Irreligion and My Vote for U.S. President

Admit it, you talk to yourself. I do too. In fact, we all do. We might not talk out loud, but we say words in our minds. There is profound power in thought and in word.

When I was 18 I read Norman Vincent Peale's The Power of Positive Thinking. When I was 25, I read it again. I found it interesting that in a society that is increasingly irreligious, Mr. Peale often referenced the Bible, and a belief and dependency in God and Jesus Christ. But I soon remembered that the book in my possession was one of the original copies. It was old. Back when he wrote it, talking about Christianity wasn't considered a social faux pas as it is now. That's too bad.

We've changed so drastically as a society that we seem to appease the 'different' and the minorities verses the masses. We must be friendly towards everyone. Diversity is a good thing. However, I intend to specifically address the Gay and Lesbian community.

Recently Barack Obama interviewed with homosexual media outlets, according to an AP report I saw. He stated, in so many words, that he would do all he could to allow openly gay people to serve in the military. He said he would make Clinton's liberal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy even more...well, liberal. Furthermore, he stated that he would do all in his power to allow same-sex couples in so-called civil unions to have federal benefits.

After studying and weighing all of the issues and stances of the three current U.S. presidential candidates, I have concluded, without reservation, that I will not vote for either Mrs. Clinton or Mr. Obama. That leaves John McCain as my choice for U.S. President, by default.

Speaking specifically of the family, it's a sad state of affairs when things are done in direct opposition to strengthening the family, the fundamental unit of society. I believe we must not shift with the tide of immorality or irreligion. We must not shun or berate or condemn those who are homosexuals; we should love everyone. But we must not abandon time-tested values and principles that have made America good. We must be loving and accepting of all people, but that does not mean we must embrace the sinful acts of any person.

A few decades ago I wouldn't have had to say this, but now I feel it's like I must prepare defend myself from a potential onslaught of criticism from voicing myself in this way. Several years ago I contacted my U.S. Congressmen and Senator over the matter. While trying to have others do the same, in support of family, there were some who called me 'close-minded,' a religious zealot and a bigot, but none of these was -- or is -- the case. There is plainly a right and a wrong. There is good and there is bad. God exists and so does Satan. And, to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, when we do good we feel good, and when we do bad, we feel bad.

I will not go into it here, but some have said that what two people do in the privacy of their own dwellings has no affect upon a community or a society. That is simply erroneous. It is false. It is a lie perpetuated by the Father of lies, Lucifer himself.

What should be viewed as taboo or 'bad form' shouldn't be that I'm standing up for time-honored moral principles, but that now I am viewed as the minority.

Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said something worth ending with. Said he,

"It mattereth not whether the principle is popular or unpopular, I will always maintain a true principle, even if I stand alone in it." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 322)

For your convenience a link to The Family: A Proclamation to the World is included here.