Sunday, August 31, 2008

The Irony of Gustav

Before the DNC (Democratic National Convention) kicked off, people on the religious right were requesting that people pray for rain at the stadium, where Obama gave his acceptance speech this past Thursday.

A great deal of horrible things have been done in the name of religion, and when you consider things like the Spanish Inquisition, the Crusades, the Holocaust, numerous incidents of Ethnic Cleansing, the wars in the Middle East, and "Muslim extremist" terrorists, they definitely pale in comparison to praying for rain. Regardless, I find it to be a horrible thing to do. For some people it is never enough to simply agree to disagree.

If they want people on their side, I fully support them campaigning for McCain. As long as they do it for the right reasons, and in the right way. Their religious views are a legitimate reason, and I can respect that. However, is winning an election simply because you forced the other side to cancel or postpone a speech really a true win? Is silencing your opponent or telling lies really something that a religion would promote?

It is the difference between forcing someone to your side, or truly convincing someone and changing their beliefs. Someone who votes for a candidate because they know nothing about the other is not a true supporter. It is the person who has the full freedom of choice, and who is well informed, who can truly support a candidate.

Not to pick on the religious, but honestly, who would be more likely to get into heaven? Someone who shows up at the gate and says,
"Well, I went to church every Sunday because everyone else did, and I was told if I didn't then I would go to hell."
Or would it be someone who says this.
"I have studied all the different religions and choices, and I spent some time not being religious at all, but I found my true place, and I loved going to church and praising my God."

Anyway, besides that bit of irony, the other bit is that the DNC went off without any rain at all, and Obama gave a great speech. McCain however, announced today that he would be making drastic changes to the RNC (Republican National Convention) due to hurricane Gustav, which has already killed dozens of people in Cuba and the Carribean and is scheduled to begin to hit landfall in the US tomorrow (Monday). New Orleans and surrounding areas are being mandatorily evacuated as I type this. So it seems McCain is the one being hurt by the inclement weather, and its not just rain, but a hurricane.

Article about McCain's changes to the RNC.
Posted by Sean at 12:34 PM

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