Why are most Christians republicans?

[Ribosome]

To me it seems that most are. Why is that? What is it about the republican philosophy that Christians vote for them? And what is it about the democratic philosophy that Christians don't like?

I know democrats are for gay marriage and abortion... is that why Christians vote republican?

I'm trying to figure out who to vote for.

 

[Michaelismyname]

I know not , i care not . i am not a citizen of any country of this world ,i am a citizen of heaven .. that is my home , for we are already seated in heavenly places in the spirit .
there is no nz no usa no china in the kingdom of God .
my care is that of the Gospel . God will cause leaders to rise and fall as he see's fit according to the leadership the heart of this world deserves . we are never called nor commissioned to care for the politics of this world . we use but do not abuse , but we are not a part of it .
the furtherance of the gospel is our only commission.

 

[revrobor]

I think you mean to ask "Why are most Republicans Christians?" I am a Believer and I'm an independent politically. While the Republican platform comes closer to what Christians can support than does the Democrat it isn't correct to say that most Christians are Republicans.

 

[dysert]

I think more Republicans are Christians because both sets of people typically hold traditional, conservative values. The OP mentioned two, but there are more. We share conservative beliefs regarding God in the public square, working to get ahead, prayer in pubic, balancing the budget, opposition to free sex, divorce, and decriminalization of hallucinogens. A small federal government, protecting the borders, adequately providing for the armed forces, etc.

You can't be "conservative" (conserving those ideals that have served us well for so long) and "progressive" (wanting to advance into new territories in hopes that we can make things better than they are) at the same time.

(Written with no sleep - please excuse the rambling...)

 

[OzSpen]

To me it seems that most are. Why is that? What is it about the republican philosophy that Christians vote for them? And what is it about the democratic philosophy that Christians don't like?

I know democrats are for gay marriage and abortion... is that why Christians vote republican?

I'm trying to figure out who to vote for.

I'm an outsider to the politics in the USA, but I know that when it comes to voting, I choose the person standing for parliament whose views are more consistent with the values of evangelical Christianity.

Since the Australian federal parliament will be voting on homosexual marriage at some time in the not-too-distant future, I wrote to my local MP, a Labor representative (similar to the USA Democrats) to express my views. She wrote back today to confirm that the Labor Party is giving a conscience vote to all of its MPs. She said she will be voting according to the feedback she receives from her electorate. But have a guess what? In the latter I received today she did not tell me which way she is voting? Interesting!

However, I must admit that in Australia these days it is pretty difficult to choose among the 2 major political parties as both of them are promoting anti-biblical values at various points.

Sincerely, Oz

 

[ThePottersVessel]

I appreciate your effrot in trying to discern who to vote for. This is very personal and I encourage you to seek out the answer with diligence!

All other posters have said great things here.

I just want to offer a word of encourangement for the OP and for others that try to reconcile their political leanings with their faith. This can be very difficult to do but I believe it's worth while. Keep on keep'n on! Don't let this become too hard that and then not vote as many Christians do.

God chose his church to influence the world, be the vessel for his saving message - the gospel, and make disciples! Have we considered that He might also use the chruch (our collective voice) for influencing the culture of this nation? But whatever happens, Christians would do well to remember this verse:

1 Timothy 2:1-4
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior

 

[OzSpen]

I know not , i care not . i am not a citizen of any country of this world ,i am a citizen of heaven .. that is my home , for we are already seated in heavenly places in the spirit .
there is no nz no usa no china in the kingdom of God .
my care is that of the Gospel . God will cause leaders to rise and fall as he see's fit according to the leadership the heart of this world deserves . we are never called nor commissioned to care for the politics of this world . we use but do not abuse , but we are not a part of it .
the furtherance of the gospel is our only commission.

Michael,

I find that kind of comment to be rather naive. Why? I'm a convinced evangelical Christian who believes that my citizenship is in heaven and that I need to be engaged in the Great Commission to proclaim the Gospel and disciple people.

But have a guess what? I'm also an Aussie citizen as well while I am here on earth and I need to be a person who votes and acts with biblical values. In fact, what does the Bible say about government?

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God (Rom. 13:1 ESV).

