Confession: I hate politics. Sort of…
Okay, in itself that isn’t a worthwhile confession, but my political views are.
It came to my attention the other day that I quite possibly am a closet anarchist.
Why I hate politics:
I love people. Period.
My personal goal in life is striving to understand why people believe what they do. In situations when I do this correctly, if there was any judgement to begin with, it will be gone when I reach my goal of understanding the person or people.
Now, just because I understand doesn’t mean I agree with their choices- but that is the thing, it is their choice.
When the government starts stepping in and regulating citizens on a personal/lifestyle level, that is where I seem to have a problem.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ. My desire, which I know I will fall short of, is to be as much like him as possible.
Jesus said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” Luke 20:25 - Separation of church and state, baby.
God gave us free will with our lives. I don’t know why the government is trying to regulate something that is a God-given right.
You’re probably thinking, “well, what about murder or other felony crimes?” That is a great example.
Laws, like the police, are not considered crime deterrents. They simply help in the course for punishment.Criminal punishment, whether it be what Beccaria would consider “savage,” or “civil” prison time, both have been proven ineffective in deterring criminal behavior.
We need respect for the government, but we also need to understand each person is their own entity.
Wishy-washy? No, I don’t think so. I have strong reasoning behind why I believe what I do.
Gray, yes, that may be a better word to describe my feelings.
It’s funny, you hear people assume that Christians are all Republicans. It’s just not true. Read Jesus Rode A Donkey and you will see that many liberal views go hand-and-hand with the teachings of Jesus.
So, what am I? Republican? Democrat? All of the above? I’m going with D, none of the above.
The 2012 Election year is in full-swing. I’ll give you examples of my views using the hot-button issues:
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Contraception- I lean more toward the liberal side.
I agree with most that contraception should be available through healthcare at the place of employment. What is the best way to prevent abortion and unwanted pregnancy?
Contraception. Plain and simple.
Here is where I will lose them:
I also agree with religious freedom. The Catholic Church has always been against contraception. This is not a new idea. (This does not apply to Catholic business owners of non-Catholic businesses.) I believe the Catholic Church has a right not to allow contraception in their healthcare plans (that would be like forcing Native Foods to serve veal.) If you want to use birth control then you probably shouldn’t be working for the Catholic Church. Also, If you are a pharmacist that is refusing to administer oral contraceptives, you probably shouldn’t be a pharmacist. Especially, if you have been silent about giving out addictive medication to people who you know are clearly abusing it.
Another thing- synthetic hormones *freak* me out. They do. It has been linked to autoimmune disoders, breast cancer, and arterial thrombosis. IUDs make me uncomfortable, too. Do I think it is immoral? No, not at all.
I think people should be well educated on these risks of the particular hormone combination prior to getting their prescription, but the choice should still be theirs to make.
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Abortion- I lean more toward the conservative side.
Zygote to 42 weeker- life, human life. That human being should have the right to exist.
Here is where I will lose them:
I have several friends who had had abortions. The mandatory preparation for one is a joke. Women need to know exactly what is happening in their bodies. That means mandatory classes on the gestational age of the child and free (required) ultrasounds.
Abortion is not a straightforward concept. By making it illegal it will not stop people from finding a way to prematurely end their pregnancies. See the Romanian movie 4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days, and you’ll understand what I mean.
Actually, the country of Romania is an excellent example of why abortion is not so simplistic. in 1965 Romania had the highest rate of abortion in the world (25% of pregnancies ended in abortion.) The country then came under a new communist dictator that was desperate to raise the population. Thus, abortion became illegal in 1966. With the fall of the abortion rate came the rise of maternal mortality and deaths caused by illegal abortions. Romania had the highest rate of maternal mortality in all of Europe. And interestingly enough, there was an immense spike in crime during the time the unwanted children came of criminal age. When abortion became legal once more, the maternal mortality rate was over 70% lower than when it was illegal. In addition, the crime rate dropped during the “coming of age” of the aborted children.
What strikes a chord with me is the maternal mortality rates rising during the era of illegal abortions.
There are many personal definitions bestowed upon the term abortion.
However, the “official” definition of abortion is:
a·bor·tion/əˈbôrSHən/Noun: The deliberate termination of a human pregnancy.
Well, there you go. I had an abortion with Aram. You may argue that it is completely unrelated to abortion… That I knew he would live giving his gestational age. I was lucky. This woman who shares her story (about her consent for abortion during her preeclamptic pregnancy), was not as lucky. We suffered the same condition in our pregnancy, we terminated our pregnancies, and I was able to bring my child home because he was a few weeks ahead of her child gestationally. It isn’t fair. And the most sickening thing to me- because her baby died some people are suggesting what she did was immoral.
