（双语）Christian 2020 U.S. Presidential Election Program

Author: Elder Zhang | Translator: Jack Jiang

中文原文：Original article: 基督徒怎样投票？2020美国总统大选选举纲领

Next month, November 3, 2020 will be this year's US presidential election. Voting is the right and obligation of every U.S. citizen, and an important way for Christians to influence society in a country of democracy. The Lord Jesus did not allow Christians to hide every day in the four walls of the church. Instead, He ordered us to enter society, to be light and salt in the world, to shine for the Lord, driving away darkness, and to prevent and slow down moral decay ofthe society. Almost everyone agrees that this election will have ahuge impact on the United States. Therefore, Christians must participate in the upcoming election. Now the next question is: How should a Christian vote?

How to vote?

Most people who don't know God vote according to their self-interest: whomever I like, whosever’s policies benefit me the most will get my vote.

Christians are children of God. The question Christians need to ask should be: In God’s eyes, which party’s policies best fulfill God’s will? God has already given the answer to this question, which is the law God gave to the people of Israel.

The governing principles of God’s law is to love God and love others (Matthew 22:37-40). What is to love God? What is to love others? The Lord Jesus said, “He who has my commands and obeys them is the one who loves me.” (John 14:21) Therefore, we need to lookinto God's laws to understand what it means to love God and to love others. God’s laws are summarized in the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are the constitution that God gave to His people, on which other detailed laws are based. The first four commandments explain the law of loving God; the last six commandments explain the law of loving others. Let us review the contents of the Ten Commandments next.

Commandments 1-4: Revere and honor the only true God.

Four out of the TenCommandments focus on honoring the true God. This heavy focus clearly shows that the most important consideration for Christians during elections is whether a political party will lead the people to fear and respect the only true God.

The United States' Pledge of Allegiance says that the United States is one nation under God. During the Democrat National Convention this year, the words “under God” was removed from the Pledge of Allegiance, twice! Obviously this was done on purpose. Democrat leaders such as Biden and Pelosi knelt to Antifa and BLM protesters. On the other hand, president Trump only kneels to God, and has repeatedly asked Christian leaders to pray for him and our country. Trump declared in many ofhis speeches: In America, we do not worship the government, we worship God! The approximately two hundred judges nominated by Trump and approved by the Republican Senate are mostly God-fearing conservative judges, of which the three Supreme Court justices are typical examples. These actions demonstrate that Trump and the Republican Party today have fear for God. While the Democrat Party also feared God decades ago, but it has drifted far from that and has become a radically different party altogether.

The next six commandments are the laws for people to treat one another. God has selected six areas and placed them in the Ten Commandments, showing that these six are important and basic laws in God’s sight to maintain normal operation of human society.

The fifth commandment: Honor your parents.

On this topic, the two parties basically have no differences. 

The sixth commandment: Don't murder.

Every year, nearly one million babies die from abortion in the United States. This greatly defiles ourland. People who support abortion care about their own rights but they deprive innocent babies of their right to life. In order to make excuses for their actions, these people claim that unborn babies are not human, only a piece of flesh from the pregnant woman hence ok to be cut off at will. This is a great fallacy. The Bible clearly teaches that people are cared for by God while in their mother's womb, and everyone is created in the image of God hence is sacred.

1. Psalm 22:9 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast.

2. Psalm 139:13 For you created my in most being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

The two parties of doctrines about abortion are drastically different. The Republican Party has repeatedly tried to pass a law prohibiting late-term abortion, but was blocked by the Democrat Party. The most recent incidence was on February 25 this year. On the same day, Republicans also tried to pass another law: requiring doctors to protect babies who survived abortions. This law was also blocked by the Democrat Party. In 2019, President Trump used an Executive Order to revoke the $60 million subsidy to the Plan Parenthood Company; but the Plan Parenthood still receives $600 million insubsidies from taxpayers every year (Note: In 2018, a total of 880,000 children were killed by abortion in the US; 350,000 were carried out by Planned Parenthood). On September 3 this year, President Trump promised in an open letter to conservatives, that he would halt all federal funding to Plan Parenthood during his second term. Although it is a daunting task since most funds are controlled by Congress, Trump's resolution to fight abortion and defend the lives of unborn babies is clear and commendable.

The seventh commandment: Do not commit adultery.

Although no one support sextramarital affair, many people support homosexual and transgender behaviors. Many radical leftists are aggressively indoctrinating and brainwashing children in elementary schools. The Bible's teaching is very clear: homosexuality is a sin; homosexuals must repent, otherwise cannot go to heaven (Romans 1:26, 27; 1 Corinthians 6:9). The "Equality Act" passed by the House of Representatives in May 2019 should chill the spines of all people who hold traditional values. Below are two new rules under the Equality Act:

1. Repeal the current religious belief protection law and force the whole society to accept LGBT ascompletely normal behavior. For example: All employers must unconditionally hire gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Religious beliefs can no longer provide employers with legal protection.

2. All public facilities, such as public toilets, pools, change rooms, etc., must allow access to anyone accordingto his own declared gender. For example, if a person with all male parts says that he is a woman, he must be allowed to use female toilets, female bathing pools, and female change rooms.

