Kowtowing to the Crowds: Injustice and the Fear of Man

“Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd….” [Exo 23:2 NIV]

“Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” [Psa 82:3-4 ESV]

“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God … who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.” [Psa 146:5, 7-9 ESV]

“To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.” [Pro 21:3 ESV]

“Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.” [Isa 1:17 ESV]

“Thus says the LORD: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.” [Jer 22:3 ESV]

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” [Mic 6:8 ESV]

“But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” [Amo 5:24 ESV]

With issues like immigration, war in the Middle East, abortion, gun violence, and Christian Nationalism on our radar, it is little wonder that the US is feeling the stress and strain of political and social schisms. Dear Christian, are you struggling like I am to know how to vote in this upcoming election? Are you vexed in your heart about the candidates we have to choose from? You are not alone! I have read about many who share the same misgivings about the politics in the United States at present. Personally, I am torn to either vote for someone who supports sinful policies or to not vote at all. The idea that Pope Francis proposed several weeks back of choosing the lesser evil does not solve my dilemma because both sides are equally yoked to evil, which I will explore further.

I don’t consider myself a Democrat or a Republican, nor do I affiliate with any political party whatsoever. I am first and foremost a citizen of the Kingdom of God, and a wayfaring stranger passing through this life as a vagabond for the Lord. I am just a denizen here–Heaven is my true home. Therefore my civic duty, those things I must do as required by law, and my civic responsibility, those things I choose to do to better my world, is first to the Kingdom of God, then to my society. The idea of Christian Nationalism is foreign to me, and really, an oxymoron since the true Church is made up of believers of all nations. I have spiritual siblings around the world!

I have been praying for wisdom and clarity about this, and have come to the realization that it is not my duty, civic or otherwise, to support a political party, a particular candidate, or even bottle-feed a personal pet peeve (in other words, go all-out for a particular cause). It is, however, my duty as a Christian to call out evil when I see it, to stand for God’s truth, to share my faith in Jesus Christ, and to love God with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength (more than I love the approval of the crowd or my own comfort in life). So, some of you may feel offended, even alienated, by what I have concluded about some of the divisive topics in this election. That’s okay. But I ask for you to at least please hear me out. On the other hand, perhaps I will help some of you that are having the same struggle by sharing my heart on these matters.

First of all, it seems that in this election season it is being stressed to vote based on the policies supported by the candidates while ignoring their character. But character does matter. It is only now being downplayed to justify the candidates of choice. It is downright frustrating for me to see people (especially Christians) so enamored by former President Trump. He has carefully crafted a persona of a successful business man, yet his morals and character are enough to give any person pause. I won’t go into all his personal failures or idiosyncrasies here, as they are well-known to anyone with access to the news and a pulse. What I will do is talk about the injustices he is spawning, which should and must be addressed by any Christian who truly loves the Lord and knows His heart: “But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight,” declares the LORD. [Jer 9:24 ESV]

The latest out of former President Trump’s mouth during a campaign speech in Arizona was that the US is like “the garbage can of the world,” which he deems an “accurate” description of our country because of the current immigration polices in place. There was a time back in the early 1900s when America was a symbol of hospitality, a humble welcomer of immigrants seeking freedom, an escape from war and poverty, and safety from countries with oppressive discrimination based on race or religion. The Statue of Liberty became the “Mother of Exiles” due to its presence in the New York Harbor greeting the influx of immigrants coming into the US at that time, and also with the help of “The New Colossus,” a poem by Emma Lazarus. In part, it reads:

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

What a night-and-day difference to the attitudes being kindled today! Even not so long ago, back in 1986, An American Tail–an animated children’s film about a Russian-Jewish mouse family’s experience in immigrating to the US–was considered a “feel-good movie” reflecting the freedom-seeking haven and diverse ethnic richness of our melting pot of America. To say that this picture of our country has changed is an understatement! We have gone from “melting-pot” to “garbage can” in just a few short decades. I am sorry, but as a leader or influencer a person should not slander poor people from other countries. Even common decency dictates a healthy respect for all people, no matter what their race or economic status is. It’s called being human. But today we have a duo up for election that has repeatedly stated that Haitian immigrants were eating other people’s pets in Springfield, Ohio–an accusation based on several reports that have already been debunked.

