Real Life Real Faith November Issue | Page 9

POLITICS HISTORY AND FAITH ARTICLE Today has finally come and the division is so thick in the air, you can philosophically cut it with a knife. I feel for my brethren today. Many of us have chosen to side against each other rather than siding with the truth, integrity, and conviction. But after the election results, we (the Body of Christ) must ask ourselves, “Who are we?” “What is our purpose?” “Where does our ultimate allegiance lie?” Many people identify with the left-wing or the right-wing. But what do these two political "directions" mean to us? We have to qualify these labels, so that we can identify what type(s) of governance we are actually supporting, and why. Many of these political labels are misnomers, and the misunderstanding of political . BY BRIAN GANGES ideologies and the principles with which they are associated, causes a lot of confusion among voters, especially believers To simplify things, picture in your mind the extremes of the left and right-wing ideologies like you would an inverse number line. On the extreme left-wing, there is the belief that there should be an authoritarian state, a monarchy, communism, martial law, or any form of governance that rules with 100% Government control, and 0% individual liberty. On the extreme right-wing, there is the polar opposite belief that there should be zero (0%) Government. This is total anarchy, and 100% individual liberty. The far left-wing and the far right-wing forms of governance are too extreme, and no reasonable American should want either one of them. Centrists are in the middle of the road; hence, they are 50% on the number line and this is where we find more of the balance and trade-offs with big Government vs. individual liberty. Anyone who prefers a bigger Federal Government is left of center to varying degrees. The further left you go, the more you support bigger Government; and anyone who prefers more individual liberty is right of center to varying degrees. The further right you go, you support more individual liberty. It’s pretty simple. You just have to reconcile your own beliefs and convictions to determine how much Government and individual liberty you think is needed for our society to function properly.