As I was sitting at the Democrats booth at the Taylor County Fair last year, 2023, I was approached by a man claiming to be a Republican. He told me I couldn’t be a Christian because I was a Democrat. He went on to explain that Democrats can’t be Christians because they promote deviant sex and the murder of unborn babies. He then told me that one of the Ten Commandments is ‘Thou shall not kill’, and since Democrats want women to get abortions that kill unborn babies they can’t be Christians. I asked him who he had been listening to. He replied that he wasn’t listening to anyone, but he figured it out for himself because he had a brain.
He did not convince me that he wasn’t listening to someone. He did convince me that he believed what someone with a hidden agenda was telling him. That agenda probably has nothing to do with the Ten Commandments or fetus’. The people who were the source of what he was listening to probably knew what lies the fellow would believe, and what lies would frighten him. (Note: Lies in political speech are protected speech according to the First Amendment.) After convincing this guy that he would be ‘Damned’ if he voted for a Democrat, the people influencing him could manipulate him to vote for whatever Republican they wanted him to. The people influencing him did not help this guy, nor did they want to. This guy deserves better. This guy deserves the truth. This guy deserves someone who will represent his interests, not try to manipulate him.
There are those who claim they would like to make America Christian. This would mean repealing the First Amendment that allows freedom of religion. Since they bring up the Ten Commandments a lot, I think they want the Ten Commandments to be a guiding force in our government. Do they intend to fine people for not going to Church? (Breaking the 2nd Commandment) Today we expect parents to be responsible for their children. If America becomes Christian again and our government is operated according to the Ten Commandments, are we going to fine the children who disobey their parents? (Breaking the 4th Commandment) If America becomes Christian again are we going to imprison the people who covet? (Breaking the last Commandments) Are there other thought crimes that they think may need to be addressed.
Taking advantage of ignorant people is a talent ‘self righteous’ people mastered thousands of years ago. In doing so. they mislead the people, and ignore the Scriptures. Jesus challenged the Scribes and Pharisees during his ministry. Martin Luther challenged Pope Leo X during his lifetime. I consider it my duty as a Christian and a Lutheran to challenge those self righteous people today.
I try to avoid attacking people, but this needs to be addressed. These self righteous people need to be held accountable. I doubt they believe the women are murderers. I doubt they care about the life of the fetus. They just want their candidate to get elected, and if misrepresenting the Bible helps, they see no harm in that?
The Commandments were given for the individual’s benefit. They were never meant to be a guide for how to govern a nation. I would like to remind those who so easily judge Democrats about another Commandment that Jesus told the Pharisees, “Love your neighbor as yourself”.
In ancient times the gods were national gods. The winner in a war was the country whose gods were the more powerful. The idea of the separation of Church and State was foreign to them. I think Jesus was the first one who brought up the concept. He was once asked by the Pharisees if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. Jesus asked them to show him a coin. He then asked them whose image was on it. They answered, “Caesar’s.”. He then told them to give unto Caesar what was Caesar’s and to give to God what was God’s. This is the first written comment that I am aware of concerning the separation of Church and State. The early Christians were to obey the authorities with one special exception. They were not to recognize any ruler as a god, there was only one god and that was God.
There were times in the Christian era when religious and political power, were combined. It did not always go well. We had ‘good christian people’ burning their neighbors at the stake in Salem Massachusetts. We had the Spanish Inquisition. Before Columbus set sail for India (he ended up in America, but he meant to go to India) Pope Nicholas V gave him instructions to convert any people he encountered to Christianity and baptize them.If they would not become Christians he could steal from them, rape their women, and kill them. He could even steal their property, their government, and make it the property of Spain. This became known as the ‘Doctrine of Discovery’. When the Pope gave Columbus the ‘Doctrine of Discovery’ a person was not considered a person by the Church until he/she was baptized. The current belief in the Church is that the unborn are considered people. I do not know when that changed.
The comment about Democrats not being able to be Christians was about the abortion issue and the Democrats protecting LGBTQ+ people’s rights as American citizens. The First Amendment allows for the Separation and State. The idea that abortion and LGBTQ+ rights are unChristian and that should be the reason they should be discriminated against violates the First Amendment. It is forcing one religion on the whole country. However I believe I need to challenge the idea that those issues are unChristian.
First I will address abortion. Please note that this is the opinion of someone who never has had an abortion and never will, because I am a guy. When I previously was a candidate for the 87th Assembly I talked about the abortion issue with both those who preferred to be called ‘pro-choice and those who preferred to be called pro-life.
The ones who were pro-choice had stories of pregnancy complications that were serious. They might not have been life threatening, but they could be life changing for the worse. They all were married people who almost lost a child or the woman almost died in a previous pregnancy. None of them said they wanted an abortion so they could have sex without having children. Those who promote that idea really should provide reliable data when making that statement.
The ones who were pro-life did not talk at all about their personal experiences. They talked about religion, and right and wrong. They talked about all the women who just wanted to have sex and not be bothered with having children. They talked of murder. Their beliefs were based on something theoretical. Not a life experience.
I don’t know when a fetus becomes a person other than at birth. Terminating a pregnancy is not desirable. I do not promote it. Democrats do not promote it. But pregnancy comes with some real risks both to the woman and the fetus. When a woman is pregnant there are a lot of things that can go wrong. We keep statistics of how many women die in childbirth. We do that because sometimes women die in childbirth. Having the best medical options available during pregnancy and childbirth is very important. That is what Democrats like me promote.
After the child is born we promote the care of that child. If the parents cannot take care of the child we have laws to rescue the child and help that child become a healthy adult. That is what Democrats promote. Having an abortion should always be an option. It will always be a painful option. Is it a sin? I am not the judge. That is between the woman and her Creator. The government should not get involved. I would like the people so willing to judge the sinfulness of the women getting an abortion to refer to St Paul’s letter to the Roman’s, Chapter 2 beginning with the first verse. “Now if you feel inclined to set yourself up as a judge of those who sin, let me assure you, that you are in no position to do so. For at whatever point you condemn others, you automatically condemn yourself,” Then later in the same chapter. “What makes you think that you, who so readily judge the sins of others, can consider yourself beyond the judgment of God.”
As for Democrats promoting deviant sex, they are not promoting any kind of sex. They are protecting the rights and safety of American citizens. The LGBTQ+ movement would not be a movement if it weren’t for the violence and threats of violence that has been done to that community. The Democrats do not promote any kind of sex, and neither do I. This is about protecting people who are American citizens. The LGBTQ+ movement is about allowing someoneto speak honestly about who they are without threats of violence or violence committed against them. You don’t have to like them, but you cannot legally harm them, nor can they legally harm you.
I believe the Christian ideal of loving your neighbor is about accepting them as they are, not trying to make them into someone you approve of.
Ultimately you will believe what you believe. You have that right. The State cannot decide what religion you must profess, or even require you to profess any religion at all. That is because of the First Amendment’s separation of Church and State.
As a candidate for the Wisconsin Assembly I accept the Constitution as the law of the land. I do not want the First Amendment that allows the separation of Church and State to be repealed or altered in any way.
Richard Pulcher
Richard Pulcher, a longtime resident of Lublin, WI since 1990, is an Augustana College alumnus with a B.A. in Economics. He is deeply involved in his local church and community, driven by a steadfast passion for fostering positive change and development in his local area. Richard's insights reflect his commitment to community enhancement and his rich experiences in Lublin.
