If given the authority, I don't doubt that Elon could cut a ton. I could cut a ton easily. There are some departments, like the Department of Education, that could be cut today and nobody would notice except the employees of that department and some local bureaucrats who paper-push to comply with them. The problem is will the House and Senate allow the cuts and get behind him.
This article has a section on Elon Musk and his motivations for all that he does which was very interesting and I think explains so many of the contradictions I see in him. The whole article is worth reading, but you can also skip to the subheading on Musk.
https://substack.com/home/post/p-151036754
Wow! I just can't comprehend people actually voting for any of this, much less all of it. I guess the government schools have really done their job of indoctrinating the public and teaching them to blindly follow authority (which in NY means crazy, Marxist Democrats)
I didn't want someone who had never accomplished anything herself and who could only talk coherently about abortions for all and transgender transitions for all.
It was cool, but not nasty weather 10 minutes ago. Now it looks like a blizzard with large flakes blowing horizontal to the ground. The weathermen did not predict this.
Can you imagine any job, other than weatherman, where you can be wrong so often and still keep your job?
Agreed. I don't expect voting to fix things, but not voting will lead to things getting so much worse. When only the tyrants and people voting to receive other people's money vote, we lose all freedom.
I agree with the principles they are trying to support, but not voting actually leads us farther away from those principles. Trump has a lot of faults, but I believe Kamala winning will be the end of basically all freedoms and such tyranny that we may never recover and if we do recover it will only be after a horrific civil war and/or an economic collapse so bad a huge part of the population starves or is murdered.
Until one candidate decides to implement biometric credentials to access the internet and institutes a social credit score that allows that access to be turned off. How do you access your bitcoin if you lose access to the internet?
You're not wrong, but there are scenarios that could destroy bitcoin. The question is, "are they likely?"
Also, how many people really have enough bitcoin to live for 4 years to the rest of their lives solely on bitcoin because I see a social credit score coming if the wrong candidate wins.
I know some people can't eat chicken eggs from chickens fed soy, which most commercial chicken feeds use as a protein source. Some people can eat soy free eggs. Some people can eat duck eggs that can't eat chicken eggs. Obviously everyone is different, so be careful if you try either.
I actually wonder if all of the talk of disrupting the election with bird flu became too much and they couldn't use it without making the conspiracy theorists look respectable. That is just speculation. They really did seem to be pushing fear of bird flu hard even though all it caused was a few cases of pink eye. Maybe it was all about making money selling vaccines.
Last Tuesday was our first snow and it was a big one (close to a foot) with the snow still on the ground. I commented that it looked like winter was here. Wednesday is predicted to never go above freezing. Yes, winter is definitely here for us.
That is one reason I never used Twitter/X. I can't be limited to such short posts. Even my microblogging tends towards the longer posts. I guess I use long form posts for well organized thought out posts. I use the short form posts when I am just doing a brain dump without the organization or formatting. ;)
Does anyone find it ironic that when we had only paper ballots, we usually got the results by the next day? Now that we have electronic voting, that should make the results available the moment the election is over, it now takes weeks to get results. It makes zero sense unless there is funny business going on for weeks to get the results desired.
It also seems insane that most states seem to have voting for a month or more. Of course going to a high percentage of mail-in votes makes it so easy to commit fraud if a person has no morals or believes their ends justifies the means.
At this point, I have doubts that Trump winning by more than 10% will lead to him becoming president. None of the problems from 4 years ago has been fixed and they've come up with new means of fraud. When those in charge of the election and law enforcement are in on the fraud, there is no recourse available to those who have been disenfranchised by illegal votes and outright fraud.
I expect him to win by a lot because nobody actually likes Kamal other than maybe her puppet masters. All of her voters are voting for her solely based on Trump Derangement Syndrome. (Not that Trump is anywhere near perfect).
It seems like he should win easily, but I just don't have faith in our elections anymore. I'm afraid that we have become a banana republic. I just tell myself that God is in control and knows what he is doing.
In two days (or more likely over a week) we figure out if we still have a democratic republic or if, like the Romans, we are now a totalitarian empire and like Venezuela, elections are jut for show (Ironically the voting machines used in many states were first used in Venezuela to fix their elections. I don't think that is a coincidence).
If people let AI make their decisions and let something like Musk's new robots take care of the house and the kids, then a person becomes useless and unable to think or act for themselves. I can't imagine things getting worse.
