Miccah,
I believe that we should be very careful about accusing individuals of "voting for Satan."
Yes, Mitt Romney is a Mormon. Yes, Mormonism is a cult. So, the next President of the United States may very well be a Mormon. However, you could argue the same thing about our CURRENT president as well (*since he belongs to a Liberation Theology cult...and questioned the fundamentals of the faith in his own autobiography).
However, I have to wonder if you are placing too much emphasis on the role of the President and taking such a bipolar stance on the issue.
Do you ever go shopping? Do you openly and publicly scrutinize the grocery store's owners from which you purchase the groceries? Do you accuse the individuals who shop at the local Piggly Wiggly grocery store of giving money to Satan because of the religious background or faithfulness of the owners? Or what about the products that you buy? Do you question the faith of the farms that produces the milk, fruit, vegetables, etc... that you buy? Do you question the religious faith of the owners of ALL of the companies for which you make purchases of their products?
The same can be said of nearly everything that you do in life. Are you really meant to verify the faith of the owners or workers of the gas station where you buy your car's gas? Do you call Dell, HP, Gateway, Apple, Asus, Ford, GM, Toyota, Honda, etc... to see where they stand in the faith before choosing to purchase one of their products?
Do you ONLY choose products that come from Christians?
Do you ONLY work for companies where all of your bosses will be Christians?
If we aren't careful, we will fall into the same attitude by which the Amish, Mennonites and others have in which they feel that "separation from the world" (ala Romans 12:1-2) comes in the form of complete physical separation and dealings only with those for which you can affirm their faith.
The problem, of course, is that it is difficult to validate ANYONE'S faith. There are individuals here on SermonIndex who are sometimes willing to dismiss the faith of believers who don't line up with every last doctrine that they believe.
In this case, we know that Mitt Romney is a Mormon and Barack Obama is part of a Liberation Theology adherent. There is no question that both of these religions are cults and do not embrace the fundamental teachings of authentic Christianity.
Yet, is making a choice over who would be the best for the next four-year position of "President" the same as embracing their cult?
My boss is not a Christian. My landlord is not a Christian. The guy who gave me my driver's test is not a Christian. Most of my teachers and professors were not Christians. The cashiers at the local Wal-Mart aren't Christians. The computer monitor that I am using was manufactured in a country with few Christians. The clothes that I wear and the cell phones that we use were manufactured by companies of which I have no idea whether or not any Christians worked. The same is true of most companies, restaurants, stores, and businesses that I have used. At one point, my parents weren't Christians.
Does this mean that it is wrong to interact with such individuals? If I am applying for a job, do I ask the potential employer giving the interview whether or not he is a real believer? And, do I quiz him to make certain that he is more than just a Christian in name only?
Likewise, the position of "president" is simply a four year SECULAR position of an executive to one third of the government (the Executive Branch). We don't select a "Pastor-in-Chief." We aren't endorsing the religious faith of that individual. Americans are simply selecting a man for a four-year secular position based upon policy choices that he wants to accomplish.
I believe that it is possible to separate some of the things that a man wants to do (decision-wise) and specific views about righteousness and unrighteousness from the spiritual views of that person. Most people don't endorse the man or EVERY belief of a man but certain beliefs of the man that he wishes to campaign upon.
If you needed to rent a house or an apartment, do you not take such things into consideration? If you had to choose between a house to rent in which one unbelieving neighbor plays loud music, walks around scantily-clothed, staggers around drunk and slaps around his wife and children...or the other which has an unbelieving neighbor who cares for his wife, lives with appropriate modesty and is quiet -- which one would you choose? Would it be "less spiritual" to choose one over the other?
No one here has denied that Mitt Romney is a Mormon. No one here embraces Mormonism. Most people are aware that Barack Obama belonged to a Liberation Theology cult for most of his adult life. No one here is embracing that.
However, I again think that you need to be careful about making absolute declarations when it comes to the decisions that real believers here will make in November. You can present your points. You can present what you believe the Word says on the subject. However, we should be careful about making absolute declarations when others are seeking to follow the Lord's lead on this subject.
Wouldn't it be better to present our views and then simply ask others to pray about the election in November? This way, we are allowing them to be led of the Holy Spirit and not what WE believe that the Lord thinks on the matter.
