Mike Huckabee vs. Ron Paul, who should a christian vote for?

Who would Jesus vote for? What authority does God give man to exercise through government? Who is more obedient to God's commands? Is Ron Paul a heathen or is Huckabee as modern day pharisee? While many Ron Paul supporters argue with human philosophy, Huckabee supporters often argue with bible verses.This article is for christians and non-christians who wish to use the bible to argue for or against Huckabee and Ron Paul with their christian friends.

I have written a relatively thorough article where I derive the christian political position from the commands in the bible. I encourage everyone to read it, but will provide a brief summary here before I get into analyzing Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee.

Because most christians can find some scripture, command, or example from the bible to justify their position, we must have a means to put all commands in context and then prioritize them. I will start my study with the greatest commandments because we can know that God would not want a christian to follow any other command of his by breaking a greater command (unless specifically directed to by God).

These verses are among the highest laws that Jesus gave. He did not give his followers authority to repay evil with evil. He asked them not to judge and to, as far as it depends upon them, live at peace with everyone. In order to apply direct taxes (income tax, property tax, general sales taxes, and the inflation tax) an individual must delegate their authority to the government to "steal" from others, but clearly man does not have the authority to steal and so cannot delegate it to the government. Tariffs and excise taxes are not stealing, they are fees charged for privileges and services provided by the government.

In order to punish crimes man must use force to fine (steal), imprison, or kill other men. These are clearly sins that man does not have authority to commit. Only God has the authority to punish (or forgive) sins. If he can use a bolt of lightening then he can also give specific commands and instructions to a man to carry out his justice. So any christian seeking to use force against another (either directly or though the government via their vote) had better be sure that God commanded them to do so. If they vote according to their own desire and use their own judgements (instead of relying upon God) then they are committing some of the worst sins: theft and murder.

We can derive from this that it is better to let a sin go unpunished by man than to take it upon yourself to punish another outside of God's will. God does not force us to give to him, obey him, or to follow his laws; therefore, we should not presume to force others to follow his laws either. While Christians should not use force (directly or by government proxy), they should still be vigilant about teaching all who will listen.

These biblical stances are squarely in line with minimal government and in forcing government to abide by all the same restrictions that any man must follow because it gets all of its authority from man.

Ron Paul the Teacher

Ron Paul is a Christian, only he prefers to teach instead of use force. He has his moral positions and beliefs, but will not judge others for disagreeing with him. He seeks to live at peace with all people (as far as it depends upon him). He seeks to prevent the government from stealing money and disobeying the law (the constitution). He understands authority and does not attempt to exercise authority that he does not have. He shows respect for all people (even those who smear him in the press). Through this respect he wins people over to his cause and shames those who disrespect him.

Ron Paul leads by example and bears all the fruit of the spirit (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance). Ron Paul is a true christian who humbly exercises power and does not force himself on anyone. Ron Paul has been faithful with a little and has earned the opportunity to be faithful with a lot.

Ron Paul would deal with terrorists like all other murderers and thieves and use the rule of law to guarantee that God's justice is carried out fairly and that no one faces the terror of government unless they have actually been proven guilty in a court with a jury. Is it not better to have a dozen guilty men go free than to falsely imprison even one individual? Will God not see to it that justice is done?

Huckabee the Pharisee

The Pharisee's were the religious leaders in Jesus' day (like many pastors today). They enjoyed burdening the people with rules and traditions. They used these rules against the average man and lost sight of what Moses really taught. Here is an example of what Jesus had to say about them:

Mike Huckabee along with many christians have derived all kinds of traditions and taboos based upon their interpretation of the bible. While not all christians are the same, common "traditions" include:

• No drinking
• No dancing
• Clothing restrictions
• No drugs (sometimes including most modern medicine)
• No tattoos
• No R-Rated Movies
• No Gambling (or even playing cards)

I am not saying that Huckabee would try to write laws about all of those things, but he is certainty for the use of government force on drugs and gambling. The real problem with Huckabee is that he judges others in areas that are between God and man and that do no harm to those not voluntarily participating (drugs, prostitution, pornography). He wishes to force people to follow God's laws even when Jesus says to love, forgive, and teach them to be obedient. Huckabee would rather go to war with Islam than risk a potential terrorist attack while seeking peace. Jesus died for all people and did not fight those who wished to kill him. By his death he showed his love. He commanded us to love our enemies. How can we teach others not to kill or that we love them if we kill them before they have even attacked us. If we judge and condemn them instead of talking with them how are we showing them love? Has God given up on these muslim extremists? Should christians write them off or attempt to win them for Christ?

Mike Huckabee will violate countless commands of Jesus in the name of enforcing lessor laws that serve his agenda. He uses the bible as a tool to gain support and power and then will reign tyranny upon believers and non-believers alike. His message is not a message of love, but of judgement. He is no different in principle than the terrorists who would attack and kill us for how we let our women dress or our greedy ways. Huckabee will jail sick men who need currently illegal drugs and punish countless others for victimless crimes.

Mike Huckabee would rely on human power and the force of government and the military to protect us from terrorists. A man of God would fear no evil and would not fear death by terrorist atttack. With out fear of these evil terrorists, he could reach out in love and win them over by our kindness. A christian should be quick to love and never hate.

These are harsh words I have for Mike Huckabee, but I believe that they are true. Every christian out there must ask themselves if God has given them instructions to seek out and kill the terrorists or invade other countries (Iraq, Iran). Has God given them the instructions to steal from the rich to give to the poor? Has God given them the instructions to steal from the young to give to the old? If you feel that God has given you these instructions, then you may vote for these things, but if God has not given you those instructions then your actions are operating outside the authority of God and become nothing short of theft and murder by government proxy.

If you are going to judge a tree by its fruit then you must look at Mike Huckabee's record:

• Spending public money on private goods for himself and his wife
• Destruction of government property (hard disks) upon leaving office
• Violating campaign finance laws
• Promotes the unconstitutional "fair tax"
• Complete lack of respect for the rule of law
• Lying about simple and verifiable facts regarding his record
• Supports torture

A good tree doesn't bear bad fruit and a bad tree doesn't bear good fruit. For all of the nice things Huckabee says he is more of a wolf in a shepherds clothing. I encourage all christians to look behind slick talk of this "pastor" and see him for who he is. Then ask yourself if you would rather vote for someone to force christian views of "right" and "wrong" on our society and the world, or would you rather vote for someone who will demonstrate the fruits of the spirit for all of the world to see? Arresting drug users will not win them over to Christ; however, reaching out to help them will provide many opportunities to share God's love.

You can debate this on the Daily Moot!