfect example came to my attention at https://pjmedia.com/culture/tyler-o-neil/2020/09/30/virginia-forces-christian-ministries-to-adopt-government-ideology-or-pay-100k-n985842. If Trump was going to make disagreeing with him illegal, then he had plenty of time to try it, but he didn't.

When Joe Biden claimed "I am the Democratic party" in the first debate, either he didn't know what he was talking about, or he didn't care. Since their party is led by Leftists, Joe and his VP will be obligated to be on the wrong side of every issue above. And while many have pointed out that Donald Trump is no saint, the reason so many Christians support him anyway is because he unapologetically stands against the Left on all the above issues. As does his VP, Mike Pence. Because of this, the Left-controlled media hates him. Since they prefer the "hostile takeover," which is easier done in secret, they can't say why they really hate him, because then you might catch on and realize you disagree with them, so instead they just relentlessly slander him, often ad hominem, or his tweets. Anti-Christian members of our society are convincing Christians to vote against themselves by distracting us with Trump's personality. The fact that he gives them a ton of ammo doesn't help. But in other words, while Trump may not be the model Christian, he is clearly doing a far better job at protecting those who are. So he's going to get my vote, as he did in 2016, as will all the other Republicans I can vote for, until the Democratic party either takes back the leadership of their own party from the Leftists, or is wholly replaced. But don't just take my word for it, read their platforms (or the 2-page summary FRC made, linked above) and decide for yourself. And please vote with more strategy in mind than whether you like the personality of the candidate.

Full platforms:

• https://democrats.org/where-we-stand/party-platform/
• https://gop.com/platform/

Once Christians can stop feeling threatened by Leftist agendas for a hostile takeover of the whole government, then we can get back to talking about the economic policy of our nation, including more fun subjects like taxes, healthcare, social security, military budgets, national debt, welfare, medicare, disaster relief, infrastructure, foreign aid, humanitarian efforts, etc.

As a side note, remember that Donald Trump is not a career politician. Back in 2016, I said the reason Trump won the primaries was specifically because he was the non-politician. Then he won November, and again I said the reason was the American people wanted to send a message to Washington DC that we're sick of their career politician baloney. Both Democrats and Republicans have a tendency to do things that annoy us, not just because they're Democrat or Republican, but because they're career politicians. So it's not really logical for us to be surprised or dismayed when Trump doesn't act like a statesman. Perhaps in 2024, the American public can do a better job in the primaries to advance a statesman (or stateswoman) who will also protect Judeo-Christian/​Biblical values. I for one think the Republicans will have a hard time finding a better candidate than Candace Owens, if she decides to make a run.

If you're concerned about Trump's ability to get anything done because of his personality, fear not, that's just Leftist media propaganda. FRC made a summary of his executive accomplishments at https://prayvotestand.org/actions. Have you noticed we've not started any wars during his time, and he negotiated peace between Israel and two of her neighbors? (Something the last 3 presidents have tried but failed.) Of course he's done some things you don't like. The only president(s) who didn't, you just don't know enough about.

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The Bible is never criminal

The Bible must never be classified as hate speech or any other negative form by my country or my employer. A person's actions may or may not be appropriate in a given situation, but quoting the Bible with even a remotely honest intent to educate or remind people what it says should never, under any circumstance, ever be accepted (tolerated) as criminal.

Sound crazy that quoting the Bible could be responded to this way? It's already happening. Here are some results from a quick Google search (note, I didn't pick the wording in these titles):

• Canadian Supreme Court Rules Biblical Speech Opposing Homosexual Behavior is a 'Hate Crime' (2013)
• Man Arrested for Quoting Bible on Homosexual Sin (2013)
• The Bible as Hate Speech? Gays Win Big in Canada (2003)
• Street Preacher Arrested on Accusation He Made Homophobic Comments in London (2018)
• Preacher locked up for hate crime after quoting the Bible to gay teenager (2017)
• Minnesota Pastor: Mall Shook up (removed)
• 84-Year-Old Widow to Be Evicted for Bible Study (2019)

I'm fine with protecting people from persecution and related acts of discrimination. (Everyone deserves freedom and protection from persecution.) But telling someone how their choices (or their lifestyle) is characterized in the Bible, must never be outlawed, penalized, reverse discriminated, or otherwise officially condemned.

A person should never be required by law with threat of penalty to do something that is explicitly frowned upon by the official text of a long established world religion they unabashedly claim membership to. Similarly, a person should never be penalized for turning down a business opportunity because it would involve them in ways they don't want to be involved in something their religious text explicitly frowns upon, so long as it's an established world religion (as opposed to a religion we make up as we go to suit our ever-changing needs).

