In my younger and more naive days, I thought that the whole abortion issue was very cut-and-dry -- either you were pro-life or you were an evil baby-killer. But as I dug deeper into the issue and did more research, God convicted me that there is more to the issue than meets the eye. I might even venture to say that we're really on the same team, because everyone wants to reduce the number of abortions, right? I'm concerned that a lot of people don't see past the surface of the basic black and white pro-life vs. pro-choice decision, and never take the time to understand the underlying root issues. There are 3 things that I want to point out:

1. It is important to understand that overturning Roe vs. Wade, the long-time goal of the pro-life movement, wouldn't end abortion in the United States -- it would simply give the states the power to decide instead of the federal government.


2. I believe that economic and social reform is the key to preventing unwanted pregnancies. Legislation banning abortion isn't necessarily the most effective, end-all way to reduce the number of abortions, especially since abortions happen illegally all the time anyway (see point 3). Studies show that economic support for women and families reduces abortion. In countries where more social services are provided and fewer women live in poverty, the abortion rates are consistently the lowest rates in the world. Women below the federal poverty line have abortion rates almost four times those of higher-income women. Four times! You can't deny that there's a strong correlation between poverty and abortion rates. I think Obama's agenda for economic and social reform give hope to the weary -- affordable health care will be available, poverty will be combatted, taxes reduced, good jobs will be created, and our economy will enter the road to recovery. I like his passion for social justice that reflects the compassion Jesus had for the poor and needy.

"'For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

-Jesus, in Matthew 25:35-36, 40

"I believe in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe that faith gives me a path to be cleansed of sin and have eternal life. But most importantly, I believe in the example that Jesus set by feeding the hungry and healing the sick and always prioritizing the least of these over the powerful."

-Obama, in a Christianity Today interview, January 2008

3. The legal status of abortion does not necessarily impact abortion rates. Nearly half of all abortions in the world are performed in countries that have made abortion illegal, and the lowest abortion rates are in Europe, where abortion is legal and available. Honestly now, if a teenage girl living in poverty and desperation discovered she was pregnant and didn't want the baby, do you really think the law would stop her from finding a way to abort that baby? It might make it harder, but she'd find a way to do it.

It is possible to be pro-life and pro-Obama. :)

Lately, I have felt very judged by some of the Christian community. This is partly why I avoid the topic of politics with certain people -- because the attitude with which they approach the discussion is that if you vote for a Democrat, you're a bad Christian. Upon learning that I was voting for Obama, someone actually said to me the other day, "Bev, you're going to be held accountable for your action on Judgment Day!" And then yesterday, my very own mother (I love you, Mom! :P) told me that "maybe God doesn't want you to vote for Obama" when I told her I had a nightmare that I forgot to vote. I laughed at that one.

But seriously, the first comment was from a friend and it really saddened me. I felt as though she was accusing me of knowingly and purposely sinning by voting for a candidate that I didn't think God would approve of. This was especially discouraging in light of my recent revelation that it's not necessarily about who you vote for, it's about your heart motives and whether or not you're doing what you believe God wants for the glory of God. Unfortunately, it's comments like this that alienate the world and give Christians the reputation of being narrow-minded and judgmental.

Why can't we all just have a civil conversation about politics without making it so personal? I know it's possible -- Rachelle and I had a perfectly civil conversation about why we were voting for our candidates. She talked about the civil forum and her stance on abortion and how it directly affected her as an OB/GYN physician, and I listened. I talked about my research-filled journey in making a decision and the convictions God put in my heart, and she listened. And at the end of the day, we're still best friends. :)

Oh, and I'm pretty sure Obama is not the anti-Christ.

This is unheard of -- my RSS feeds have been completely caught up this week! No more "News (1000)" [unread feeds]... I read all of my news feeds every single day! Of course, I had more time this week because 1) I stayed home sick, and 2) my hubby is in Seattle right now. But regardless, it has been a fun game to follow the news closely. In doing so, I've discovered a few interesting tidbits on politics that I just had to share:

On foreign policy...

1. I know this is old news, but in the 2000 election, McCain said: "I hate the gooks. I will hate them as long as I live." Granted, the man went through what I can only imagine in my worst nightmares, being tortured and imprisoned for 5 1/2 years during the Vietnam War. But his obstinacy in still refusing to apologize for his use of the racial slur is what gets to me. And while the term directly offends me as an Asian-American, that's not even what bothers me the most -- I simply don't think any kind of language like that belongs in the White House, nor is his attitude reflective of someone who has been forgiven and saved by grace.
2. Europe has respect for neither McCain nor Palin. Palin essentially said that her foreign policy experience comes from the fact that she can see Russia from her house in Alaska (you can't), and she didn't even have a passport until last year -- which makes me wonder how on top of the foreign policy game one can be, having never left the country until last year. How can people even call Obama "green" and inexperienced compared to this potential VP or even President (if anything were to happen to McCain as President -- he would, after all, be the oldest President in history to take office)? Surely his 4 years in the U.S. Senate trumps her 2 years experience as a governor of a state that has less people than the lower fifth of Manhattan, as Liz (my hero) put it. She would be the second-in-command of our entire country, and that scares me a little. Honestly, I don't have a big problem with McCain -- I had a long talk with Rachelle (who supports McCain), and I really would be OK if McCain became President (see previous post on Daniel 2). He's a good guy and I don't disagree with on fundamentals -- the bottom of the ticket makes me a lot more uncomfortable. Read on for more reasons why...
   

On spending...

