I’m Not Afraid, and I’m Not Leaving

I’m not afraid and I’m not leaving.

What I am is disappointed. I had far more hope in the character of the American people than was displayed by their behavior in last night’s election. What has become painfully evident is that slightly less than half our registered voters are willing to be led into hatred motivated by their fear. A large portion of them even claim that they are doing so with Godly virtue.

How is this possible? The only answer is fear. All the rhetoric about being fed up with politics as usual and the need for conservative Supreme Court justices is just a smoke screen for the deeper issue of mind-numbing terror.

How else can one explain that people who whole-heartedly follow a God who teaches the love of and value for all people of all races and each gender waving banners and shouting the name of a candidate who repeatedly proclaimed his hatred and disrespect for various races, religions, his utter contempt for the value of women? He consistently and constantly declared to this country who he was and what he valued, yet people of faith continued to support him. Mainstream “Christian” leaders traveled across the country visiting state capitols encouraging people to vote for him. Obviously thousands of them followed that lead.

How can anyone explain millions of people voting in direct opposition to their most deeply held beliefs? Abortion can’t be enough because the candidate has never demonstrated any integrity on this issue long enough to have a shred of confidence he will make significant change there. He obviously has never been concerned for the poor. He has no respect for the beauty and longevity of marriage. He has demonstrated contempt for anyone different than himself; all he was able to do was inspire a deep groundswell of gut-level fear in people. That was enough for them to throw out everything they believed in their most cherished intimacy with their God simply because he made them afraid.

The most disturbing thing now is that those same people are claiming their massive, fearful abandonment of their faith as a virtuous victory for God. The good news is that God is still good, and He is even still their God. He will carry them through this and they will recover. What they will lose, however, is confidence in the leaders who guided them along the path of following this politician. Our new president will display his character. He can’t help it. When he does, there will be a dramatic fallout and people will still need spiritual leaders with integrity to help pick up the pieces and shepherd them back to health.

Some of us will still be here and will be ready to extend the grace of God to those who realize, too late, what they have been deceived into doing.

I’m not afraid, and I’m not leaving.

I would have no more hope for our country and its politics had the other candidate been victorious. My security is not in politicians. My security is in my God. y deepest sorrow today is in the wholesale deception of the people with whom I share my faith and the way I watch them celebrate their having been deceived.

I still love my God and I still love people. I will pray for our new president because that is part of my faith. I will not, however, ever surrender my faith for fear, even if loud influential spiritual leaders are telling me it’s okay because we need good Supreme Court justices.