Opinion: Voting should be about issues, not faith

11/9/04 Proverbs 14:12 states, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."

Though written centuries ago, this Biblical statement is very applicable when describing the results of the recent Presidential election, when the majority of the voters cast their ballots on issues of morals instead of issues of government. Instead of making educated, political decisions, Americans made ignorant, emotional ones. Instead of voting for what was best for the country, they voted for what was best for their conscience.

According to exit polls, Senator Kerry beat President Bush among first time voters, young voters, last-minute deciders and moderates. However, the president beat the Senator among church goers, rural voters, white voters and people who said terrorism and moral values were their top considerations.

Exit polls said the number one priority with most Americans was morality. President Bush won 78 percent of those voters. In a time of war, in a time of recession, and in a time of poor education and even worse jobs, Americans are concerned with morals. And they elected a man who they believe will rule this country well because he is a Christian.

Ohio, the swing state of the election, has lost 230,000 jobs since the president was put in office. However, Ohio voted him back into office, because, along with 62 percent of the state, he is opposed to gay marriage.

President Bush was the first Republican in 20 years to win Iowa, where 22 percent of voters identified "moral values" as their most important issues, ahead of both the economy and the war in Iraq. One third of these voters said they were evangelical Christians, who went for President Bush by a 7-1 ratio.

In Wisconsin, President Bush beat Senator Kerry by a ratio that was better than 2-1 among voters who said they attend religious services at least once a week.

However, what these church goers do not seem to realize is that the man that they have voted back into office is acting against the basic beliefs the church teaches. Since moving into the White House, President Bush has proven himself to be a disingenuous Christian, speaking piously while acting irreverently. It is a Christian value to not lie, but the president was deceiving and misleading America even before he was placed in office. The Ten Commandments state that killing is a sin, but more than 1,100 Americans have died since being sent overseas to fight in Iraq. The Ten Commandments say "thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor," but during his campaign, the president smeared his opponent's Senate record and war accomplishments. While the hypocrisy of this situation is shocking, it is more shocking that people do not appear to notice it.

Proverbs also states in 14:15, "A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thoughts to his steps."

If only America also thought that way too.