1. I know these aren't a big deal, they're just little tidbits I came across in the news that bug me. Palin charged the state of Alaska $21,012 for her children's commercial travel since she took office in December 2006. I understand that she's a mother of 5, and it's tough to balance family and work life when you're a governor. But charging those expenses to the state seems kind of shady, especially when you justify their travel as being "on official business." It's even shadier when no other governor in Alaska's history has been known to charge their children's travel expenses to the state instead of on their own dime.
2. Even more trivial is the $150,000 that the Republican National Committee spent on Sarah Palin's wardrobe since she was named McCain's running mate 3 months ago. Now when you're in the political spotlight and vying for VP, it is important to dress the part. But dude, that's a lot of money to spend on clothes, makeup, and hair in light of the recent economic crisis, unemployment, poverty, the war in Iraq, the growing national deficit, civil wars in Africa, and other bigger things that are going on in the world. A review of similar records of the Democratic party turned up no such spending.

I know, I know... small potatoes. I'm not gonna base my vote on the fact that Sarah Palin dropped 5Gs at Bloomingdale's. I hate it when politics becomes all nit-picky, when both sides point fingers at each other and tattle on stupid things. But I have to admit, all these little things add up and make me a little itchy and uncomfortable with McCain/Palin ticket.

Lately, the hubby has been doing such a good husbanding job. :) He is demonstrating such good leadership for me, in forgiveness, graciousness, patience, and gentleness -- especially with my illogical breakdowns, temper tantrums, and general childishness. :)

Keep heaping those burning coals on my head!

(This is a picture of us at the latest wedding, last Saturday. Tony was very concerned that his tie was lopsided -- he normally likes a double-knotted symmetrical tie, but we were late so there was no time. :P I can't wait until my hair grows longer... sigh.)

How many plans and proposals survive the political process intact? Not many. I fear that many Christians cast their votes solely based on policies, or even worse, single issues such as abortion or gay rights. Above all else, we need to choose someone as our President who has the character and virtue to make sound Biblical decisions for the common good of all people. He has to walk the talk, which, sadly, most politicians do not, and empty promises are... well, just that -- empty. Competence is not enough -- competence without virtue can become poisonous.

Virtue always trumps policy and ideology.

My pastor donned his bullet-proof vest and started a series this past Sunday called "Thinking Biblically About Politics." This will be an interesting next few weeks at church.

I feel judged already.

Yesterday, I left work early to finish painting our garage. This garage project has been ongoing for more than a month now, and I was getting tired of parking both cars outside. :) We cleaned out the garage, filled in all the holes in the dry wall, sanded it, cleaned it, primed it, and finally, it is now painted. The next steps will be sealing the floor, and the most fun part -- organizing! -- putting up shelves, racks, hooks, pegboards, etc.

Anyway, so the entire time I was working on the garage, I could not stop thinking about politics! (This is very unusual, for me.) This is the first year that I've actually cared about the upcoming election, and I've been really trying to follow all the news. I've watched all the presidential debates, the VP debates, the civil forum, (and SNL sketches, but that doesn't count :P) I read up on news every day, and I've done my research. But up until yesterday, I was still conflicted about who to vote for.

Liz's dialogue with a conservative Christian really made me think. They're both Christians, both trying to vote in accordance with the Bible, both trying to honor God -- and yet they came to opposite conclusions. It's surprising how two people who worship the same God and live by the same Book can have such conflicting political viewpoints. Is there a right and a wrong answer? I struggled with this because if there is, that would mean that supporters of the losing candidate were all wrong.

Scripture says:

It is [God] who changes the times and the epochs;
He removes kings and establishes kings;
He gives wisdom to wise men
And knowledge to men of understanding.

-Daniel 2:21

So we know that God is in control over this election, and it will have been God's will for the winning candidate to be President. But then what about all the people who voted for the other guy? Was it wrong to vote for him?

Then I remembered a passage in 1 Corinthians:

If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. But if anyone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience' sake — the other man's conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience? If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God - even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

-1 Corinthians 10:27-31

I came to the realization that there is no "right" candidate for Christians to vote for. Whether you're voting for Obama or McCain, it's really between you and God. God wants us to do everything for the glory of God and for the good of others. If the Holy Spirit leads you to vote for McCain and you can do that with a clear conscience, and you truly believe that this is what God wants you to do, then you should obey God and do it. If the Spirit is tugging at your heart that Obama will be the better leader for the good of the people, and you genuinely believe that this is God's will, then do it! Neither decision is wrong. Jesus is not about legalism and rules -- it's the heart that matters! It's a theme that's seen throughout the Gospels... that God cares more about the motives and the heart attitude than anything else. I believe that as long as we are trying to honor God and abide by his Word, God will be pleased.

We've hung out with Ray and Jen a few times in the past few months. I really admire how they purposely make time for people, even though they have 3 young kids, Ray's a busy doctor running between multiple clinics, and their schedules are crazy. I would always jokingly say "Have a nice life!" to my friends when they got married, because it seems that married couples so often drop off the face of the earth... as if somehow being married means that you suddenly don't go out with friends, and even when you do, you can't go out without your other half. And that's even before the kids start poppin' out. ;)

Granted, now that I'm married, I can see how it's more difficult -- you definitely have to make time for people and be proactive about it, because let's face it, we're not in college anymore. People don't just drop by my dorm room to hang out until the wee hours of the morning, playing Korean DDR, jamming on the guitar, and having DTRs. Having a husband means 2x more dishes, 4x more laundry (don't ask how that figures mathematically, because I'm still trying to figure it out myself), 2x more activities/events, 2x more family time (actually, for me, this went from 0% to 300% since my family is in Michigan and all of his extended family is here), not to mention the "alone time" that's necessary for any marriage. We seem to be struggling in that last category... our date night went from going out once a week to grocery shopping as "dates" to non-existent within a few months. :( Fail!

Anyway... I am determined not to join the exclusive married club. Please hang out with me!

Speaking of which... the latest couple to join the married club is Mr. and Mrs. Aaron and Christy Chan! :) Congratulations!