What it comes down to for a lot of people is control over their own health. I asked to be delivered two days before my emergency C-section. The doctors told me I was fine and ignored what I was telling them. I screamed, begged, and pleaded for them to deliver me 24 hours before I developed full blown HELLP . The doctors refused. My body was not mine anymore, it was theirs. We often forget that medicine is still, in a sense, an art form. Deciphering lab results, physical symptoms, and risk factors is not fool proof. I’ve had countless doctors review my medical records since the delivery of Aram. Almost all said I should have been delivered 24-48 hours earlier than I was. Not only would I have escaped developing HELLP Syndrome, my recovery would have been faster, and we still don’t know the long-term damage of HELLP syndrome- it may have protected my future health to be delivered early, as well.
I knew I was sick. I knew the pregnancy needed to end early.It is my body. It should have been my decision.
With most abortion issues the basic problem is valuing life. By making something illegal you are not going to be able force someone to put value on it. If an internal pipe in your house broke and was leaking through your wall you wouldn’t leave the pipe be and just slap on more drywall. That is essentially what making abortions illegal is doing.
People always say if we stop fearing death we can start really living. I think the opposite is also true. When we start understanding life, we can also embrace it in relation to the importance of the natural time for death.
If someone thinks abortion is repugnant, then they need to explain why.
I would suggest giving scientific evidence in a neutral manner that would back up your beliefs. For instance, There was a recent breakthrough study done by neurologists that discovered Endorphinergic cells in the anterior and the intermediate lobes of the fetal pituitary gland were responsive to CRF by 20 weeks gestation. My response to this was, “No sh*t Sherlock,” but in reality the only medical evidence for fetal pain was at 35-37 weeks prior to the study. Anyone with a child born earlier than 35 weeks (Aram is on that list) knows that babies clearly feel pain gestationally earlier than the timeframe mentioned.
Anti-abortion activists should be focusing on bills that require the doctors (by law) to give this education in a neutral manner. I do think we have a huge problem in masking the truth of our biology, and if this is a legal choice in our country, it would be an absolute injustice to allow females to make a choice like an abortion in blind ignorance.
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Gay Marriage- liberal
I’m pretty much liberal all the way on this one. My best friend at college was a gay Christian man. We had already taken specific courses that touched on homosexuality in the Bible, but because it was such a personal subject to him I became enveloped in the topic. I won’t go into too much detail because I’ve already written a novel with this post- but basically the Bible in general is misinterpreted thanks to translating it, and the cultural overlays that took over the passages.
What do I have to say to people so outspokenly against gay marriage?
Sin is personal, just like your relationship with God is personal. If you were born attracted to the opposite sex good for you. Your life will probably a lot easier because of the culture we live in. But how does that give you the right to condemn something you know nothing about?
Read the biblical text that references homosexuality. Read it in relation to the story and the book that it is in. Now read it in the native tongue. After you do this, go to two Christian scholars with opposing views on homosexuality and have in depth conversations about why they believe this.
You may find your own apologetics may not be as rock solid as you originally thought.
Until then, I will not speak about this topic with anyone against homosexuality because it does make me angry. I have seen too many of my friends get hurt by uneducated bigots in the church.
Okay, here is where I may lose everyone:
I think polygamy and polyandry should be legal. I have thought this for years, and people mistakenly assumed I was referring to underaged marriages to pedophiles. Thanks to the show Sister Wives people are less likely to lock me into an insane asylum when I suggest legalizing plural marriages.
The deal is a lifestyle choice should not be illegal. Do I personally think this is an effective/healthy form of marriage? No, but that isn’t my choice to make. Do I think that the children of these families will grow up in an unsafe environment? No, not any more than in a conventional home.
The truth is that a lot of these plural marriages are “spiritual marriages” because of the current law. That means the wives that aren’t legally married frequently collect welfare. If for nothing else, we need to regulate that.
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And now that I have alienated myself from almost every person on the planet, I am going to bed.
I think so many people are more ‘a la carte’ than one hard party line or the other these days. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Lexi. I don’t even think I’m ‘a la carte’ because I don’t agree one way or another on the specific policies. I need my own party. The Pink Sparkle Party I think I may be able to get my kids to join.
I love you I love you I love you! I was nodding along with every single thing you posted. We can be alienated together.
I try to avoid politics because it plain old pisses me off. And that’s the problem. People (the candidates included) get too emotionally involved. And I just can’t deal with it. I also figure that money is what’s going to rule the country anyway, so I elect the people whose views are closer in line with mine without really expecting anything to change. Yea I’m a bit cynical.
Oh Ronni, I want to kiss you on the lips!
I agree with everything you just said too…
Maybe we should be running mates and do this country right?