I avoided the GM and GN for a long time because my brain doesn't think in terms of time and because it seemed like I was saying GM when my friends were saying GN and vice versa. Now I frequently say "GM and GN" to cover my situation and theirs.
It is amazing to see such diverse people joining together to try to fix America's government. It is very encouraging to me, but I also think it motivates those in power and employed by the government to cheat harder and to prevent any questioning of fraudulent votes.
I love the Joseph and Mary. That is beautiful. I'd be interested if you let me know. I like the nativity, too. Let me know how to do this and I'd love to support a good cause.
I've been listening to several "Renewing Your Mind" podcasts about Martin Luther lately. It was started by R.C. Sproul, who has passed away. I can't remember if he was the one doing the podcasts, but they were very good.
I do think that enough people have committed enough horrible crimes that they are highly motivated to fix the election that they have zero chance of winning without fraud.
I've read of them locking up a Republican committee person who was telling people "stay in line and vote" because the Democrats running the election were telling Republicans to go to a different site to avoid the lines, but that site was out of the forms that would allow them to vote. I've also read that people have investigated the votes so far (and the primary and the previous election) and found lots of duplicate votes from the same voter ID and data being removed after the elections were certified (which is a felony for each one), but since the SOS and the AG are WEF Young Global Leaders and besties, nothing is being done. My first thought was to take it to the Feds, but does anyone think Garland will do anything about the fraud that will help him keep his position of power?
It is blatant, but all of the people who could stop it seem to be in on it. Ugg!
Doctors have made a lot of mistakes and sadly many doctors have a god complex and don't like admitting they've made mistakes. They have a tendency to dig in their feet and double down instead of admitting the truth and changing. Obviously this is common, but not true of all.
There are only 2 theoretical benefits of the FDA and CDC. The first is their duty to protect people from being harmed by bad drugs/food, but they have obviously done the opposite and failed miserably. The other is to do medical studies on treatments that won't make any companies enough money to justify the study, but will help the people. Instead they have shut down studies of these treatments and tried to stop them.
Abolish the FDA and CDC.
It takes time to fix a mess that was decades in the making. Also, the hard decisions tend to make things worse in the short run, so things get so much better in the long run. Sadly, most voters think only in the here and now and don't have the patience to wait for the economic corrections to work through the system. I wish Milei well.
Although I am trying to completely eliminate google from my life, I'll admit I've always hated iPhones. It may just be not having a back button, but I can't stand them. Next phone is going to be degoogled.
I was die hard keto for 4 years, but having such low carbs starved my gut biome causing leaky gut, food sensitivities, and other problems (like high cortisol in the AM waking me early and interfering with my sleep), so I've added carbs back into my diet. I still avoid all grains, processed foods, and seed oils, but have added most fruits and vegetables back into my diet. I also make my own goat milk yogurt with particularly useful strains (from "Super Gut"). I'm still trying to find optimal for me, but I am doing better now.
We do. Most Christians either act like a politician is their savior or that the world can go to Hell and the Christians won't do anything to help them or themselves. Being good citizens, but keeping our eye on the prize, eternity with Jesus, should be the goal.
NOTE: *This article has some details that are specific to America, but the overall principles are applicable to all, and I believe it will be useful for all Christians.*
When it comes to things like voting, Christians tend to err to one of two extremes and seem to find difficulty finding the right balance as defined by God. Some Christians refuse to vote or get involved with politics at all. They don’t want to dirty themselves with politics. They know that their true home is heaven, so they don’t seem to care much for the nations they live in. On the other hand, some Christians are so focused on politics fixing everything and creating heaven on earth that they can become idolatrous lifting up politicians as a kind of savior.
In this article, I’m going to address both extremes, using the Bible, and hopefully help you find a Biblical balance.
## Seek the Welfare of the City Where I Have Sent You
As Christians we are just passing through our time on earth. Our true, eternal home, our true citizenship, is in heaven. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t care what happens on earth. We shouldn’t be like the old saying, “some Christians are so heavenly minded that they aren’t any earthly good.” I think Christians should organize our time here on earth kind of like the Israelites were commanded to live during their 70 year exile in Babylon and Persia.
> Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. (Jeremiah 29:1)
What did God say to the Israelites about how they should live their life in Babylon?
> “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. **Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare**.’ (Jeremiah 29:4-7) {emphasis mine}
Could we likewise say the same to Christians during their time on earth? “Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. Seek the welfare of the city, state, or nation where I have sent you to live for a short while, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.”
