Can a Christian be a Democrat?

    This week has been full of political news, almost all of it having to do with the government shutdown. But since we've already been on that adventure, it's time for us to embark on a new one.  So I have a question for you... Can a Christian be a Democrat?
     I know, this seems like a silly question, right? But think about it... Does being a Bible believing Christian mean you can only be a card-carrying Republican? Or can we differ in political affiliation? Now you're thinking, why am I asking this? I come from an area that is bright, glowing red on the political map, and a lot of times it seems that being a Christian automatically means we should all agree politically and we should check the "vote all Republicans" box on our ballots every year. I'm different. I disagree...
    
     Ok, it's not like I'm a diehard Democrat or anything. I call myself an independent, which apparently means I either can't make up my mind or that I'm a closet Democrat trying to hide my true affiliation. But whatever you think of "us independents,"our goal here is to look for truth, whether we can be completely opposites politically, and still be brothers and sisters in Christ.
     The first thing we have to acknowledge that forming a political opinion is messy. Life is rarely black and white. More often than not, we have to chose between the lesser of two evils, the option that we deem to be more in line with what we believe. And then we have to wrestle with the question of whether the government can, or should, legislate morality, but that is an adventure for another day... Take the rights movement for homosexuals for example... Christians should all agree that the lifestyle of homosexuality is sin, that much is fairly clearly stated in the scripture. But let's look at the ramifications of the political side of the issue... Republicans argue for a strict constructionist view of the constitution, which means that we should interpret the constitution exactly the way it is written, or at least as close as possible. What article of the constitution defines marriage? And which article gives the government the authority to dictate societal norms? Democrats tend to lie on the opposite view of the constitution, and they are all for letting homosexuals have full rights because they are citizens just like the rest of us. Ok, look... Before you hang me from the nearest tree... I'm not writing this to advocate the homosexual rights movement. All I am saying is that the political side of any issue is complicated, and a grey area at best. Politics is complicated, and it involves a lot of interpretation and a lot of research and personal reflection.
     So how does that get us close to the X on this adventure? Next we have to make a decision of if one political party is the clear choice for Christians. I argue for a no... I don't agree with a lot of things in the Democratic platform, but I also don't agree with a lot on the Republican side either. I believe the best choice for the Christian is to be an informed voter who votes based on the current issues and how the candidates stand. Will we tend to agree more with one side than the other? More than likely. But the letter in front of the candidates name should not affect our decision on who to vote for. As a Christian, vote based on your convictions, vote based on your opinion, just don't be caught inside the box of voting R, or D for that matter, every time you fill out a ballot.