I hate politics, too, in that these types of issues are put in the forefront during elections to polarize people. These are hot button, but not really relevant to what we really need to know about our future Presidents. No candidate in their right mind is going to try to make abortion illegal. That would be a surefire way to lose an election. For the record, I think that abortion should be legal, but not encouraged, and not used a birth control, as I understand it to be a brutal and painful procedure. Women have to decide for themselves whether or not to have them, not the government. The government should regulate it in the same way one would regulate any surgery.
To deny gays marital status is just silly at this point in history, and I think that within a few years those who oppose it will come around. Even our current President doesn’t believe that marriage is for homosexuals, but is not standing in the way of legislation, the same stance that George Bush had. It wouldn’t be good economic principle, leave alone any personal moral issue one may have. To refer to Leviticus is ridiculous, since if ALL biblical law is literally interpreted, you and I would have been traded for farms and goats to our husbands.
Most insurance does pay for contraception but if you work for a religious organization that doesn’t offer it due to a moral belief then you can a) get another job with an organization that shares your values, or b)pay for it yourself and go about your hypocritical business. Last I heard slavery was abolished in the 1800s and this is not France. You don’t have to work the same job for the rest of your life, nor are you guaranteed anything as a US citizen but the right to pursue happiness. There’s nothing about these issues in the Constitution, because our government was supposed to stay out of people’s personal lives.
While I philosophically agree that if a religion allows more than two people want to marry it should be possible, it does bring a great deal of burden to law enforcement to make sure that plural marriages don’t involve pedophilia, prostitution and slavery, as we have seen in many instances. I see it as one of those things that is just too ripe for abuses, especially those horrible hairdos and prairie dresses.
But PLEASE make sure you vote, whether or not you think the candidate is perfectly aligned with your values. Remember, after the election there will still be war, economy, and taxes, and those are greater responsibilities of our elected officials.
well hello lovely lady, fancy seeing you over here
Yeah, I agree, I don’t understand why these policies get the main focus during the election. The economy? Jobs? The Military? Our government sponsored research projects? Social Security? I don’t understand why these issues aren’t center stage.
As far as polygamy is concerned, I actually disagree, I don’t think it is biblically supported – but I also don’t think I should make the choice and tell other people what to do because it is my belief (even if I’m sure it won’t work)
I think that it could actually be better regulated for pedophilia because the marriages would be accounted for. The people practicing yucky child marriages are in communes not regulated by the government and the kids themselves are never issued birth certificates.
I do think you are right though, it might be hard to regulate, in general. Everyone could be married to everyone in theory. That is why I wasn’t completely suggesting to make plural marriages legal, but make polygamy and polyandry not illegal (which it is right now which blows my mind)…..
I’m a friend of your cousin, Whitney, and I’ve been reading your blog for a while now. I am also a Christian who does not fit into any political category like you. I really appreciate you speaking out on many of these issues. Thank you for your educated outlook and bravery in sharing your thoughts, you are not alone!
Hey Erica! Thank you so much for commenting! It means more to me in this post than practically any other! I don’t feel so alone, anymore!
Whitney has good friends!
I actually find politics fascinating, but having worked inside some Washington-DC beltway circles for years, I’ve become very cynical. (I’m just as cynical about the voting public, as I am of politicians, truth be told.) Like you, I don’t find a home in any party. I’m a strange blend of Canadian socialism and Ron Paul libertarianism, which means there’s probably plenty of inconsistencies in my views
Abortion has always been a human rights issue for me — there is no longer any scientific question about whether developing embryos are human — everything in our genetic code is there at the moment of our conception, we just pass through many developmental stages throughout the span of our life. The right upon which every other right rests is the right to life. Without it, you have no other rights so it is primary. “Personhood,” however, is what designates legal rights, and unless we legally deem an unborn human a “person,” he/she has no rights. If the majority of people want abortion to be legal, then as a society we should admit that we think it’s okay to deny basic human rights to a certain class of people – in this case, the unborn. This would at least be honest. I realize it’s a very tough issue. And I don’t think the solution is simply to change the law — we need to instead create a culture that respects all life and helps women with unplanned pregnancies. I have friends who’ve had abortions, I’ve worked with women over the years who’ve had abortions — many who’ve suffered emotional and psychological consequences. I even sat on the board of Feminists for Life — whose mission is to follow in the footsteps of the early feminists who were pro-woman and anti-abortion and believed that aborting a child in the womb is treating a child like property — and how could a woman turn around and treat someone like that when she was treated like that by men and by the law for so long? I find that to be an interesting perspective.
I could say more on the other issues you mention, but I’ll stop there for now
I really enjoyed reading your thoughts and appreciate that you’re an outside-the-box thinker with a big heart and a respect for personal autonomy.
I hate politics. But what I hate even more is a lack of tolerance for people who think everyone has to agree with them. You seem to have your head screwed on straight. You know your own mind, and you’re not imposing it on others. Kudos.
