I Really Really Want to Like Barack Obama But...

I am not telling you who to vote for. If you are a citizen of the United States of America, you SHOULD exercise your responsibility (no it is not privilege) to vote and select the candidate that best represents your values and believes in the issues you feel strongest about.

Lately, I have kept myself updated with election news because I am at a stage in my life right now where this stuff fascinates me.

Why? Because there is a great chance that Robert and I will permanently move to the U.S. in a few years.

That means there is a big possibility that I will be raising my children here. That is why I am concerned on who will lead the country that I might be calling my permanent home in the future.

I want to like Barack Obama. I really really do. He seems like a nice guy. Charming and charismatic without even trying. Very likeable. Eloquent speaker. He says he loves God. I like that. My husband likes him a whole lot too.

However, he is against the very issue I feel extremely strong about. He believes abortion is ok. To say that you believe in God and what He stands for and think killing babies is ok is something that I don't personally get. It just doesn't make sense to me.

If you want to know more, please read Steve Murrell's blog.

He says it better more than I ever can.

I am not asking you to change your mind about Obama. Like what I said earlier, abortion is one of the most sensitive issues to ME and I feel extremely strong about it, so my desire for him to be the leader of the free country is non existent.

Another thing, I watched him in the Compassion Forum a couple of months ago and basically had neutral stands on issues like Biblical creation versus Darwin's evolution.

First, he said he "doesn't really know" where life really begins which explains his stand on abortion. That made me sick in the stomach.

Second, he says creation and evolution can work together and make a cohesive theory.
Are you kidding me?

Aside from the fact that we don't agree with what we believe in, what bothers me the most is his tendency to be neutral on his responses.

As a leader of the most powerful country in the world, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A FIRM STAND on the issues that concern your citizens. We may not agree on all stands and opinions, but you have to have one. You need that quality to form intelligent decisions that will determine the future of the country.

Once again, if you do decide to vote for Obama, that's ok. I am just talking about why it is unlikely that I will vote for him if I had that right. The issues you feel strongly might be different from mine anyway.

But what am I trying to say here? If you are a U.S. citizen here is what I suggest you can do to prepare for the elections.

1) Know the issues you feel strongest about. Write them down. Make a list. Is it the war? Taxes? Environment? Take time to know yourself.

2) Determine among these issues which are the deal-breakers, the non-negotiables. For me it's killing babies, being too neutral. For you, it might be different. But DO ASK YOURSELF AND FIND OUT. The greatest disservice you can do to your country is voting for someone because your buddy/spouse/family likes him or worse, because it's who Oprah is voting for.

3) Go online. Research on the candidate's stand on the issues you feel strongly about. CNN online has the best summary of these issues. Educate yourself.

4) If you haven't registered, DO IT NOW. The United States has made it extremely easy and efficient for people to register, no matter where you are.

5) Pray about it. Ultimately, it's important to know who God wants to lead your country. Pray for the candidates. That they honor and glorify Him through the rest of the campaign and throughout the presidential term.