Collateral Damage in Our Votes

A common refrain in this last election was the the Republican party no longer holds a political monopoly on the evangelical Christian community.  Left-leaning faith leaders such as Jim Wallis have emerged and have raised the banner of "people of faith" for Barack Obama and the Democratic party.  Before the election, a friend of mine even forwarded to me a "Conservatives for Obama" website in which one person, who was steadfastly against abortion as a matter of religious conviction said that he would simply have to "agree to disagree".  Some people, and many evangelicals with whom I go to church with in New York City sprout the usual speech about the importance of looking at a myriad of issues, and that there is no single issue that can be held as paramount. Other evangelicals insist that the Republican party has "used" the evangelical base, a charge which I think has some merit.

If you are an evangelical voter who is pro-life and believe that abortion takes human life, then you can't feel too good about a recent CNN article outlining what might be coming up in President-elect Obama's agenda, including expanding support for abortion here and abroad with federal dollars.  I hope for all of our sakes that four years down the road, it won't become evident that the Democrats "used" the evangelicals who voted for them to further some parts of an agenda at odds with the convictions of people of faith.

Of course, if you're an evangelical voter who happens not to be pro-life, you won't care.  You might be completely happy with (if all goes well) a healthier 501(k) plan, better public education, expanded healthcare coverage and diplomatic stability with allies and enemies - and believe me, those things are all very good things.  Others will have to deal with the realization that, like their Republican-voting counterparts, many who winced and chafed at foreign policy decisions made by the Bush administration, that their vote came with some collateral damage - the proliferation of death of unborn children here and abroad.