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Real Answers™
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Copyright: ©2008 William Cripe Sr.
480 words

SURVIVING THE VORTEX OF POLITICAL VERBIAGE

By: William Cripe Sr.

After two years, I am getting my fill of politics; talk about a l-o-o-o-ng election season.  As I reluctantly listen, or try to listen to the candidates, commentators and critics, I wonder if I am listening to adults dealing with matters of world importance or children on a playground squabbling over silly putty.

For a better result in November, it would be beneficial to remember some basics in wading through the sea of sound bites, video clips and ubiquitous pundits of talk radio.

Although it is ancient, the wisdom of Solomon is just as relevant to day as it was hundreds of years ago.  “The first to plead his case seems right--until another comes and examines him.”  (Proverbs 18:17)  

How many times have I heard candidate "A" excoriate candidate "B" thinking--"Wow, he nailed him!"  But then candidate "B" explains and I walk away thinking, "Phew, Candidate "A" was flat out lying about Candidate "B".   But then Candidate "A" replies to Candidate B's" explanation, and I think, sheesh, Candidate "B" isn't as "clean" as he seemed."  It all gets rather confusing, and confusion never serves anyone well.

What to do?  We must endeavor to discern between everyone's opinion--including our own--from demonstrated truth in everything we hear.  We are in a day of low morals for which there are only vestiges of integrity and honor and they are increasingly relics of an earlier day in our national character.  Today, sadly, one's words are essentially meaningless so we need to pay far more attention to what a candidate has actually done, not what he says he will do. 

One foundational "truth" is that liberals, moderates, and conservatives, Democrats, Republicans and Independents are all flawed human beings.  Consequently we all--at times--spin, fabricate, tilt and slant to one degree or another.  Contrary to what some seem to think, there is no such animal as "the party of God.”  There are only ideas, ideals and actions which are either consistent with the heart and mind of God, or not.  

All of which means we must test what we hear against a grid of "truth" not against the grid of  one's feelings or even against the grid of one's own convictions.  Solomon is frank:  "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death."  (Proverbs 14:12)  Convictions not grounded in truth can be deadly.   In other words, we can sincerely hold to what we think, and still be sincerely wrong. 

What else can we do?  Test what you hear against the revealed heart and mind of God in His Bible for that is unchanging truth "…seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness…" (2 Peter 1:3)  Then vote accordingly with confidence.

"Real Answers™" furnished courtesy of The Amy Foundation Internet Syndicate. To contact the author or The Amy Foundation, write or E-mail to: P. O. Box 16091, Lansing, MI 48901-6091; amyfoundtn@aol.com

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