Don’t you just love the election cycles? Aren’t they the most fun? Candidates making all manner of claims, phone calls at your home in the evening, signs blocking traffic views at intersections. Nothing says freedom an election cycle. And the lies! Such wonderful lies from all directions. If politicians told the truth about what they intended to do and the truth about what they are doing, no one would vote for them. So, the lies have to be imaginative and bold. The following is a blurb from a candidate for president of the United States. It could be from the past, it could be from a press release for tomorrow. I am taking the person’s name out and replacing it with the words “the candidate.” If all of these people are as pure as the driven snow, as they want you to believe, you will know immediately who it is. Please let me know who you think it is by sending me their name to oldirishguy51@yahoo.com

In a typical presidential campaign, the candidate spends a lot of time holding swanky fundraisers in big cities listening to the issues that matter most to the wealthiest donors. But our campaign is different. The candidate isn’t doing those kinds of big donor events, the candidate won’t spend hours a day on the phone with them asking for big checks, and the candidate won’t take a dime from the big donors or federal lobbyists or special interest groups. Instead, the candidate is spending the candidate’s time meeting people where they are and talking with them about the issues that matter in their communities. The candidate is running the campaign the candidate wants to run — because the candidate knows that to make big changes, we’ve got to build a movement. That’s why the candidate wants to hear from you. Fill out our short questionnaire to tell the candidate what issues matter to you in your state. Your input is powerfully important.

          Don’t you want that person to be your president? Could be Republican, could be Democrat, but they care for you. The candidate wants your input. The candidate wants your personal thoughts. The candidate is going to listen to you.

          Except, we know from personal experience that every candidate says these things. We know from personal experience that if you send that questionnaire in, it is going into the trash. Or maybe recycle. We know from personal experience that our input and our thoughts are not wanted at all, just our vote. We know from personal experience that the candidate is not going to listen to us. Ever.

          Political motivations are a lot like religious motivations. In seminary there was a course of study called ‘comparative religions.’ In this course we looked at the great religions of the world and learned the basics. We had to read some of their scripture and study the principle characters of their faith. What we saw in these various religions is much of what we see in today’s politics. A bright and spotless future if you follow the faith. In politics, the candidate is a hero who is going to make everything better than ever before. In the great religions of the world, the principle characters of that faith are heroes who live their lives as shining examples of the gods they serve. But the truth is not quite as sterling.

          Personally, I would love to see politicians tell the truth. I can respect the truth. They have their faults. They are human. Just be honest with me. Don’t let the elections boil down to the lesser of two evils.

          Personally, I think that religion would have a stronger impact in our lives if we were just honest. In the comparative religions we studied we see millions and millions of people following different gods and goddesses, but only the fanatics stay true to the faith. If you look at the principle humans in their scriptures, you see people who were all but perfect. In some cases, they were perfect. Much better than the humans in our Bible.

          In Hebrews 11 we see some of the heroes of the Judeo-Christian faith. These are people listed as the truly faithful. But they just do not measure up to the characters of other faiths. Abraham followed God without question, but he also lacked the faith to believe that Sarah, his wife, could bear him a son and so he took Sarah’s servant. Jacob is listed as one of the faithful, yet he had tricked his father and stole the blessing from his brother. In fact, the name ‘Jacob’ means ‘deceiver.’ Moses is one of the greatest of the faithful, but he also committed murder. Rahab is one of the few women listed in the chapter. Her faithfulness saved some of God’s servants. But Rahab had been a prostitute. Then Gideon, who began as a coward.  Samson, who was disobedient to the Lord. Jephthah, who sacrificed his daughter. David, the great king, turned out to be a poor father and also committed murder and had an affair. When compared to other religions, our religious figures do not measure up.

          But that is OK. In fact, it is necessary. We need a Savior. We are not going to be perfect. These flawless ones in other scriptures are not real. But Abraham overcame his lack of faith, and so can I! Jacob put his life of cunning and deception behind him, and so can I! Moses, through God’s provision, got his uncontrollable anger under control, and so can I! All of these people were filled with faults, but God used them in mighty ways. And that is the point. We don’t have to be perfect; we just have to be forgiven and willing to be used for His glory.

          Don’t be fooled. There are no perfect politicians because there are no perfect people, whether religious or not. But there is a perfect God and a perfect Savior and what the Lord requires from us is faith. Rejoice in the Lord!