Casting Stones

Casting Stones

The Party Platforms: Instructive Guides to Informed Voting – Part 2

posted by Dr. Richard Land | 3:50pm Thursday October 23, 2008

Every year (beginning in 1988) the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission has published a comparison of the two major party platforms to assist Southern Baptists and other people of faith as they seek guidance in the decision for whom to cast their ballots in the presidential election.
This Party Platform Comparison Resource has been one of our most popular resources among rank-and-file church members. Hundreds of thousands of copies have been distributed or downloaded during the presidential elections over the past 20 years.
Instead of seeking to provide an analysis of the two major parties’ positions, the ERLC prints the two parties’ own statements of their positions on the various issues within our purview as the moral concerns and public policy entity of Southern Baptists. People can then decide for themselves, after comparing the two party platforms side by side, which one more accurately reflects their values.
For example, the Democratic Party platform includes the following statement on “Same-Sex Marriage”:

“We support the full inclusion of all families, including same-sex couples, in the life of our nation, and support equal responsibility, benefits, and protections. We will enact a comprehensive bipartisan employment non-discrimination act. We oppose the Defense of Marriage Act and all attempts to use this issue to divide us.”

Conversely, the Republican Party platform includes the following statement on the same issue:

“Because our children’s future is best preserved within the traditional understanding of marriage, we call for a constitutional amendment that fully protects marriage as a union of a man and a woman, so that judges cannot make other arrangements equivalent to it. In the absence of a national amendment, we support the right of the people of the various states to affirm traditional marriage through state initiatives.
“…We also urge Congress to use its Article III, Section 2 power to prevent activist federal judges from imposing upon the rest of the nation the judicial activism in Massachusetts and California.”

Compared side by side, the contrast between the two parties on “same-sex marriage” is clear–”Waterford” crystal clear.
Each voter can then make an informed choice based on which platform more accurately reflects their values and convictions.



Previous Posts

Same-Sex Marriage: Are the People Sovereign, or is it to be the Courts?
On Nov. 4, 2008, the people of California, Florida and Arizona joined the ranks of the nearly 40 of the United States that have outlawed same-sex marriage either by amending their respective state constitutions or by passing appropriate legislation. The three states mentioned above amended their sta

posted 4:11:30pm Nov. 14, 2008 | read full post »

Traditional Marriage Wins Big
Social conservatives and defenders of traditional marriage won tremendous strategic victories in ballot initiatives on Nov. 4. First and foremost, the defenders of traditional marriage overturned the California Supreme Court's legalization last June of same-sex marriage. Despite being outspent nearl

posted 11:35:03am Nov. 07, 2008 | read full post »

America: Fulfilling her promises
All Americans should take great pride and satisfaction in the election of an African-American as president of the United States. Given our nation's tragic racial history, it says something noble and fine about America that Barack Obama, both a product of a biracial marriage and the son of a Kenyan f

posted 2:03:21pm Nov. 06, 2008 | read full post »

The Party Platforms: Instructive Guides to Informed Voting - Part 3
Every year (beginning in 1988) the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission has published a comparison of the two major party platforms to assist Southern Baptists and other people of faith as they seek guidance in the decision for whom to cast their ballots in the presidential ele

posted 1:44:04pm Oct. 31, 2008 | read full post »

McCain, Obama, and the Military
Which candidate for president enjoys the most support among the military, active and retired? The Military Times recently released the results of a poll of their readership (Active Duty military, Reserve-National Guard members, and "military retirees"). They found that among "Active Duty" military J

posted 4:15:25pm Oct. 29, 2008 | read full post »

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Heather

posted October 23, 2008 at 10:26 pm


Sanatana Dharma means Eternal Natural Law. Natural laws are true for everyone whether they believe in them or not. Just as gravity is true for everyone, so is Sanatana Dharma. To find out more, see the Bhagavad Gita. You will be so glad.
-Tulasi108



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