3 helpful links and 2 thoughts on election day

After today the barrage of commercials will go to a trickle (hopefully), followed by lawn signs getting pulled up and 7-11 Obama/Romney cups being replaced with 007 cups (hopefully). 

But as of writing this there are still around 10 hours left in Chicago to vote. For those still undecided, here are a couple links I found helpful:

• www.isidewith.com - The site lists a bunch of questions along the various issues, asking your opinion and how important the issue is for you. Once done it will tell you which candidate you are most in line with. If you go to the site you'll notice that each category has a link under each grouping for additional questions on the topic. Make sure to answer those as well.
• 5 Questions Romney Never Answered About Mormonism - very thought provoking article. For me #4 is the big one to consider. 
• Moral and Spiritual Issues in the 2012 Election - chart on the various issues for the two parties. Thought-provoking, though at the same time should be seen as a summary of generalities. It would be incredibly wrong to make the assumption that a person claiming to be in either of the given parties holds to each and every issue in exactly the way this author has defined them.

A couple thoughts for my fellow Christians:

• Be respectful in how you speak of others that you disagree with. All of the issues are important in an election. However some issues will be more heart felt than others to various individuals, including various believers. There will even be debate on which of those issues should rise to the top. In the same way, though most would agree that we should vote for the candidate that is closely in line with Biblical principles - it is very possible that various believers will disagree on the specifics of those Biblical principles. It is OK to disagree with others and it is OK to have healthy debate on such things. So avoid phrases today (or ever) along the lines of, "I don't see how anyone who believes in God can vote for..." To flippantly make such a statement is more arrogant than anything. There's a right way and a wrong way to point to one's understanding of the truth. How a fellow church family member votes in a political election should not deter us from being in community with them.
• Be respectful in how you speak of the candidate that you disagree with. For example, anyone who refers to our current president as Obama Bin Laden is not being obedient to scripture!!!  See Romans 13:1-7, 2 Timothy 2:1-7, and 1 Peter 2:13-17.

Never a fan of election years for the rift they can cause in families, friendships, churches, and communities. But they are necessary. Pray for God's guidance as you cast your vote.