Is God a Republican, a Democrat, or what?

     Throughout the ages, every political faction that has ever existed has attempted to align themselves with the Almighty Creator of the Universe.  Advocates have used all sorts of quotes from both the Bible and various secular texts to "prove" that they, and they only, are correct in God's eyes, and if you want to avoid eternal damnation, you must vote for them.

      Today, the battle for the hearts and minds of believers rages on.  But things have gotten really bizarre as of late. 
      On the Conservative/Right-Wing side, the so-called "Evangelical" Christians are fawning and ogling over President Trump.  Think about that for a moment.  It's common knowledge that the thrice-married Donald Trump is a lout and a philanderer.  He does not attend Church or, to the best of anyone's knowledge, have any kind of personal devotional routine or Bible time.  He is so dishonest that all the fact-checking websites cannot even keep up with his daily spewage of lies and made-up assertions.  He's a xenophobic racist who has no qualms about unleashing all hellfire and fury upon refugees from "shit hole" countries (his words, not mine).  And his tendency to insult and pick fights with anyone who dares to disagree with him is hardly what one might call a Christ-like temperament.  Can you imagine any Christian parent holding up Trump as a role-model for their kids? 

      Yet the Evangelicals worship him.  Why?  Part of it is just inertia:  they've always maintained that the surest way to go straight to Heaven is to vote straight Republican.  Trump, meanwhile, has promoted a couple of issues that are particularly near-and-dear to them.  One of those is the moving of the Israeli embassy to Jerusalem.  I've written before how on this topic, and stated how that whole affair has absolutely zero effect on a typical American citizen, and besides the Bible does not mention the United States of American or its embassy.  The Evangelical crowd went gaga over it because it has something to do with hastening the Second Coming of Jesus or something like that, and God is supposed to alter His time-line because of something the U.S. government did.

      The other big issue is abortion.  Abortion has always been one of those issues without a clear-cut resolution.  It comes down to the question of who has the greater right: a woman's right to her own body, or the fetus' right to live.  I really don't have a problem with anybody who feels either way about it.  But I do have a problem with this militant one-issue mentality that disregards every other political issue, even going so far as to support a disgusting heathen like Trump just because he's solidly anti-abortion.  Abortion should not even be such a big issue in the first place because it really only directly affects a tiny portion of the population:  pregnant women who don't want to carry their babies, and (depending on your point-of-view) the fetus itself.  There are other issues out there that affect a MUCH larger swath of the global population; like, for example, being forced to pay taxes to support a global U.S. military empire that bombs entire nations and allies with brutal murderous tyrants.

      At the opposite end of the political spectrum lies the more "traditional" churches such as the Roman Catholics who have aligned themselves with the left-wing.  Through most of their history, they have supported socialistic government-mandated wealth redistribution programs.  Today's poster child for this viewpoint is Pope Francis, a man who never met a tax-supported welfare program he didn't love.

      If you think that the purpose of the government is to lead people to Christ, or to enforce Biblical edicts, or to redistribute wealth, or to establish a global military empire, I may disagree with your politics, but I will respect your prerogative to have an opinion on these issues.  But when people use clout or leadership positions that are UNRELATED to government to promote their brand of politics, well, that's crossing the line.  This applies to entertainers, business tycoons, and of course preachers who use their church pulpits to sway their congregations.

      Me, I'm not a preacher.  I don't have a pulpit like the right-wing and left-wing pundits described above, trying to sell you snake oil in the form of political baloney.  I'm just a blogger.  
      And on that note, what political viewpoint should the devout Bible-believer subscribe, according to your favorite blogger?  To answer that question, here is my favorite Bible verse, from the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel, Chapter 8.  Here is my paraphrased rendition:

    "Give us a government!" the people demanded.
     "You don't want a government" God replied.
     "Yes we do!" the people shouted.
     God said:  "Look, if I give you a government, here's what will happen: It will turn your sons into cannon fodder, force your daughters to work in sweatshops, steal your land, your homes, your animals, your paycheck, your bank account, and your kids.  It will generally make your lives miserable until you scream in agony."
     The people replied, "And your point is?"
     God sighed. "Very well then, here's your government. But don't say I didn't warn you!"

     Clearly, the Big Man Himself even thought government was a bummer.