It seems like everyone is nervous about the upcoming presidential election. Democrats and Republicans alike feel as if we have created a lose-lose campaign. The #Bern is starting to smolder as Hillary Clinton wins more and more states, leaving her to be the presumed 2016 Democratic Presidential Candidate. But, over on the Republican side of things, only one candidate remains-Donald J. Trump.
Trump has made his views and opinions well-known during his time running. We know he wants to build a wall between the US and Mexico, we know he doesn't believe climate change is a legitimate problem or even real, he wants to ban Muslims from entering into the US, he's against gay marriage, he's mostly pro-life, he's publicly made fun of disabled reporters, and, let's be honest, does anyone really know how he feels about women?
Generally, liberalism is associated with the Democratic party, and conservatism is associated the the Republican party. Many Christians tend to lean the conservative way, which, if we're drawing conclusions, means that many Christians are left with Donald Trump as their presidential candidate for 2016.
As a self-proclaimed devout Catholic and staunch Republican, when I found out Trump was the lone Republican candidate remaining, I was quick to back him. "I guess I just became a Trump supporter", I posted as my Facebook status, unapologetic. My friends were quick to respond, telling me to vote third party, telling me not to vote at all, even suggesting I write in "Cthulhu" because a Lovecraftian Apocalypse would be more appealing than the one that's coming to us from Trump.
Over the next few days, I thought about what I had posted and decided to delete it. Yes, I'm a Christian; Yes, I'm a Republican; No, I'm probably not voting for Trump. But, why not?
I understand the importance of social issues, but I also understand the importance of environmental, political, healthcare, educational, etc. issues. I want to stay devoted to my political party, but I also want to stay true to my faith. Even though I do agree with Trump on some serious issues, I decided that those issues weren't enough for me to accept him as my "Christian" candidate.
Disclaimer: Before the haters flee to the comment section and type away about how this country has a separation of Church and State for a reason, I feel the need to say something. I'm not asking for the Pope to become president and for everyone to have to recite the rosary on the school bus every morning while throwing Bible parties every weekend at city hall. I'm just talking about how Christian morals play into political decisions.
If we, as Christians, fully believe that Jesus most fundamentally wants us to love others, then Donald Trump is not our guy. The way he talks about people, treats them, talks TO them, is not representative of our faith. We can't blindly accept him because he's all we have. There ARE third parties, and there IS the option of not voting.
If we're going to attack Hillary (or Bernie, if you still believe), for being pro-choice or pro-gay marriage or whatever it may be, we can't fool ourselves into thinking that Trump is any better. He has mixed feelings about Planned Parenthood, and gay marriage is already legal. If that's what makes him our favored candidate, then we're out of luck. He has no history of political experience; he's a business guy. At least the other candidates have held positions in office.
Entering into this voting season, I'm still not sure what I'm going to do, but as a Christian Republican, I can't say that my choice is easy. I'm not telling you who you definitely should and shouldn't vote for, but I am saying that Trump surely does not "love [his] neighbor", and I can't imagine it's a good moral reflection on us if we proudly back him.
