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"This was an election about family values!"
November 8, 2004
Dear Editor:
I wish to respond to the editorial comments of Don Russell in Sunday’s Advocate entitled Using Religion For Politics Is Wrong. I am the Pastor of an evangelical church and I urged my congregation both Democrats and Republicans to exercise their right as Americans and to vote. I urged them to educate themselves on the issues and to vote according to Biblical principles. It was not necessary for “well-financed political experts” to school me on how to get out the vote. I watched the debates and listened to what was being said on both sides. I agreed with the position that was expressed by President Bush and disagreed with the position expressed by Senator Kerry. Even many of the people in my congregation who voted for Senator Kerry did not agree with his views on Abortion and Same-sex marriage. I would even say that this was true nationally. Many people voted based on party loyalty rather than on the issues at hand.
Thankfully many individuals, Catholics, Protestants and Jews who hold to family values went to the polls because they were tired of having the courts legislate. The majority of people in America are opposed to Partial Birth Abortion, Same-sex Marriage and the removing of God from society. It was not just evangelicals that voted. It was people who were tired of having a minority legislate for the majority. Many of us did not trust Senator John Kerry and we do trust President George Bush. We looked at the character of the men and their record and went to the polls to express our views. I am personally pleased that we have a President who is serious about his faith and who believes in the power of prayer. He is in line with the practice of our founding fathers that did not believe in isolating God from society.
I am a Baptist and we have historically held to the separation of church and state. This phrase has been misinterpreted and misapplied since the 1950’s in our country. We believe that no religious denomination should be supported as a federal denomination. We believe that everyone should be free to worship according to the dictates of their conscience with out the interference of government. This does not mean that immorality should be tolerated in the public sector. Laws are established to legislate someone’s morality and the laws of our land were intended to legislate a Biblical Morality. In the past religious leaders were allowed to express their religious beliefs publicly and Mr. Russell seems to want to only allow the private expression of these beliefs. I believe the results of the last election are a demonstration that the people of American have risen up and have said enough.
We will not be silenced. We are one people. Our nation is not divided. We will not allow ourselves to be in bondage to the distorted views of a vocal, well-financed minority. This was an election about family values and those who held to family values got out to the polls and voted for the man that we believed would do his best to have those values preserved. We will pray that he is successful and that God will be merciful to us as a nation and preserve us from those that would attack us from within and from without.
Sincerely,
The Rev. Dr. Anthony L. Gibson,
Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church
988 Post Road
Darien, CT 06820
203 655-0318
"In the heart of Darien, with a heart for Darien"
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