The bill is currently stalled in the Senate; but the danger is already at the door. If it passes, many Christian institutions and schools may be sued in court for holding their faith; and many may lose their tax exemption status. Some old Christian institutions and Christian schools are built upon a large land area. If they lose the tax exemption status, property tax could rise tens or hundreds times. So property tax alone may force many such organizations to close doors. Biden has said that he will pass this bill during his first one hundred days in office!

The eighth commandment: Don't steal.

The recent riots and lootings have been going on for many months in many cities. Trump and the Republican Party have consistently condemned all violence. The Democrat Party, on the other hand, mostly remained silent on the matter. During June and July, riots in Seattle and Portland continued on every day, yet Biden and Pelosi didn’t mention one word of condemnation. During the four-day National Convention, the Democrat Party again did not mention a single word about the riots and there duction of police funding. Some radical Democrat officials even claimed that looting was justified because the stores had insurance. Not only they don’t condemn stealing, they even encourage robbery! According to the eighth commandment, it is wrong for one person to steal or rob; it is also wrong for a group of people to steal or rob together either by tyranny or making unjust laws because they are the majority. The same is also true between nations: it’s wrong for one nation to invade and rob another nation.

The ninth commandment: Don't give false witnesses to frame people.

Last June, Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, accused Biden of being a racistat the Democrat primary debate, and also said that she trusted the women who accused Biden of sexual assault. After becoming Biden's running mate, a reporter asked about to comment on her allegations against Biden. “It was a debate!” Harris said laughing. In Harris' view, you can make up lies to frame others when needed. This runs counter to the ninth commandment.

The tenth commandment: Do not covet other’s house, wife, maid servant, bull or donkey, and everything he has.

This goes further than the eighth commandment: Not only must you not outwardly steal from others, you must not inwardly covet what others have. A prosperous life needs to be built by hardwork, not taking from others (2 Thessalonians 3:10, If someone refuses to work, they must not eat). Perish the thought of robbing others! According to the eighth and the tenth commandments, the laws of a country must protect private property. Stealing, robbery, and snatching others' wealth by forcibly passing unjust laws must be prohibited and punished. As mentioned above, the Democrat Party remains silent and even encourages blatant robberies. They care less about the inner greed in the heart. The Republican Party advocates prosperity through  hard work, and supports the protection of personal properties. This agrees with the Bible.

The Ten Commandments are the constitution given by God to His people. They are the basic laws and regulations that maintain the normal operation of a society. Using the Ten Commandments to measure the policies of candidates and political parties can help us see whether their policies agree with God's laws: do they reward what God calls good? Do they punish what God calls evil? This is the foremost and fundamental test. If this test already can separate apart the two parties, other considerations are secondary.

Through the above analysis and comparison, we can clearly see:

• The policies of Trump and the Republican Party are basically in line with the Ten Commandments;

• The policies of Biden and the Democratic Party mostly contradict the Ten Commandments.

Therefore, in this election, every true Christian should support Trump and the Republican Party. Both Trump and the Republican Party have flaws and are far from perfection. In the Bible, however, many imperfect leaders were used by God, such as David, Josepha, Hezekiah, etc. Therefore, we have reasons to believe that God can still use imperfect people to do His will.

God’s law, as representedby the Ten Commandments, should be a Christian’s primary consideration at elections. Other considerations, such as strategies to stimulate economic development, foreign policy, border control, strategy to address climate change, management of social security fund and Medicare, etc., are all secondary considerations. People who do not believe in God focus on these issues, but Christians must honor God above all things. We must seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first, not putting personal gains or preferences above God’s will.

Finally, I implore all Christians to pray earnestly for America. This is a Christian’s right and duty. Our country is at a crossroad, and this election may determine the survival or collapse of our democratic system, and with it, our country. Every citizen has the duty to defend our democracy and our country. It’s more so for Christians, who are the light and the salt of the world. Let us pray daily for God's forgiveness for our sins, and ask God to lead those to victory who fear Him. If conditions permit, let us learn from the prophet Daniel and fast and pray. Here is God’s promise to us: “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”(2 Chronicles 7:14)

In your prayers, please remember the following items in particular:

1. Ask God to forgive us for our sins: murder (nearly a million unborn babies are killed each year), fornication, lying (calling evil for good, reversing black and white), laziness(when evil is spreading in the land, many Christians stayed inside thechurch’s four walls and failed light and salt);

2. Pray for God to heal all people who have contracted COVID that they can safely return to work quickly;

3. Pray that the Holy Spirit will move mightily in people’s hearts that they will vote for conservative republicans who fear God.

• President, Senate, House of Representatives. May God grant control of all three offices to the Republican party;

• Governors, Mayors, and State courts;

• Judge: both federal courts, and state courts.

4. Pray that God will leadJudge Barrett’s hearing process and let her beappointed before Election Day.

5. Pray that God will fill people’s hearts with the fear of God throughout the land that all people will stay away from evil, and those who are determined to be enemies of God will be filled with fear and confusion and be defeated by God's army.

6. Pray that God will protect all police officers, keep them from making mistakes at work, and keep their bodies and spirts strong and safe;

7. Pray that God will let the election process go smoothly and all voting fraud activities will fail.

8. Pray that God will grant peace during and after the election, and stop all violence;

9. Pray that God will keep our faith strong and fill our hearts with peace and joy, knowing that history is in God's hands.

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