by Anne Thrasher

Created on: May 24, 2009   Last Updated: May 27, 2009

We have all heard the saying, "you have to stand for something, or you will fall for anything". I believe this is completely true. A person's faith is the core of their being. Whether you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, etc. it does not matter. If you truly believe in the faith you proclaim then your life should reflect that faith.

Faith is an issue that has no room for compromise. This does not mean I believe you should be confrontational or that you should push your faith on other people. I simply think that if you truly believe what you say you do then it will show without any conscious effort on your part.

Voting is a very personal issue. I find it hard to believe that there are people who say they are Christian but will look you in the eye with pride and announce "I voted for (whoever is running at the time), I know he (or she) is for abortion but I really like his (or her) views on taxes and education". You cannot say you are against abortion and then turn around and vote for a president who supports abortion rights. That is just hypocritical.

If your faith is not strong enough to be the foremost basis for your votes, then your faith is not strong enough. When we vote for our elected officials or on important issues, we are helping to form the future, not only for ourselves but also for generations to come. It is important to vote in every election. It is more important to vote with a conscience. Popularity is not a reason to vote for someone. Certainly, a candidate's hairstyle is not. Even so, I have heard both issues discussed in the national news during coverage of past presidential elections. How can we expect our children to take the voting process seriously if we do not? For some reason, looks have become very important to people when considering for whom they will vote. Would you rather have a moral person who has a little extra weight and is balding, or someone who looks like a body builder and has the morals of a stripper? I will take fat and balding any day if that person lives a moral life.

If we do not consider our faith when we consider who we vote for, we are cheating our children and ourselves. We all have a list of likes and dislikes when we consider each candidate. We think about how he or she will effect education, taxes, human rights, etc. If a person feels strongly about their faith then it is only natural that they will vote for someone who mirrors that faith.

People scream "separation of church and state". Most of these people do not know anything about any history that occurred over 50 years ago. Separation of church and state is not for the protection of the state's rights; rather it is for the protection of the rights of citizens. I believe there can be no true separation of church and state, not in the way most people want to define it. In the end, it boils down to this: either you believe what you say or you do not. If you are truly religious, your vote will reflect those beliefs.

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