The hatred and disdain this type of slander breeds is shameful. I was looking at a news site’s comments section on an article covering this fear-based rhetoric, and the contributions ranged from the standard racist commentaries to the paranoid lie that Haitians are being brought in to steal the vote, which is not true since the majority are not citizens and cannot vote. Then there were a few suggestions that immigrants should be sent home in body bags. This is appalling. I would like to point out the fear tactic being insidiously implemented here. This time the campaign is focusing on securing our borders because of the influx of bad characters coming to this country. Back in 2016 it was stressed a border wall was needed to keep out terrorists. Which is it? Fears from without or fears from within? Actually, any fear will do as long as it is spun to make a case for whatever the political party sees as beneficial to their campaign. It doesn’t matter if it is true or not. It doesn’t matter that several of the people, including Vance, had to back-peddle on their public statements, but only after the damage was done. Vance has said that we may in the end find all these accusations to be untrue! To heck with the aftermath these immigrants will have to deal with. The evil seed of discontent was planted. This is so wrong, beloved, so unlike the heart of God:

“For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.” [Deu 10:17-19 NIV]

“Do not go about spreading slander among your people. “Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the LORD.” [Lev 19:16 NIV]

“”Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”” [Deu 27:19 NIV]

I am NOT saying we don’t have or need to deal with an immigration problem. Perhaps it would best be solved if our government allocated funds for people, both citizen and immigrant, instead of for bombs.

That brings me to the next hotly debated topic: the Israeli-Hamas war. Neither candidate will come straight out and denounce the horrific slaughter of the Palestinian people. Vice President Harris will say she believes the solution is a two-state nation, but her own and President Biden’s actions are to send billions of dollars and weaponry to Israel to “defend” itself (apparently from not only from terrorists, but also from women and children as well). Israel has been reminded by our current administration to follow international law in the use of US weapons coming into the country, however, Israel’s actions have shown that they repeatedly violate these rules of conduct by their actions in Gaza. Civilians are all treated as the enemy, hospitals and schools are among the targets, and humanitarian aid has been purposefully sabotaged either directly by blocking the aid coming into Gaza or by revoking many humanitarian organizations’ visas. Since the war began on October 7, 2023, over 42,000 Palestinians have been killed, and of these Israel estimates that approximately 13,000 have been Hamas fighters. When two-thirds of the death toll are civilians, isn’t it obvious that that the dog has gotten off its leash? (Now, I love dogs. This comment is not meant to be derogatory toward Israel. It is only meant to illustrate that things in the Middle East are getting out of control.)

President Biden had stated back in May of this year that if Israel forayed into Rafah in southern Gaza, he would withhold military aid. Yet just this past August, the US approved $20 billion in weapons sales to Israel over the next several years. The current administration spoke of the Rafah offensive as crossing a red line. But here we are in October and Israel is now in northern Gaza after devastating almost half the buildings in Rafah and displacing over a million of people. And the money and the bombs continue to drop.

It is evil to not speak up for the Palestinian people who are being systematically exterminated. The US may be a friend to Israel, but that does not mean we should have a part in this wholesale genocide going on in Gaza. A catchphrase several years back was, “friends don’t let friends drive drunk.” The insinuation is that a true friend won’t let you do something stupid and illegal that could kill you or kill someone else. Likewise, a true friend should not give its allies a blank moral check. Harris will not publicly call out Israel because she doesn’t want to alienate anyone or lose votes. This too, is evil:

“Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd….” [Exo 23:2 NIV]

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” [Pro 31:8-9 NIV]

I am NOT saying there should be no response to the Hamas attack on October 7. Some twelve-hundred precious lives in Israel were ended that day with a brutality that included rape, mutilation, and torture, not to mention the hostages taken. And yes, most of these were civilians. But does the response justify the killing of more than twenty-four times the number of Palestinian civilian victims? Or will the fire of retaliation and violence erupt this powder keg in the Middle East? It is already spreading to Lebanon and Iran, another terrorist group is in the mix, and the war is waged in an military arena much like having fleas on a dog. They are killing the dog (and I LOVE dogs, remember) to take out the fleas. And we are even considering feeding this monster of war 2,000 pound bombs?