So my Australian government has been instituted by God and I need to be subject to those local, State and Federal governments. And here voting is compulsory and one receives a fine if one does not vote.

I need to be a responsible citizen when I go to the voting booth.

Oz

 

[Michaelismyname]

Michael,

I find that kind of comment to be rather naive. Why? I'm a convinced evangelical Christian who believes that my citizenship is in heaven and that I need to be engaged in the Great Commission to proclaim the Gospel and disciple people.

But have a guess what? I'm also an Aussie citizen as well while I am here on earth and I need to be a person who votes and acts with biblical values. In fact, what does the Bible say about government?

So my Australian government has been instituted by God and I need to be subject to those local, State and Federal governments. And here voting is compulsory and one receives a fine if one does not vote.

I need to be a responsible citizen when I go to the voting booth.

Oz

well if voting is compulsory - then you have no choice . wherein the law of the land does not dictate an action against the law of the Spirit of God you must ,as directed by scripture, submit to it.

of course that may one day place you in great dilemma when the the only choices presented are absolutely evil ..or .. absolutely evil .in that case i would advice you to - pay the fine!

but we are never called to change the world and will not change the world.God will destroy the world -his words .

we are called to tell and live the good news of salvation in Christ Jesus .
if we have a responsibility it is to obey the Holy Spirit in all things and share the Gospel.if it is naive to do so then may i continue to abide in such glorious innocence.

by the way -in NZ, its compulsory to enroll to vote .. but not compulsory to vote .

 

[OzSpen]

well if voting is compulsory - then you have no choice . wherein the law of the land does not dictate an action against the law of the Spirit of God you must ,as directed by scripture, submit to it.

of course that may one day place you in great dilemma when the the only choices presented are absolutely evil ..or .. absolutely evil .in that case i would advice you to - pay the fine!

but we are never called to change the world and will not change the world.God will destroy the world -his words .

we are called to tell and live the good news of salvation in Christ Jesus .
if we have a responsibility it is to obey the Holy Spirit in all things and share the Gospel.if it is naive to do so then may i continue to abide in such glorious innocence.

by the way -in NZ, its compulsory to enroll to vote .. but not compulsory to vote .

Since voting is compulsory, I have at least 3 choices:

1. Go along and vote as a responsible citizen;
2. Vote as a responsible citizen by scribbling across the vote if there is nobody for whom I would choose to vote a legitimate vote;
3. Pay the fine for not voting.

It is interesting that because voter turnout in the USA has become rather low with non-compulsory voting, there have been Yankies over here looking at our system to see if it could be implemented in the USA. Interesting!


One of the problems with compulsory voting, is the donkey vote where a person will indiscriminately make any random choices.


Oz

 

[th1bill]

When I was young Christians, I was not one, seemed to be, by and large, Democrats because the DNC projected a more Conservative Christian Platform. As I grew, then a liberal Republican leaning Independent, the tables turned. I am still an Independent or Swing Voter but I do register as a Republican because the Democrats have gone so far into Socialism that the party is filled with the Gimmes and no good follower of the Christ can abide with that.

 

[dunstantom]

1 Timothy 2:1-4
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior

It seems to me that the "quiet and peaceable life" is an important part of this statement. Perhaps we could read this passage as supporting those leaders that pursue peace (where possible) and religious freedom?

With regards to Republican v. Democrat, I agree with the basic Democrat's value of giving to the poor and with the basic Republican's value of smaller government (of course, realizing, that they usually stray from these in practice). I think it would be better to have the government support a cultural shift towards freely giving to the poor and building the community, rather than the two alternatives of (R) pulling your own weight or (D) instituting mandatory sharing of the wealth.

 

[Adoniram]

but we are never called to change the world and will not change the world.God will destroy the world -his words .

we are called to tell and live the good news of salvation in Christ Jesus .
if we have a responsibility it is to obey the Holy Spirit in all things and share the Gospel.if it is naive to do so then may i continue to abide in such glorious innocence.

by the way -in NZ, its compulsory to enroll to vote .. but not compulsory to vote .

"never called to change the world"? I don't know about that. We are certainly called be an influence in the world, by Jesus himself.