God expects us to live fruitful lives, to marry, to have many children (multiply), and to raise them up to do the same. He also wants us to seek the welfare of the city, state, and nation where God has put us. In a city, state, or nation with democratic elections, the best way to seek its welfare is to vote for honest candidates who support godly principles. We rightly understand that in our ungodly world there are no perfect candidates. It can even be hard to find mostly honest and mostly godly candidates, but we should seek to elect the best that is available. Why are we told to do this? We are told that “*for in its welfare you will have welfare*.” When we fail to vote, to teach our kids or support good schools, to live productive lives, and to generally live Godly lives, we WILL see the decline of our cities, states, and nations. We will pay the price.
We are seeing exactly that decline because Christians have pulled out (and were pushed out) of the positions that influence the culture. We don’t have enough godly teachers, journalists, professors, advisors, economists, and politicians. We have given up the culture to those who oppose God, His people, and His commands.
We are paying the price for withdrawing into the safety of our churches and leaving the world to the wolves.
## Political Religion
Of course we also have an opposite extreme. We have some Christians that are too focused on politics and power. They spend all of their time and energy on political endeavors and very little, to none, on sharing the Gospel and being a godly example. Many act like they think a political candidate is going to save them from the culture, the media, the bureaucracy, or the government. They forget that there is only one Savior — the Lord Jesus Christ. They forget that God said things will get worse before they get better. They make idols out of politicians and religions out of political parties.
> No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Luke 16:13)
Although this verse is specifically talking about being obsessed with wealth, it is applicable to anything that takes our focus, attention, and especially our worship away from God.
When a person spends all of their time serving one candidate or party and little to no time serving God, they have chosen to serve another god and are guilty, even if inadvertently and unintentionally.
> You shall have no other gods before Me.
>
> You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Exodus 20:3-6)
When we look to a politician to save us from anything, we are making him/her a god before us. When we give our all to a political party, we are taking our heart away from God and giving it to an alternate religion.
We may not think that we make idols in our modern world. It is true that we don’t usually carve them out of wood or mold them out of gold, but we have just as many idols as the Israelites did. They just look different.
I hope you will seriously consider this next point because it may be very unpopular with many of my readers. There are lots of Christians that will throw as big, if not a bigger, fit at the desecration of the American flag than over the Bible. Nobody seems to fight to retain the pledge of allegiance more than a majority of Christians. I’d argue that the American flag has become a modern day idol and the “Pledge of Allegiance” has become a religious mantra repeated to the god of government. Look at the words of the pledge:
*I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America,\
and to the Republic for which it stands,\
one Nation under God,\
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.*
I think the inclusion of the phrase “one Nation under God” makes Christians feel OK about this pledge originally invented by a socialist whose brother sold American flags. The important part, which is why I can’t say the pledge anymore, are the words, “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands.” I really appreciate the principles America was founded upon, but as a Christian, I can only pledge allegiance to God. My allegiance isn’t to a flag (an idol) or the government (a god). I refuse to go through a religious ritual that includes particular stances, reciting special words, and showing undue respect. We cannot “*serve two masters*.” As Christians our master should be Christ alone. Anything that becomes more important than, or even equal to, the importance of God in our lives is idolatry. We need to get our priorities right.
## In the World, but Not of the World
As we live our lives here on earth, we need to remember our God ordained purpose and our true allegiance to God. We need to remember our citizenship[1](https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/should-christians-vote#footnote-1-150236181) and family are in heaven, not here on earth.
We want to have a positive influence on our culture, including working in influential positions and voting, but we should be most focused on personal evangelism and sharing the truth of the Bible. The best way to make a difference in our culture is to change hearts and minds through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
> But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. **I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world**, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. **They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world**. Sanctify them in the truth; **Your word is truth**. (John 17:13-17) {emphasis mine}
Although we want to be a light in the world, we have been warned that doing so will make us not fit in. It will cause many non-Christians (and maybe a few Christians whose priorities are not right) to hate us. No matter the consequences, we need to stand on the truth of the Word of God.
Too often, because we are living with those who are of this world, we start to look and act a lot like those of the world instead of looking and acting like our Savior.