As a reminder, here's what the first amendment to the USA Constitution says:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." (source: archives.gov/founding-docs)

If we say for argument's sake the notion of "separation of church and state" (Wikipedia) was in our founding documents at all, then let's be clear what it would have meant. It would mean the church should not run the government. It would mean the current Pope (or some equivalent) should never be considered a government leader, and should not compete on legal issues with the President. No bishop, imam, priest, or other religious position should be considered a government official unless they go through the same process as everyone else. It would also mean the government shouldn't meddle in the affairs of the church. Neither the President, a congressman, judge, etc. should pretend to have influence over what the church teaches, if and when it teaches, nor what it means to be an honest person of faith. The reason this separation would exist is two-fold:

1. All too often in human history we have blurred the lines and put religious leaders in seats of political power, or likewise, political leaders claimed religious power (thought police/ political correct police). Separating church and state isn't meant to make either subordinate to the other, it's meant to keep them distinct, and it's absolutely not a pretension that we can have freedom from religion. Everyone has religion, even atheists.
2. To prevent non-Christians who happen to get in political power (whether executive, legislative, or judicial) from doing exactly what some are attempting to do right now: criminalize Christianity (beginning with but not limited to the Bible).

An extreme example of this would be that the government has the jurisdiction (in the eyes of man, if not the eyes of God) to pass a law that promotes/ protects/ rewards sin. But when there is a separation of church and state, that same government has no jurisdiction to tell Christians (or Jews or Muslims) that they cannot speak against that law and even against that sin, reminding the public (from their homes, over the internet, from the street corner, in their businesses, or from the pulpit) that the law is anti-Biblical, and what God has to say about that as revealed in the Bible. Similarly, in a nation with a separation of church and state, religious people don't have jurisdiction to take matters into their own hands and criminally penalize sinners, that's the government's job. Nothing says the two can't be informed by the other, but the church and state are distinct organizations that aren't supposed to bully each other.

By the way, the reason the provision of free speech was explicitly spelled out in the first amendment in the first place was to protect speech the government and the majority of the populace didn't like. Speech that is deliberately and obviously going to result in imminent physical injury or death, or exposes information that is legitimately confidential, is all we can justify censoring. (Though being justified is different than actually doing it.) This would not include quoting passages of any book that was written a great many years ago. Which ideas you listen to and agree with is up to you, but in a country that has freedom of speech written into its constitution, whether you silence any ideas is not.

Compilation: Explaining "the Left"

Dennis Prager is a great American, and a conservative.  He's responsible for http://www.prageru.com and the corresponding YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/PragerUniversity.  PragerU is not a real school in the traditional sense, but may be more useful in the modern sense. He's written a great 5 part article to help a conservative (who doesn't spend time watching politics) understand that there's a serious undertone in our nation's culture we need to be aware of and prepared for.

1. https://townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/2018/07/10/explaining-american-leftists-part-i-n2498802
2. https://townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/2018/08/21/explaining-the-left-part-ii-n2511543
3. https://townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/2018/08/28/explaining-the-left-part-iii-leftism-as-secular-religion-n2513574
4. https://townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/2018/10/02/explaining-the-left-part-iv-leftist-contempt-for-middleclass-values-n2524560
5. https://www.dailywire.com/news/39615/prager-explaining-left-part-v-left-vs-right-brain-dennis-prager

On the same theme, one of his most recent videos was also on understanding the difference between liberals and "the Left" (https://www.prageru.com/videos/left-or-liberal), and compliments his written articles well.

The disgusting treatment of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was a perfect example of the appalling accuracy of Mr. Prager's observations.  As an example, here's an article: https://www.dailywire.com/news/36774/walsh-why-fbi-should-investigate-christine-ford-matt-walsh and here's the same topic from another angle https://amgreatness.com/2018/10/21/christina-blasey-fords-polygraph-was-b-s/.

Sadly, another current event that helps prove Mr. Prager right happened on Thursday: http://insider.foxnews.com/amp/article/63652. Here's an excerpt:

The Metropolitan Republican Club's windows were smashed, its locks were broken and its doors were spray painted with anarchy symbols. A note left behind at the building read that the attack was putting the Republican Party "on notice." "Our attack is merely a beginning. We are not passive, we are not civil, and we will not apologize," it stated.

And few more un-American stories happened that following weekend: https://www.frcaction.org/updatearticle/20181018/conservatives-beating.

May God help us stay civil and maintain the freedom of thought and freedom of religion this country was built on and for.  Equally important, may we (God's people) act appropriately (not just pray, but pray and act). If atheist Americans abandon Judeo/Christian values and become barbaric, Christians should not lose hope. Our nation was founded in a world that hated protestant Christianity.  If we can build a nation from scratch under that pressure, surely we can maintain one, with (and only with) God's help.

(Edit 21 Jan 2019, added part 5, and see recent news https://www.dailywire.com/news/42312/cnn-reporter-shocked-discover-mike-pences-wife-daily-wire right on topic.)