This is something of a complicated subject, although neither politics nor religion warrant any kind of simplicity in discussion. When I was a young boy, however, the opposite was true; I cared only for the politics of my parents, and faith was so simple and so direct that I could not even begin to fathom why others would overlook the truth of Jesus in favor of other faiths and beliefs. Sometimes I do miss how easy and dependable my views used to be, but that was then and this is now. And now I have far more to say on the subject. So, to quell the inevitable tension regarding my opinion on these matters (as it's virtually impossible to talk about them without getting people on edge), allow me to break the ice.
Where faith is concerned I am a believer in Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of God and the Savior of Mankind. Now does this mean I'm a happy-go-lucky, clean-as-a-whistle choir boy who smiles all the time and tears up at every insufferable Christian movie about "inspiration" and "goodness"? Not at all. Heck, spend any time around me nowadays and you'd be surprised to hear that I've been forgiven at all (truth be told, sometimes even I can't believe it); I love drinking alcoholic beverages (Jim Beam Honey Whiskey and Norse Mead being among my favorites), I've been a pornography addict for the better part of 10 years, I'm prone to vulgar language, and I couldn't even begin to tell you how many times I've broken the law with the freedom and anonymity offered to me online. I'm an absolute sinner in the highest degree... but that's precisely why I need the Savior: because I could never, ever hope to save myself on my own. I'm definitely not worthy enough to do anything of the sort. This is my outlook on religious faith -- or more to the point, Christianity. However, I have distanced myself quite a bit from popular Christian media and culture... but that bit is better saved for a future post.
Now, in regards to politics, this is a bit more unique; simply put, I have all but detached myself from the political spectrum for the past few years. This was due to a number of factors, so let me take you back about twelve years ago when I was just 10; I started getting political during the election season going on at around this time, when George W. Bush was running for a second term in office. This was because I could tell it was of significant importance to my Dad, who remains a staunch Republican even to this day. I was eager to join him in his passion back then, and even wrote a letter to George Bush so as to involve myself (no matter how mildly) in the phenomenon. When Bush was elected again, Dad was happy and so was I.
Four years later, I began to take politics a little bit seriously (but still adhered to my family's Republican roots) when Obama was running for office. While everyone else my age was brimming with joy at the prospect of the first black president, I couldn't help but ask, "Is that all? Aren't you people going to question what he stands for?" Still I was not able to vote, though that obviously wouldn't stop my parents from voting on behalf of John McCain... but in the end Obama won regardless, and for the next four years I came to detest the man for his spinelessness, his irresponsibility, and his incompetence in office. Cut to 2012 when I was finally able to vote, this time for Mitt Romney (as I was bitterly against Obama having a second term). At this time I was prepared to finally proclaim myself a staunch Republican just like my Dad, and I anticipated that my brothers and sisters in arms would band together after our current president's blatantly obvious failings in office... but when the numbers rolled in, I was dumbfounded to see that very few Republicans had voted at all.
The party I was ready to pledge my allegiance to had chosen to sit idly by while Obama's supporters voted him into a second disastrous term. Apparently the Republican party expected the public at large to do most of their work for them, blindly assuming that the populace would vote for anyone but Obama. This complete lack of responsibility on their part, and their utter refusal to act when they had the chance to steer America away from the direction that it's taken today, caused me to disown the Republican party... and I have never looked back, ever since that day.
Since then I have declared myself neutral, though in all honesty I've become so disillusioned with the political scene that I see no point in focusing on it at all. I mean what are our candidates this year? Bernie Sanders the socialist? Donald Trump the hothead? Hillary Clinton the dried-up traitor to the United States who should be publicly executed for her involvement in the Benghazi tragedy? No freaking thanks!
This concludes my outlook on religion and politics. If you enjoyed this post, thank you for reading. If you were triggered... keep it on your Tumblr blog, because I apologize for none of my beliefs.
~M.D.
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