The Post I Didn't Want to Write

Mom? Why is Governor Romney running for President? Is he challenging President Obama or something?

As I continued our drive home from school, I looked in my rear view mirror and smiled at Taylor.

"Yes, that's one of the great things about our country. Every four years we get to reevaluate where our country is headed and choose the person we think will do the best job in getting us where we want to be."

He considered this for a moment.

Well, I'm rooting for President Obama. I like him. I hope he wins. 

I couldn't hold back the chuckles as I responded with a wink.

"Well, don't tell your grandpa that." 

I posted this little dialogue between my seven-year-old and myself on Facebook yesterday, and when Bryson saw it pop up on his iPhone at work it made him laugh too. He happened with be with a friend and colleague at the time and shared it with him. His friend seemed incredulous that I would dare to post such a thing. 

She seriously posted that? Now everyone is going to think your kid is messed up! 

Now, I know that he said this half jokingly (I hope?), but it seems to be a pretty good representation of the back-and-forth I've been hearing during this election year. Actually, it's one of the tamer examples I can think of just from my own personal experience.

Politics is something I don't talk about with many people, and before yesterday I hadn't discussed it with my kids either. Probably because my own personal views can't be pigeon-holed into one of the two predominant parties. I don't consider myself a Democrat, but I most certainly don't belong to the Republican stronghold either. I think both parties have strengths and weaknesses. This is due, in a large part, to my experience growing up in the suburbs of the very Democratic city of Chicago in a family with Republican parents. I was fully immersed in both philosophies.  As a result I have never voted solely along party lines, and have probably voted for just as many Democrats as I have Republicans. 

Now, I understand how passionate people feel about their political affiliation and views. I get it. I understand how disappointing it is when the candidate you endorse fails to be elected. I've been there many times over, on both sides of the aisle. What really bothers me, however, is when we take an "us vs. them" mentality toward those who think differently than ourselves.  We presume to understand the other side's intentions and ascribe motives and value systems to them, when we couldn't possibly do so accurately, at least not without climbing into the heads of the opposition. 

To draw a parallel that really hit me hard this week, I read this interesting post by Kristin Howerton over at Rage Against the Minivan. I really enjoy Kristin's blog. I don't always agree with her viewpoints, but have enjoyed seeing things from a different angle when those differences have occurred. That is, until a couple of days ago. 

In that post, she quoted Jason Boyett, a Christian writer, who had written the following on Facebook:

So in tomorrow's presidential election, we can choose between a professing Christian or a professing Mormon. Until recently, most conservative evangelicals I know considered the LDS church a cult. But tomorrow, many of these same Christian friends will think I'm doing something immoral and unChristian by choosing the Christian over the Mormon. Which is just to say: things are weird . . . . I can understand disagreeing with policies or ill-advised statements. And all politicians lie. (So do all regular people.) But I think we need to be very careful about rejecting the faith of a man who has professed Christ as his Savior—which, in the evangelical world, is considered a fairly important step of faith—especially while voting for an opponent whose church tradition rejects the divinity of Christ. 

Now, I can understand people misunderstanding aspects of my LDS faith. And while I was slightly disheartened that Kristin chose to post such a quote that couldn't be farther from what my own personal faith encompasses, it didn't get me too upset. What did upset me, however, was her (and many others') response to some of the LDS commenters on the post that tried to clarify just what Mormons do believe. (Spoiler: We worship Jesus as our personal Savior, who atoned in the garden and died on the cross to save us from our sins, and who is/was/will always be God.) Instead of taking an agree-to-disagree stance, she instead tried to tell one well intentioned Mormon just what we do believe and how we are most assuredly not Christians: 

Christians do not believe, in any way shape or form, that we can become gods even after death in heaven.
Please know I say this with all due respect but felt it important to clarify.

Now, I am totally fine with disagreements over doctrine. And honestly, I do understand where Kristin was coming from--if you haven't studied LDS doctrine and take certain aspects of it out of context and use it as a sound bite, it can sound a little... well, different. And I do believe that she wasn't trying to offend anyone. But with all due respect to Kristin, I wouldn't ever presume to tell her what she believes as a Protestant. Just as I wouldn't presume to tell an Obama supporter or a Romney supporter what they "really believed."

When it comes to that particular point of Mormon doctrine, my own beliefs echo those of celebrated Christian writer C. S. Lewis, who said:

He said [in the Bible] that we were 'gods' and He is going to make good His words. If we let Him - for we can prevent Him, if we choose - He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, a dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and in parts very painful; but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. He meant what He said.  
"Beyond Personality" (London: The Centenary Press, 1945), P48 

But that is really not the point of this post.

We know from scripture that we are to "judge righteous judgement." But life is not always so cut-and-dry as to what is black and white. In an imperfect world there are so many varying shades of grey. And so we go about our business, doing our best to make good choices based upon the light and knowledge that we have received through our own individual life experiences. 

When the news of Obama's reelection hit Facebook, I was unprepared for the flood of despondent posts from Romney supporters that took over my news feed.

One bright spot came from my good friend Kirsten, who wrote, "Alright, y'all -- let's hug it out." I couldn't have agreed more.  And other posts from another close friend Emily, who wrote, "No matter who is president, Jesus is King." and "We will never all see eye to eye, that's the beauty of being a Free American, but let us UNITE THIS COUNTRY IN LOVE!! May all the negativity against one another be replaced with love and togetherness!" One from an Obama supporter, the others from a Romney supporter. (I'm making some educated guesses there, but I think I'm accurate.) I love both of them to death, and really appreciate their sentiments at this time.

I think it would be well to remember that there is much good to be found no matter what political party, religion, or lack thereof you subscribe to. I hope that in the coming days and months we can try to come together as a nation and remember that even though we may disagree on many things, at the most fundamental level we are all children of God. And we all deserve kindness and respect, no matter our beliefs.   

To quote Mr. Lewis again:

It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no 'ordinary' people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilisations -- these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit.
The Weight of Glory (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1949), P14-15

I couldn't possibly say it any better.