Charles Shiflett Column November 14, 2004

Most Democrats Still Don't Get It

My jaw nearly hit the floor! I was watching MSNBC a couple of days after the election as a Democrat
political strategist explained why John Kerry and other Democrats had been beaten. He laid the blame
squarely on the emergence of moral issues as a key factor that voters used to make up their minds
this year.

So far he was on target, but what came next was fascinating. He recommended that all of his
Democrat clients go out and buy a Bible. Wow! This is great I thought. Could Democrats, especially
those of the northeast and left coast varieties, finally realize how out of touch they are with mainstream
America when it comes to the importance of religion and morality in American life?

Boy was I wrong! As this strategist continued talking, he made it clear he wasn't encouraging
Democrats to embrace the Bible and turn back to the moral instruction contained within its pages. No,
his advice was for Democrats to learn to speak the lingo of the religious right.

Democrat candidates wouldn't need to be religious or be people of faith… just learn a sufficient number
of Biblical principles to be able to pull the wool over enough Christian's eyes to win an election.
Democrats could still be pro-abortion and in favor of homosexual marriage. They wouldn't need to
attend church regularly. They wouldn't have to change any of their positions at all, just learn to sound
like Christians.

If the ramblings of this guy were an isolated incident, I would let it go. However, this theme repeated
itself countless times from numerous other prominent Democrats in the days since.

Democrats just don't get it! They seriously believe the problem is that they have superior ideas, but
have poorly presented them and only need to work on their communication skills. The truth is the
majority of Americans well understand what the Democrat Party and its platform represent and have
rejected its leftist plans.

For most of our nation's history, the two major political parties were similar in regard to how they
viewed sin, morality, community standards, and government's role in dealing with them. The parties'
differences primarily dealt with foreign affairs, economic issues, or military matters. However, the past
40 years have seen the Democrat Party march steadily to the left and away from the moral
underpinnings that have upheld American society.

America is not the greatest nation in the history of the world because our citizens are of superior
mental and physical genetic makeup compared to other peoples. America is great because God has
favored our undertakings.

One only has to read the history of this great land to realize how easily we could have been just
another second rate nation. Miraculous stories from the American Revolution, World War II, and other
milestones in our nation's past remind us again and again of how God's hand has guided us.

You could look around today and ask how God could bless a nation which turns out some of the most
vile and corrupt music, movies, television shows, and publications ever known to man. How could God
bless a nation that allows the killing of babies though the practice of partial birth abortion? How could
God bless a nation which has embraced homosexuality as an alternative lifestyle?

There is a simple twofold answer… first, our founding ancestors dedicated this nation to God and
prayed God's blessing on themselves and their posterity. We are still living under that covenant and
blanket of protection, but unless we stop our nation's drift into immorality our hedge of security may
well be lifted.

The second part of the equation is that the main purpose of America's existence is to spread the
Gospel to the four corners of the world. No other nation has sent more missionaries or donated more
money to furthering this goal, and God continues to honor that commitment through his blessings.

God is not a Republican or Democrat. There are many honorable people in each party. He judges each
of us individually based upon our own heart and how we live our lives. However, we have been afforded
the right in this nation to elect our leaders, and I believe God watches us as a people to see if we will
choose godly men and women to guide us.

God does judge nations, and if we as a nation begin to elect more leaders who would lead us away
from him and his Word, then we may well lose those blessings our ancestors sacrificed so much to
procure for us.

Let's debate and discuss how best to fix Social Security, simplify the tax code, create high paying
jobs, and make healthcare affordable for all. But when it comes to the moral issues facing our nation, I
trust we decide to return to Biblical standards. As the Bible says in Mathew 6:33: “Seek ye first the
Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” America's
continued greatness depends upon our collective decision.