I’m on a roll now. The third issue I’d like to discuss is abortion. I am pro-life. I firmly believe that at the moment of conception the baby has all the potential to become a person, and therefore should be treated as such. King David sang to the Lord:

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” [Psa 139:13 NIV]

I think that the teaching of the evolutionary theory has been a harbinger of our current malaise about the sanctity of life. It makes us think of humans as just another animal on this planet. Evolution is taught as fact, when, in fact, it is not. It is a theory that has not been proven in so many ways. For example, it IS a scientific fact, a law, that states it is impossible for life to come out of nothing. Spontaneous generation has been debunked. Biogenesis is the axiom. Yet evolutionists will stubbornly cling to their denial of our Creator God:

“In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.” [Psa 102:25 NIV]

That being said, it becomes so easy to dismiss the dignity that the Lord has granted us, that we are made in His image, and that we have an eternal soul. The beauty of bringing a child into this world and the joy we feel about this new life is a gift to be treasured. But the world teaches that this is merely a choice for a woman, not a miracle that reflects the glory of God. Young women get counseled that they have a right to choose to terminate the baby, but are not offered any alternative to abortion. And abortion clinics never gave out information on the other choices available to women, like adoption, nor offered information on organizations that can help financially support the new mother. There are so many people that long to help, especially teens that find themselves backed into a corner by financial pressures or an unsupportive family. My prayer is for women to reach out.

I read a magazine article a while back that told the story of a labor and delivery nurse who encountered a young girl that was overwhelmed with the prospect of giving birth and raising a child. The nurse, bless her heart, took this girl into her home and helped teach her and support her through it all. This nurse also eventually adopted the young woman, instantly becoming a grandmother! I pray more people would open their hearts like this.

Now, although I am pro-life, I AM concerned about several things. For one, to make abortion illegal even in the case of a life-threatening emergency is rather horrific. How can the government tell a woman she must either give birth or die? I find it extremely hypocritical to say you are pro-life when you have no regard for the life of the mother. I am also quite disturbed by many people who think that women shouldn’t be allowed to terminate a pregnancy when they are caused by sexual assault or incest. This is unjust. The woman was forced into sexual contact, and now the government wants to force her to have the baby? It’s like getting raped all over again. The forcible pitting of one person’s will against another is just as bad as the rape. In these cases, then yes, give women a choice!

The other side of this argument would be that enforcing something by law does not change a person’s heart. Only the gospel of Jesus Christ can do that. When prohibition came, people still bootlegged whiskey. When the war against drugs was declared, people still found ways to toke weed, pop pills, or shoot up. I find it ironic now that the war against drugs has lost a battle to marijuana. This “recreational” drug is being legalized in many states while at the same time abortion is being criminalized. My point? Make a law, and people will break it or find a way around it.

It is interesting that the Pope made his “choose the lesser evil” statement after making it quite clear what he considers the greater evil: after giving lip service to the idea that one must vote their conscience, he calls the deportation of millions of immigrants something terrible and evil, and the killing of an unborn baby an assassination, knowing full well the impact of such a loaded word. The problem I see with this is that there is more value placed on a baby’s life than any other. Doesn’t all life matter? God is not partial: “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.” [Lev 19:15 NIV] Why do the kid gloves come off after that oh so precious life matures? It’s like saying, “today I will fight for your life, tomorrow I may dismiss you as unworthy of my pity.” What a difference a day makes?

I am definitely not saying that abortion should be legal. What I am saying is that the same honor we give to babies we should give to all. I am especially sad when abortion is used like an after-the-fact contraceptive. We have really dumb-ass ways of solving some serious problems. We hand out condoms to teens to prevent the now socially acceptable inevitable, instead of teaching a young person self-control. We give out clean needles to drug addicts to help them avoid the consequences of needle sharing so that we can have healthier addicts that live to shoot up another day, instead of creating more rehab opportunities for the poor. We remove the consequences of bad choices and enable people to continue the same-old same-old. That is why we need to share the gospel, so that it’s Christ changing our hearts and not man messing our minds. Human solutions are so temporary. God’s solutions are eternal.

So these are some of my main concerns in this election, though there are others. I will spare you from a longer post for now–perhaps I will do a follow-up in the next month after the election is over and more problems become evident as history unfolds. We may find ourselves standing up for more than just our faith. May the Lord give us His strength.

I don’t know what the future holds, but this I do know: the tendency of the human heart is to either go along with the crowd or remain silent out of the fear of man. The Lord knows our hearts. Jesus warned His disciples: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell…Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” [Mat 10:28, 32-33 NKJV]

Even King David knew this struggle in his own heart, for he writes:

“Who will protect me from the wicked? Who will stand up for me against evildoers? Unless the LORD had helped me, I would soon have settled in the silence of the grave. I cried out, “I am slipping!” but your unfailing love, O LORD, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer. Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side–leaders whose decrees permit injustice? They gang up against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. But the LORD is my fortress; my God is the mighty rock where I hide.” [Psa 94:16-22 NLT]

I say this prayer. May we all pray this prayer. Amen.

“I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and will execute justice for the needy.” [Psa 140:12 ESV]