> **Do not love the world nor the things in the world**. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. **The world is passing away**, and also its lusts; but **the one who does the will of God lives forever**. (1 John 2:15-17) {emphasis mine}
The fact that we should not love the things of the world or take on the character of things of the world is true in every part of our lives, but since we are talking here about politics, let us discuss the way many Christians talk politics.
Many Christians talk about politics in the same manner as non-Christians — cursing, name calling, insulting, and doing whatever it takes to win, no matter whether it is moral or not. I know the “other side” cheats, lies, name-calls, etc., but we should not stoop to their level. Nobody ever won another to their point of view by cursing or name calling. There are ways to point our their errors, and even how horrific some of the things pushed are, without going so low. Jesus didn’t hold back from speaking the truth. He didn’t hesitate to point out error, but was never crude about it. We should be the same. We should shine a light in such a way that those around us see such a difference that they say something similar to what was said about the apostles:
> Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)
There should be something about our words, actions, and demeanor that amazes our opponents causing them to recognize us “*as having been with Jesus*.”
I hope this post has been helpful, truthful, and not too offensive. In so many areas it is hard to find that perfect balance and to not allow ourselves to be pulled to either extreme to the detriment of our witness and our relationship to God.
> Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, **so that they may be saved**. (1 Corinthians 10:32-33) {emphasis mine}
Trust Jesus.\
\
your sister in Christ,
Christy
Tariffs are better than the income tax, but still have major problems. If we are going to fund the government through taxes, we should replace 100% of taxes, at all levels of government, with sales taxes. Then require the amount of taxes taken by each government be printed on each receipt so people see, with every purchase, how much the government is truly stealing from them. If you want to help the poor, you could exempt unprocessed foods, rent (& home purchases), and/or electric power. Any time someone produces their own stuff, they can avoid paying taxes. Trading, instead of buying new, could also avoid taxation. No individual would have to deal with audits or government spying or intervention. A ton of government bureaucrats could be eliminated because we don't need to pay for paper pushers to nickel and dime the public.
I don't like any taxes, but a sales tax is the fairest tax. The income tax, property tax, and death tax are the most evil.
Yes. I could live with that plan. I can't remember all of the details. It seems like I wanted to make a few tweaks, but overall, I liked it better than any tax plan I have ever seen (if you don't count zero taxes & fully voluntary).
If you have to pay property tax on your property forever, you are effectively renting the property from the government. You pay rent or they take your property. It causes old people, with paid off homes, to lose their homes because they can't afford the taxes. It causes ranchers and farmers to have to continually sell off property to pay taxes on what property remains, but with less and less property they make less and can less and less afford property taxes, eventually ending up with the family farms and ranches selling off to the mega-companies.
I don't love it, but could live with a sales tax on property, but eternal property tax is evil.
It is scary how many people don't realize they pay taxes because they "get money back from the government" at the end of the year. They don't realize they loan their money to the government interest free and then get a small portion back. They don't think about all of the "little" taxes that add up to a lot. They don't think about the cost to individuals, businesses, and the government to administer the thousands of different little taxes and how much money everyone (except the paper pushers) would benefit to not having that expense.
If people saw how much they were taxed with every little purchase, they'd complain more about the government waste instead of complaining about not getting enough freebies. We could shrink government if everyone had to pay in and everyone saw how much of their hard earned money was stolen from the government.
Also, an income tax punishes producers causing some people to stop producing or to leave the country for a more friendly environment reducing production. A sales tax punishes consumers and encourages everyone to produce more and save more and to fix instead dispose of things. This makes the economy more efficient. Anything you can produce for yourself enables you to avoid taxes.
In reality the income tax is used more to spy on citizens and to manipulate spending patterns of citizens, than it is to fund government functions (as one of the Fed Chairman said openly). By giving the government details of your spending, you tell the government things they don't need to know. By all of the tax "write offs", they manipulate how people spend their money. Both are evil.
One reason I don't like tariffs, custom duties, and value added taxes is they are hidden from the consumer. Consumers blame the producers or sellers for the high prices instead of the government that raised prices with hidden taxes. Everyone sees and feels a sales tax which will be more likely to keep them low.
It is bad enough being taxed on the devaluation of the dollar when our assets only go up because of the devaluation of the dollar. Adding unrealized gains will destroy and end small businesses and family farms/ranches. Sadly that is what the tyrants in power intend to do.
FYI, I don't use any voice to text because I don't want anyone listening to me. I have cameras covered. This internet connection to every part of our lives is a danger to humanity.
