God and the black voter! by Mason Weaver

It seems odd that a group of voters who are basically conservative on social issues, Christian in their faith, and who have experienced the horrors of failed social programs should continue to support groups and politicians who hold and support completely opposing views. Many of us have spent countless hours debating and challenging these voters because their positions do not make any logical sense. It's crazy; an otherwise intelligent, rational person suddenly becomes disconnected the moment you begin to talk politics. How can we engage our natural constituents on this issue when it seems our logic is not acceptable or even understandable to them? That in and of itself may be the clue: Logic is not in play; emotions are in play.

 I have noticed an exciting pattern as I travel around this country. It does not matter if I am speaking to a black relative, friend, or stranger sitting next to me on a flight, I tend to get the same response. If I ask about Obama, the Democrats, abortion, or taxes, I get the party line. They respond with propaganda slogans they have heard, like "Change", 'the rich', 'we've got to get ours', 'sellout', 'player hater', 'we've got to stick together', and others. You will end up in a frustrating, emotionally-charged debate if you attempt to bring any kind of logic into the conversation. The truth is not relevant to them; they believe, and that's all there is to it. They want change; so, if a pseudo-messianic hustler of sorts promises change will come, then voila, positive, inconsequential change shall appear. Period.

 How do you talk to someone like that?

There are two specific things that I have taken note of in these conversations which reveal the secret to what will work. I have used them to shift the focus in conversations with Obama supporters, and it has worked just about every time I have tried it. This maybe a clue to what we are missing. The secret is not to focus the conversation on Democrats or Republican, or even your logic against their emotions, but to focus on Christian principals and Biblical teachings.

I had a conversation with a very dear friend who was politically involved with the Democratic party. When I asked about his beliefs and political principals concerning same sex marriage, abortion, gun control, and taxes, I got the normal Democratic group speak. But when I asked, "What does the Bible say about homosexual marriage, abortion…" and etcetera, then I got solid Republican principals repeated back to me. The answers were in line with my thinking and we agreed totally on every issue.
Then came the conflict; " I am torn," was his response. Torn between getting reelected or following the principals of the Bible. The conversation became calm and peaceful instead of heated and aggressive. We began to discover the real fear and the real solutions. We ended in prayer and success. This has been repeated all over the country with people I call Christian but who support ungodly principals. I am often stunned by black Democrats who do not know the Democratic party supports abortion and homosexual rights. I have observed that many people do not read newspapers or listen to television news programs. If you have a culture getting their information from a comedian or entertainers, they will not know all the issues.

Most of the time (and I use "most" accurately), when I discuss abortion with black Christians, they do not know nor do they believe the Democratic Party supports it. They are shocked when I suggest it is in the Democratic platform. They even challenge if I am just speaking lies about their party. However, they state that they could not support a party like that "if that were true." This has been a very interesting revelation. If we can bring the Biblical principals to light in our conversations, we can gather people to vote, not for the party, but for the issues based upon their own beliefs. This is easy. If you lift HIM up, HE will draw all men to HIMSELF.

Let's enter the discussion on Christian principals, and let's engage, not along party lines, but along Biblical truths. We have been going about this the wrong way. It is not about the black race or the white race, it is about the Christian race.