A Tale of Two Christians

As we approach the November election, Christians are divided once again. It would seem that, for both sides, those who would vote for the other candidate are almost incomprehensible. "How can you even be a Christian?"

Let me see if I can tease out the thinking of both sides. Feel free to correct me if I have misunderstood or misrepresented anything. Certainly, feel free to disagree. I suspect there are many Christians whose consciences simply won't allow them to vote at all in this election.

Abortion and Transgenders
I suspect that for those Christians who support Trump, abortion remains the central issue. Harris will no doubt do everything she can to make abortion widely available again. She would also appoint Supreme Court judges who, eventually, might at some point reverse the recent reversal of Roe v. Wade. Harris' support for transgender rights is also troubling.

Those voting for Harris might respond that it is unlikely that she can deliver on her rhetoric to make Roe v. Wade the law of the land. What has Biden been able to do to reverse it? They might also argue that more fundamental issues are at stake in this election. If the house burns down, all the children may die.

Democracy and Chaos
I suspect that for many Christians who will vote for Harris, the very stability of America and its Constitution are endangered by Trump. Why else would an unprecedented number of conservative Republicans support her, including many previous members of Trump's administration? Mike Pence, Dan Coats, John Bolton, H. R. McMaster, John Kelly -- and more from his previous administration oppose a second Trump presidency. The January 6 riots would be mentioned as an argument that Trump is a threat to the Constitution and the entire American system.

Those voting for Trump might respond that this is just hype and exaggerating him as a threat. He just talks that way. The system survived him before. Some would say that Trump was not responsible for January 6 or that no one/nothing was hurt.

Dangerous Immigration 
There is disagreement over the threat posed to America by the influx of undocumented (and documented) immigrants to America. Those voting for Trump likely see a picture of dangerous criminals flowing into the country. There are claims of child trafficking at the border. Others might say that these immigrants are taking the jobs of those who are already here.

The other side would claim that most of this is misinformation. That immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than those who are already here. That an allowance for unaccompanied minors is not child trafficking. And Christians believe all people are equally valuable in God's eyes, created in his image. The rhetoric is seen as thinly veiled racism. It is often argued that it was Trump that effectively stopped a bi-partisan immigration bill.

Hatred
Those voting for Harris likely consider Trump's rhetoric to be hateful and vile, disqualifying in itself. From his early comments about grabbing women by the p** to recent comments about the size of Arnold Palmer's male organ to hateful comments that flow daily about people being animals and vermin or "black jobs" or "eating the pets" in Springfield or "the enemies within" in reference to Democrats that should be rounded up by the National Guard or military. We would use euphemisms to convey some of the things he says because they make us feel uncomfortable.

The response is generally that he is a little rough around the edges but it is superficial. In 2016, it was said he was a baby Christian. Probably, all Christians would admit that this is less than preferable in a neighbor or relative at Christmas, let alone a president.

Economics
A major contention exists over who gets the blame for the current economic situation. Those who support Trump would primarily blame Biden-Harris for inflation, perhaps pointing to his Infrastructure Investment Act or aid to Ukraine. "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?" A large number of people would say they are worse off.

The response from Harris voters might be that inflation was primarily a consequence of the pandemic and was worldwide, thus not a product of Biden's presidency. For debates over aid to Ukraine, see below. Some might also claim that the economy is actually healthier now than it was four years ago with unemployment down and the stock market up. Most economists see Trump's tariffs as ultimately harmful to the American consumer and the economy.

Israel
There is no doubt that Trump will be more pro-Israel than Harris. As before, Trump would likely support Netanyahu in whatever he might do.

Biden-Harris have pleased neither side in the current conflict. An apparently Elon-Musk-supported group has in fact run opposite ads in Michigan and Pennsylvania. In Michigan, they have painted Harris as a pro-Israel person who has opposed the Palestinians. In Pennsylvania, they have painted her as a pro-Palestinian person who has opposed Israel. In any case, the official response is that they have (unsuccessfully) been trying to get aid into Gaza, secure the release of any remaining hostages, and end the conflict.

Socialism
Harris is likely seen as an advocate for any number of policies that are further on the socialist scale than is desirable. The continuance/strengthening of Obamacare. More regulations on business. Strengthening of central government services. Attempts to strengthen Social Security and Medicare. More climate change regulation. More oversight of education and drag on private education/voucher systems. Attempts at gun control. 

The opposite side might argue that she will not be able to do any more than Biden has been able to do, given the normal grind of government and a divided Congress. Republicans may even retake the Senate, in which case she will probably get little done at all of her own agenda. Others might say that some of these initiatives actually align with biblical values.

Ukraine
Those voting for Harris might claim that Trump would have simply let Putin take over Ukraine and then go on to take over who knows what else. Trump's claim to end the war on Day 1 is seen as him as likely handing it over to Russia. To Harris supporters, this makes Trump incredibly dangerous for world stability. They might argue that Trump actually worsened the Middle East situation considerably by withdrawing from the Iran agreement.

Trump supporters deny that Trump has any sympathy for Putin and in fact supported sanctions on him that Congress passed when he was president. Others might even see Ukraine as the bad guy and Putin as a positive force in the region. Trump supporters see Trump's withdrawal from the Iran deal as a positive -- being strong with our enemies. Others might say that America needs to get out of foreign affairs even more and focus on those at home. 

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This is an attempt to present the two Christian perspectives somewhat fairly. I would sum up the two sides in this way. 

• One side sees Trump as a danger to the fundamentals of the country and the stability of the world. It sees hateful vitriol toward immigrants, opponents, and minorities as disqualifying. 
• The other side believes that abortion remains the central issue for a Christian in this election. Harris has made it clear that she wants to make abortion the law of the land. They might also argue that the appraisal of Trump's danger is overstated. 
• On the other issues, there is disagreement on whether various information is true or false and what the core Christian values are.
• Many Christians will choose not to vote at all, concluding that both sides are too unthinkable to support.

Feel free to point out any flaws in this presentation, to augment it, and of course, feel free to disagree.