No matter what anyone tells you it is foolish to not try to find out what a person believes before you vote for them. If we ignore the very core beliefs of the candidates that are running for office then we might as well just put names in a hat and choose the presidency that way. As a Christian the person who is running for office should reflect my morals and values. I cannot nor should I separate my vote from my values.

A while back there was this issue between Senator Obama and his former Pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, his Pastor for some 20 years. Although Senator Obama called Rev Wright a mentor and a very important person in his life, he attempted to distance himself from the negative remarks that Rev. Wright made concerning race and America. Because of Reverend Wright’s beliefs about the treatment of Black people in the US, he delivered his now infamous sermon where he stated “ G__ d__ America”.

Senator Obama claims that he was not aware of Rev. Wright’s view on race in America. He then distances himself from Wright’s stance.  He also stated that he has not been present when Rev Wright made disparaging remarks against America. Being a person of faith I found it very hard to believe that a person could attend a church for 20 years yet not know what the head Pastor believes. The main philosophy that Rev Wright speaks about is called Black Liberation Theology (BLT) and James Cone and Dwight Hopkins are considered the leading theologians of this system of belief.

I did some research on BLT; the first thing that stuck out is the many references made in the Trinity UCC’s website to their African roots and their commitment to Liberation. These are 2 of the basic tenants of BLT. Again seeing as though the home page of their churches website makes references to BLT it is hard for me to accept that Senator Obama did not have some of this doctrine influence his thinking.

One of the most prevalent beliefs of BLT is the oppressor/oppressed paradigm. BLT is very much concerned with giving power to the oppressed.  It is not exclusive to just blacks in America; we see this philosophy coming through on many different levels. When I look at Senator Obama’s views on issues such as abortion rights, rights for homosexuals, and his views of the poor and the working class, these views reflect very closely with Black Liberation Theology.

The biggest problem I have with BLT is that not every situation boils down to oppressor against the oppressed. Senator Obama has demonstrated during his time in public office that he does not support limiting abortions at all. I checked his voting record and he even voted against protecting babies that survived abortion attempts 3 times. What he has repeatedly done is to frame this as society’s oppression of a “woman’s right to choose” what she does with her body. Being a pro-life proponent I must say that my position is for a child’s right to live not limiting what a woman does with her body. I heard Senator Obama during the public forum in Pa. say that if his daughter got pregnant before she was ready, then he would not “punish” her by making her have a baby. In this case the woman would be considered the oppressed. This inherently ignores the rights of the child to life.

The other thing that this school of thought attempts to do is to make Christians that follow the Holy Bible seem to be oppressors over anyone who disagree with them. For instance, if we say that homosexuality is wrong based on what the Bible says then we are being hateful. We are “intolerant”. Isn’t it ironic that one group of people condemns another group of people for what they believe? Wouldn’t that be considered hypocrisy?  

Senator Obama is one of the most liberal thinkers I have come across. Even in his “Christianity” he wants to include everyone. He has said repeatedly that there are many paths to God. Although he claims to be a Christian he openly states that he believes that you can get into Heaven without believing in Jesus Christ. This contradicts the very foundation of Christianity.

The other philosophy that seems very prevalent in senator Obama’s economic plan is socialism. He admitted being mentored in Hawaii by “Frank”, later identified as Frank Marshall Davis, a known communist. If you look at his economic philosophies they stem from communism. Terms such as “community leaders”, “transference of wealth”, and empowering the “working class” are rooted in socialism. Check the Senators mentors; you will clearly see their imprint in how Senator has said he plans on governing America.

I am not telling anyone who to vote for but I will say that you should know just what your candidate believes in.