It breaks my heart because my Dad is one of the broken. He is planning on getting his covid booster and flu jab this week. Nothing I can say will change his mind.
Sadly, the Cleveland Clinic study that proved the covid jabs are very harmful and make covid worse has been scrubbed from the internet behind paywalls, so all you can find is people supposedly debunking the study. None give any data to back their position, but my Dad doesn't understand anything medical, so he can't see how biased and worthless these "expert" opinions are. My Mom has Lewy Body dementia. It will be very hard on the family if my Dad is disabled or killed by the shots.
It's rough. She's currently trying to get a drug in testing that seems to be actually reversing the condition (at least somewhat). They have an acquaintance who is already on it and seeing good benefits without negative side effects. They're hoping to get accepted in the next week or two.
Hopefully it is as good as my Dad says it is. My Dad doesn't really know anything about health and tends to blindly follow medical authority, so hopefully this new treatment is as safe and effective as he thinks it is.
If you put hot peppers in with strawberries, do you get spicy strawberries? I was always afraid to put something like fruit in with aromatic things like peppers or garlic.
Love your personal typed notes. I disagree on not voting. If only the mooches vote, then the government will take away all that we have. Voting won't solve everything. It won't even solve most things, but it can make things just a little bit better if the good, liberty minded people vote. At least things won't go downhill as fast.
If fraud becomes the only thing, instead of just a significant thing, I may change my mind. I think part of the reason the left hates Trump so much is they thought they had fixed the election for Hillary, but Trump won by enough to overcome the fraud. They cheated harder 4 years later. We will see.
Get the basic feed and notifications working first. The other stuff is nice, but they don't matter if the basic feed doesn't work. I do want both basic and long form notes in my feed and need pictures. The rest is gravy.
When I lived in South Florida, I went to a Jamaican restaurant that served curried goat. It was quite good, but it had shards of bone mixed in with the meat. I always imagined someone in the back beating a goat with a sledgehammer to soften and break up the bones. I don't know how the shards of bone were made.
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NOTE: *This article has some details that are specific to America, but the overall principles are applicable to all, and I believe it will be useful for all Christians.* When it comes to things like voting, Christians tend to err to one of two extremes and seem to find difficulty finding the right balance as defined by God. Some Christians refuse to vote or get involved with politics at all. They don’t want to dirty themselves with politics. They know that their true home is heaven, so they don’t seem to care much for the nations they live in. On the other hand, some Christians are so focused on politics fixing everything and creating heaven on earth that they can become idolatrous lifting up politicians as a kind of savior. In this article, I’m going to address both extremes, using the Bible, and hopefully help you find a Biblical balance. ## Seek the Welfare of the City Where I Have Sent You As Christians we are just passing through our time on earth. Our true, eternal home, our true citizenship, is in heaven. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t care what happens on earth. We shouldn’t be like the old saying, “some Christians are so heavenly minded that they aren’t any earthly good.” I think Christians should organize our time here on earth kind of like the Israelites were commanded to live during their 70 year exile in Babylon and Persia. > Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. (Jeremiah 29:1) What did God say to the Israelites about how they should live their life in Babylon? > “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. **Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare**.’ (Jeremiah 29:4-7) {emphasis mine} Could we likewise say the same to Christians during their time on earth? “Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. Seek the welfare of the city, state, or nation where I have sent you to live for a short while, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.” God expects us to live fruitful lives, to marry, to have many children (multiply), and to raise them up to do the same. He also wants us to seek the welfare of the city, state, and nation where God has put us. In a city, state, or nation with democratic elections, the best way to seek its welfare is to vote for honest candidates who support godly principles. We rightly understand that in our ungodly world there are no perfect candidates. It can even be hard to find mostly honest and mostly godly candidates, but we should seek to elect the best that is available. Why are we told to do this? We are told that “*for in its welfare you will have welfare*.” When we fail to vote, to teach our kids or support good schools, to live productive lives, and to generally live Godly lives, we WILL see the decline of our cities, states, and nations. We will pay the price. We are seeing exactly that decline because Christians have pulled out (and were pushed out) of the positions that influence the culture. We don’t have enough godly teachers, journalists, professors, advisors, economists, and politicians. We have given up the culture to those who oppose God, His people, and His commands. We are paying the price for withdrawing into the safety of our churches and leaving the world to the wolves. ## Political Religion Of course we also have an opposite extreme. We have some Christians that are too focused on politics and power. They spend all of their time and energy on political endeavors and very little, to none, on sharing the Gospel and being a godly example. Many act like they think a political candidate is going to save them from the culture, the