Matt. 5
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Participating in the electoral process is one way to let our voices be heard.

I live in the States and I'm not happy with either of the choices we have in this election. (There are more than two, but only two have a realistic chance.) For me, a Mormon is just a tad bit more palatable than a socialist Muslim sympathizer. Therefore, I suppose I'll just have to support the Republican platform the best I can.

 

[Clare73]

To me it seems that most are. Why is that? What is it about the republican philosophy that Christians vote for them? And what is it about the democratic philosophy that Christians don't like?

I know democrats are for gay marriage and abortion... is that why Christians vote republican?

I'm trying to figure out who to vote for.

You mean Jesus wasn't?

 

[Kristofer82]

1 Corinthians 10:23
All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.

 

[joshhuntnm]

To me it seems that most are. Why is that? What is it about the republican philosophy that Christians vote for them? And what is it about the democratic philosophy that Christians don't like?

I know democrats are for gay marriage and abortion... is that why Christians vote republican?

I'm trying to figure out who to vote for.

If you think of Abortion as killing a human, as pro-life advocates do, this alone is a BIG deal.

 

[98cwitr]

I try to stay out of politics as much as possible: Revelation 13

 

[joshhuntnm]

I try to stay out of politics as much as possible: Revelation 13

do you think we should? Should Christians stay out of politics?

 

[dies-l]

If you look beyond the surface, I think you will find that most Christians are not Republicans and that most Republicans are not necessarily Christians. What you will find, I believe is that those Republicans who happen to be evangelical Christians are very outspoken and very passionate about their political and religious views. Likewise, the same can be said for secularists who happen to be Democrats.

My own opinion is that a Christian can, in good conscience, vote for either party or none of the above. No political party is perfect and they are all purely secular and human institutions, no matter how much of a moral or religious spin they might put on their platforms. Assuming that you are considering only the two major political parties, I would summarize your options as the following:

If you believe that government has a major role to play in preventing widespread acceptance of homosexuality and abortion, then you might prefer to vote Republican. If you believe that those are issues that should largely be left to individual conscience and that government has little or no role to play in determining public opinion on these issues, then you might prefer to vote Republican.

If you believe that government has a major role in providing for the needs of the poor and other social services (such as orphan care, care for the elderly, care for the disabled, etc), the you might prefer to vote Democratic. If you believe that these services are more effectively rendered by private charity and the free market, then you might prefer to vote Republican (I assume that, as a Christian, the third option -- believing that these issues are unimportant -- is not a position you would hold).

If you believe that the best way to balance a budget is to reduce spending, then you might prefer to vote Republican. If you believe that the best way to balance a budget is to increase income (keeping in mind that income is increased by raising taxes), then you might prefer to vote Democratic.

If you believe that allowing wealthy people to keep and potentially invest more of their money generally helps improve the economy, then you might prefer to vote Republican. If you believe that wealthy people should be expected to pay more, because they have benefited more, then you might prefer to vote Democratic.

If you believe that our society is mostly post-racial and that by and large the economic opportunities of racial minorities are not affected negatively by institutional racism, then you might prefer to vote Republican. If you believe that racism is still very much an issue that leaves racial minorities with far fewer economic opportunities than their Caucasian counterparts, then you might prefer to vote Democratic.

This is just a smattering of the differences of opinion of people who have strong opinions in favor of one party or the other. Some people decide that one or more of the above issues is determinative of how they should vote. Some people make their decision, looking at these issues in sum. Most people, I suspect, vote the way they believe that some social structure (their family, their friends, their church, etc.) wants them to vote.

 

[98cwitr]

do you think we should? Should Christians stay out of politics?

Let each man do as he is lead by God to do.

Romans 13:1
[ Submission to Governing Authorities ] Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.

As for me...I don't vote. I do not wish to even potentially be involved in the ushering in of the antichrist, even while it may be God's Will for his time to be apparent.

 

[Clare73]

Let each man do as he is lead by God to do.

Romans 13:1
[ Submission to Governing Authorities ] Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.

As for me...I don't vote. I do not wish to even potentially be involved in the ushering in of the antichrist, even while it may be God's Will for his time to be apparent.

Hedgin' all your bets, huh?

In the faith,
Clare