Don't Get Me Started

Politics from Genesis

Perhaps I should explain a few facets of why I believe what I believe. The 14 regular readers of this column know that I do my level best to look at every aspect of life through the prism of Scripture. Politics is no different. In fact, you could say that a vast majority of my political

By ANDY HEFTY

perspective comes from the first several chapters of Genesis -- where it all began.

As you know, Genesis is the first book of the Bible. It starts out with the detailed account of how God Himself created heaven and Earth from His spoken word. So how does this convert to politics? Let's work a few verses to find out.

Man and Wife

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

In the very first chapter, God created man in His image. He then created a wife for him. The late Pastor Jerry Falwell said many times, "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve." So if you are wondering what God thinks about marriage, check the Book.

Responsible environmental policy

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

With those simple words, we have a Scriptural principle of stewardship of our home. We are placed on this Earth to "dress and keep" it. But is God who sustains it. Because I believe that God created the world in six literal days, I also believe he created it with enough resources to prolong it until He decides otherwise. There is nothing we can do to "save the planet." But we are to act responsibly. For those who wish to pave the entire world, Scripture calls on you to avoid the abuse. On the other hand, be careful that you steer clear of worshipping the creation instead of the Creator.

Waiting until marriage

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Nowhere in the Bible are we told it was, is, or ever will be acceptable to engage in sexual relationships outside of the marriage covenant. If you believe the Bible, this mandate is for you.

Freedom & Responsibility

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Here we are shown that God gave us choices with limitations and consequences. You know how the rest of that story goes. Woman. Snake. Fruit. Bad choice. Major problem. But God didn't prevent Adam and Eve from making an unwise choice. Instead, He told them what to do and what to avoid while leaving the decision to them.

So why do government agencies want to protect us from every little difficulty we may face? Perhaps it's a good thing to allow people to "fall down and go boom" once in a while. Learning from our mistakes and taking responsibility for our actions will only improve our lives.

True Charity

And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.

The old adage about charity beginning at home has been so badly abused these days that I thought a little perspective is in order. Charity is not something that is kept for one 's self. Keeping your generosity to yourself is not charity -- it's greed. "Beginning at home" means to start sharing of your personal bounty before demanding others do the same. Because the answer to Cain's question is yes!

Global Warming

And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.

Whatever you want to call it, global warming, climate change, seasons, understand this: if God can create a cataclysmic flood over the entire earth, don't you think we would have an ice age to follow, along with eventual melting, rapid flooding (think Grand Canyon), and other events that would cause our temperatures to change? And if the Earth is only 6,000 years old, isn't it possible that we are still feeling the effects of Noah's flood?

I could go on for some time. But I think you get the picture. If you want to research more information from a Biblical perspective and a scientific approach, visit http://www.answersingenesis.org/.

To download a free copy of the Bible, visit http://www.htmlbible.com/#free. My friend John Hurt has a tremendous site devoted to spreading the Gospel.