media, the bureaucracy, or the government. They forget that there is only one Savior — the Lord Jesus Christ. They forget that God said things will get worse before they get better. They make idols out of politicians and religions out of political parties. > No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Luke 16:13) Although this verse is specifically talking about being obsessed with wealth, it is applicable to anything that takes our focus, attention, and especially our worship away from God. When a person spends all of their time serving one candidate or party and little to no time serving God, they have chosen to serve another god and are guilty, even if inadvertently and unintentionally. > You shall have no other gods before Me. > > You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Exodus 20:3-6) When we look to a politician to save us from anything, we are making him/her a god before us. When we give our all to a political party, we are taking our heart away from God and giving it to an alternate religion. We may not think that we make idols in our modern world. It is true that we don’t usually carve them out of wood or mold them out of gold, but we have just as many idols as the Israelites did. They just look different. I hope you will seriously consider this next point because it may be very unpopular with many of my readers. There are lots of Christians that will throw as big, if not a bigger, fit at the desecration of the American flag than over the Bible. Nobody seems to fight to retain the pledge of allegiance more than a majority of Christians. I’d argue that the American flag has become a modern day idol and the “Pledge of Allegiance” has become a religious mantra repeated to the god of government. Look at the words of the pledge: *I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America,\ and to the Republic for which it stands,\ one Nation under God,\ indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.* I think the inclusion of the phrase “one Nation under God” makes Christians feel OK about this pledge originally invented by a socialist whose brother sold American flags. The important part, which is why I can’t say the pledge anymore, are the words, “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands.” I really appreciate the principles America was founded upon, but as a Christian, I can only pledge allegiance to God. My allegiance isn’t to a flag (an idol) or the government (a god). I refuse to go through a religious ritual that includes particular stances, reciting special words, and showing undue respect. We cannot “*serve two masters*.” As Christians our master should be Christ alone. Anything that becomes more important than, or even equal to, the importance of God in our lives is idolatry. We need to get our priorities right. ## In the World, but Not of the World As we live our lives here on earth, we need to remember our God ordained purpose and our true allegiance to God. We need to remember our citizenship[1](https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/should-christians-vote#footnote-1-150236181) and family are in heaven, not here on earth. We want to have a positive influence on our culture, including working in influential positions and voting, but we should be most focused on personal evangelism and sharing the truth of the Bible. The best way to make a difference in our culture is to change hearts and minds through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. > But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. **I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world**, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. **They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world**. Sanctify them in the truth; **Your word is truth**. (John 17:13-17) {emphasis mine} Although we want to be a light in the world, we have been warned that doing so will make us not fit in. It will cause many non-Christians (and maybe a few Christians whose priorities are not right) to hate us. No matter the consequences, we need to stand on the truth of the Word of God. Too often, because we are living with those who are of this world, we start to look and act a lot like those of the world instead of looking and acting like our Savior. > **Do not love the world nor the things in the world**. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. **The world is passing away**, and also its lusts; but **the one who does the will of God lives forever**. (1 John 2:15-17) {emphasis mine} The fact that we should not love the things of the world or take on the character of things of the world is true in every part of our lives, but since we are talking here about politics, let us discuss the way many Christians talk politics. Many Christians talk about politics in the same manner as non-Christians — cursing, name calling, insulting, and doing whatever it takes to win, no matter whether it is moral or not. I know the “other side” cheats, lies, name-calls, etc., but we should not stoop to their level. Nobody ever won another to their point of view by cursing or name calling. There are ways to point our their errors, and even how horrific some of the things pushed are, without going so low. Jesus didn’t hold back from speaking the truth. He didn’t hesitate to point out error, but was never crude about it. We should be the same. We should shine a light in such a way that those around us see such a difference that they say something similar to what was said about the apostles: > Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13) There should be something about our words, actions, and demeanor that amazes our opponents causing them to recognize us “*as having been with Jesus*.” I hope this post has been helpful, truthful, and not too offensive. In so many areas it is hard to find that perfect balance and to not allow ourselves to be pulled to either extreme to the detriment of our witness and our relationship to God. > Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, **so that they may be saved**. (1 Corinthians 10:32-33) {emphasis mine} Trust Jesus.\ \ your sister in Christ, Christy