You are funny, brilliant and simply awesome!
I actually I agree with just about everything you said. My political views are probably best described as libertarian- which is a very different place to be when you’re a Mormon. And hormonal birth control freaks me out too. This is why extended breastfeeding is my contraceptive of choice.
I love this post. I completely agree that I don’t like politics….I believe that there are black and white issues and grey issues…the lines aren’t always clear cut….I appreciate your boldness in this post….and FYI we have a lot of the same views…
way to speak your mind and stand up for your beliefs.
I actually think many abortions stem from a lack of sex education/body awareness and easily available contraception (the first more than the second, because I agree with you that synthetic hormones can do CRAZY things to you). So while I don’t necessarily disagree with you that women should know exactly what is going on in their bodies and how human life unfolds in the womb, I think it’s a bit unfair to start that education when the woman already is in a position where she wants an abortion, a decision I am SURE was not undertaken lightly. Why not teach it in high school? I also wanted to say that I really like your pipe and plaster analogy.
Liz – I agree with you. I heard that easy access to contraception can lead to more abortions so I googled it and found this – http://www.lifenews.com/2012/03/16/study-showed-birth-control-usage-increased-abortion-rates/. I am sure both sides can argue it…
My husband and I practice fertility awareness, or NFP, and I was so mad that I didn’t learn all that stuff about fertility in high school. There’s such a disconnection between sex and babies…
I’d call you technically an “independent” or perhaps even a classical liberal/ libertarian.
Some suggested reading, the 5000 year leap is a good start.
I’m going to be a libertarian in heaven!
Pink Sprinkle Party… Love it! I’ll go with a Follow Me Spot Party. It’s not entirely in line with yours, or with anyone else’s. But I find it mostly kind and intelligent and that’s fine with me.
I, also, have to agree with everything you said! I never thought about abortion in that way, as in ending a pregnancy. I thought it meant ending the life inside. I’ve also always thought that polygamy and polyandry should be legal, too. It’s surprising that I wasn’t the only one who thought that. Most of this is based on empathy. If everyone had a little more if it the world would be a better place.
Jamie for President!
I’ve been reading your blog for awhile, and I am such a huge fan. You have certainly not alienated this reader! I definitely found myself agreeing with you, and your views made me think about what I believe as well. Pink Sparkle Party all the way!
I’m thinking maybe you should run for president
Only if the Honey Badger is my running mate.
Minarchy? Anti-Statism? Non-interventionism? Voluntaryism? Good stuff.
And this election, GOLDMAN SACHS WINS!!!!!!
LOL did you see how much money they gave to Mitt Romney’s campaign this year?
New reader here
Thank you for posting this! Aside from the fact that I agree with you and I just love the way you clearly outlined yourself, it’s so nice to hear an actual reason why someone believes what they do.
Hey Jamie! I would be interested in learning more about homosexuality and the Bible, the stuff you didn’t want to write about because you’d already written a novel.
This area has been a struggle for me, because what I feel Jesus would say is not in line with what I hear from a lot of sources. Would you be willing to point me to a book or a website for further information? I would appreciate it. 
My suggestion to you is to contact some seminary schools near you and speak with different professors on the topic. It sounds like more of a daunting task than it is. Almost everyone in academia is excited to share knowledge. They will probably be really open to your topic. Most seminaries have professors who do not all share beliefs. I would look for two people considered experts on the topics and go over why.
Also here is a quick link for you from Daniel A. Helminiak who wrote, What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality.
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/15/my-take-what-the-bible-really-says-about-homosexuality/
I wouldn’t just take one priests word for it, though. I’d seek out multiple sources and do your own research.
BRAVO! You have not alienated yourself from me. Thank you for your eloquence and your compassion. My daughter will be 29 next month, will be finished with law school next Spring and is due with my first grandchild in three weeks. I honestly feel as proud of you as I do my daughter for giving honest thought to these issues and being able to vocalize them so eloquently as you have here. It doesn’t matter what ‘political party’ you subscribe to…it does matter that you evaluate each and every issue separately and as honestly as possible.
You are the voice of an educated generation that I look forward to leading us into the future!
God bless,
Susan
I must admit that I originally liked your page to be a voyeur to more of the “freak show” following that infamous magazine cover. Instead of a freak show I ended up discovering a compassionate, thoughtful woman doing important work. I have since added your page to one of my favorites lists. Bravo to you!
I seriously love this! My problem with politics is the lack of love displayed by pretty much everyone involved. If we’re truly following Christ, then we can’t help but give them over to their own choices and love them even when we don’t agree. Thank you for writing so eloquently what has been on my heart.
I agree with you 100 % on all the issues you mentioned and have often given the same reasonings and arguments to others.