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Saturday, August 06, 2016

Odds and Ends

Slippery Slope
We said it would happen. Some of you assured us it wouldn't. You were so sure it was a "slippery slope" argument. We said it was the logical conclusion. One person sued for a license to marry an animal and another for a license to marry his laptop. You can't make this stuff up. As I've said before, it's not a slippery slope argument if it actually happens.

Politics as Usual
On the political front, I recently saw a quote from John Calvin.
When God wants to judge a nation, He gives them wicked rulers.
Or maybe you'd prefer the more biblical version.
When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. (Prov 29:2)
Welcome to the 2016 Presidential Election.

Trumping the GOP
Over and over stories are coming out about Republicans declaring their support for Hillary. They're not just pulling support from Trump; they're throwing it behind Hillary. In the case of Meg Whitman, she actually said, "I have decided to support Hillary Rodham Clinton. It is clear to me that Secretary Clinton’s temperament, global experience and commitment to America's bedrock national values make her the far better choice in 2016 for President of the United States." Really? "Commitment to America's bedrock national values"?

I warned before that one of the serious dangers of Donald Trump is that he held the potential to explode the Republican party. That is, he has the capability of completely derailing anything remotely like a "platform", a "shared position", a "commitment to America's bedrock national values". Republicans no longer know what those are, apparently. Welcome to the end.

Going on in this destruction of anything remotely "Republican" or conservative, when Ted Cruz told Republicans to "vote your conscience", he got booed ... for starters. The vitriol that followed was amazing with prominent Republicans assuring America that Cruz had just ended his career. Because, you see, it is an anti-Republican, anti-conservative position to vote your conscience. Wait ... what? Of course, the anger from Republicans toward Cruz was over the fact that he did not declare his support of the Republican nominee for president. Bad! Bad senator! So why is it when Trump refuses to support Republicans running for office who actually did endorse him, no one particularly cares? This is what happens when you Trump the GOP.

More on Voting
I'm still having difficulty in deciding the course to take on voting this year. It came home to me the other day. This election cycle with its particular choice of candidates is like I'm being told, "You can shoot your wife or you can shoot your mother. No matter what, one of them will be shot. So choose." If I participate in electing Hillary -- placing my vote for her -- or in electing Trump -- marking his name on my ballot -- I believe I will be complicit in the evil they will perpetrate. I believe that the evil either will try to produce is far beyond what we've seen thus far. I cannot vote for a candidate who favors killing babies on demand (and having the government pay for it). Nor can I add my name to the list of people who asked Donald Trump to be our president. Which will I shoot? Neither. Will there be consequences? Without a doubt. I just don't want to be one who supported them. "But if you don't vote for Donald, you're voting for Hillary!" Not true. 1) A failure to vote for one is not a vote for the other. 2) Most states are not "battleground states". The outcome is known. If you live in one of those where the outcome is a given, your vote for or against the candidate you oppose will not change that. 3) I need to vote my conscience and leave the outcome to God. I recognize that others -- people whom I love and respect -- are not as limited in that as I am. But I can do nothing else.

Update on Slippery Slope
And then there's this. Dr. Stephen Kershnar has written a philosophical analysis of pedophilia. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition already recognizes pedophilia as a sexual orientation. Now (as expected ... slippery slope and all that) Dr. Kershnar is arguing that it is a "natural function", causes no harm to a "willing" child or the adult participant, and ought to be normalized as protected sexual orientation and moral behavior. Thus we can see that morality premised on the "harm factor" and sexual relations premised on "consent" don't work. Again, it's not a slippery slope fallacy if it happens.

9 comments:

Doug Evans said...

To me the main headache is that the vice presidential candidates are far better suited to hold office than either candidate, so I think I'll be voting for a VP this year and pray that God's mercy will carry us through

Stan said...

I've seen some interesting arguments along those and other "more obtuse" lines. Mike Pence is a self-declared Christian and has a reputation for being a good man of faith. So far, so good. However, we're not voting to put him in an office of any influence. We could pray for the death of his president? (That doesn't quite work in my head.) One well-known Christian leader (I won't put his name here simply because it's too difficult to spell) has said we should vote for Hillary because 1) Trump would be worse and (this "and" is key) 2) a Republican Congress would limit her effectiveness (or damage, if you will).

Marshal Art said...

Number 2 above works equally well or poorly for either candidate. I say poorly because there are only so many Ted Cruz's who seem to hold fast to principle to the point where their own party leaders don't like them. Thus, it is still better to vote Trump since it is the best way to avoid a Hillary presidency.

The "the outcome is known" only works because so many buy into the notion. Join in with all those who don't and the outcome changes, or at least has the potential to change. "The outcome is known" is abdication of responsibility.

By the way, I've been reading more about the Libertarian candidate, and it seems we can throw him in with the two main buffoons as well. Just one more bad option made worse by the fact that he doesn't generate a following with any chance.

David said...

I keep seeing people say to vote for Trump because we don't want Hillary, but nobody has identified how Trump is in any way a better candidate than Hillary. Either we go with the socialist with political experience, or the cartoon-ish buffoon with no political history. He has done everything in his power to be inflammatory and to not win the election. He seems like a guy that ran for office as a joke and doesn't know what to do now that the joke became real.

Alec said...

One caution David in regard to the Republican candidate is to underestimate him. He's anything but a buffoon. Underestimating the Democratic candidate is equally unwise.

Stan said...

Marshall, number two above was exactly about both candidates and, therefore, about the certain outcome of this next election. No matter who wins, we'll be getting "wicked rulers."

You haven't lived in a state where the outcome has known. In California, for instance, the numbers of "blue people" occupy a tiny fraction of the state, but comprise a vast majority of numbers. If you looked at a county-by-county map of the state, you'd see that California, county-by-county, is a red state. Still, the loud and politically active voices in those large red areas are not sufficient to overcome the vast numbers of the blue folk. There are even movements in California to split up the state purely for that reason -- they don't have a political voice. My state is not so solid, but there are some that whose outcome is sure.

Stan said...

David, there is a growing list of people, both Republican and even Christian, who are actually urging people to vote for Hillary because of this "NeverTrump" idea. There are those who are loud and angry about the necessity for voting for Trump because of this "NeverHillary" idea. In fact, in the last several presidential elections the trend has been not to "vote for my candidate", but to "vote against the candidate I don't like". It was George W and then two rounds of Barack. The trend continues.

Anonymous said...

Dr. Ben Carson was my candidate of choice, but sadly, this is no longer an option. I respect him and his faith/walk. You are known by who you associate with, and Dr. Carson has been a visible player in Trump's operation. I am persuaded that Candidate Trump is being portrayed by the media as much different than the man, given his association with Dr. Carson and others I respect. Hence, I will cast my vote for the candidate who respects the Constitution and is more likely to appoint federal judges with a jurisprudence that reflects originalist principles.

But as always, we pray and vote with the peace of God. If that means that in the secrecy of the voting booth after you have prayed for guidance, you have no peace, you leave it blank. Furthermore, while I would love to see a woman president in my lifetime, with the state of the feminist movement in this country, she would not reflect my pro-life values and, therefore, cannot earn my vote.

Stan said...

Yes, Ben was on the top of my list, too. Since he threw his support behind Trump and did so back in March before Trump had the nomination, I've had to question my support for Dr. Carson, given the fact that you are known by those with whom you associate.

I agree with you. Christians should pray and approach the ballot box with the best interests of God's glory and the peace of our neighbors in mind. I don't intend to tell them what to do in that ballot box -- that's between them and God.