Christians Voting Democrat

I've been pondering over something for a long time and now I'm going to take a stab at articulating it into words. I feel very strongly that someone has to say this- You can still be a good Christian and vote Democrat.
As much as George W. Bush and others would like us to believe that politics is an entirely black and white matter, a simple case of good versus evil, it most definitely is not.
I am certainly not a political expert. But with a political science major, a decent study of history, and exposure to a lot of different viewpoints, I can honestly say that politics is not black and white. In fact, it is full of lovely shades of gray.
For those of you who believe voting Republican is the only acceptable Christian answer, let me ask you this-do you honestly believe Republicans like Ann Coulter, Dick Cheney, and Rush Limbaugh act like good Christians?
The fact of the matter is, Republicans are not always good people anymore than Democrats are.
My mother is a Mormon Democrat. This may sound like an oxymoron (I haven't forgotten you "mean Christian" you Ann Coulter) but it's not. I laud the Mormon approach to voting, wherein a statement from the church leadership is released every election encouraging each individual member to pray and make their own decision to vote for who they personally feel will be the best candidate. No one in the Mormon church has ever told my mother she has to vote Republican if she wants to be Christian.
Now while it's true that Utah is one of the reddest states in the nation, I also know many non-Utah Mormons (there's a big difference between Utah Mormons and non-Utah Mormons, believe me) who vote Democrat. And I'm sorry, but you can't tell me that their voting choices make them bad people.
Let's consider a few things. I asked my Mormon Democrat mother one day why she thought many Christians vote exclusively Republican when Democrats support social programs that give aid to the poor and unemployed. My mother told me she thought it had to do with the Protestant work ethic, and that her guess was most Christians aren't in favor of these social programs because they appear to be "handouts" and are contradictory to people earning their way in life.
I respect the Protestant work ethic very much. Our country could not have been founded without it. But the bitter reality is that in this country today, working hard does not necessarily guarantee you success or fair treatment in life. And if there's simply not enough jobs to go around, how are we to say whether the average poor person on the street is destitute because they're not willing to work, or because they simply can't find a job or have been cheated by the system? I personally would rather err on the side of providing enough aid and support to social programs that provide for the unfortunate and end up with some people benefiting off the system who don't deserve it, than err on the other side wherein many of the unfortunate and needy who can't help their own situation go hungry and without help. Jesus commanded us to help the poor-which side do you want to err on?
The other popular argument of course is that Democrats are amoral because of their position on social issues such as gay marriage and abortion. I understand this concern-I don't want gay marriage to become a law anymore than the next Christian. But drawing the line there, I also think it's wrong to discriminate against gays in the work place, and deny them basic tax benefits, and other rights. Didn't Jesus command us to love everybody? Erring on the side of discrimination seems a little dangerous to me, and a little hypocritical for Christians. And I know Democrats often support things that go against our beliefs, such as abortion. But let's think for a moment. The issue of abortion is not as black and white as Republicans would like you to believe, and they use it as a very effective smoke screen to make themselves look like the properly moral choice. If we outlaw abortion, will it stop women from getting abortions? Most likely, it will only cause them to get those abortions illegally, increasing the chance that they will hurt themselves or die as well in the process. I'm certainly not sanctioning abortion. But I don't believe voting for a Republican who is against abortion is going to solve that problem. Even if we feel abortion is wrong, Republicans have yet to offer us a tried and true solution to ending the grief it causes. The abortion rate went down under Clinton. It hasn't under Bush.
Furthermore, I will never be able to vote for a person, Democrat or Republican, who started something as completely immoral as the Iraq War. I will never support a war started by a man who first claimed we were going into Iraq because of their link with Al Qaeda, then claimed it was due to the presence of weapons of mass destruction, and finally claimed it was to promote freedom and democracy. I will not support a war against "terrorism," which like the Cold War is a war against idealology and not able to target anyone place or people containing the true source of the problem. I cannot support a war which can never truly be won but is merely a symbolic gesture to try and prove to the people of America that our president is taking a stand against evil. In reality that same president is responsible for the death of thousands of our soldiers, many of them young men and young women. He and his advisers are also responsible for the deaths of thousands of Iraqis, most of whom did not ask for us to help them let alone invade their country. No Christian anywhere can convince me that there is anything moral about this ghastly war in Iraq. A woman who lost a son in Iraq came to our campus and spoke to us about her grief and her personal feelings about the war. George Bush and other Republicans in his administration are responsible not just for her suffering, but for the sorrow of mothers and families everywhere losing their children to a war with no true purpose other than supporting Bush's rhetoric, and no true end in sight. I believe I am a patriot when I say I support our troops by wanting to bring them home again. I pray for those young men and women just as I pray for our country; that they can be safe and that they will not have to be needlessly put in the way of danger.
Furthermore I will not be governed by fear. I will not allow the Republicans to convince me that the war is necessary to protect ourselves from "terror." I will not allow them to cow me into voting for them because a Democrat could not protect the country as well as they claim they are able to do. I do not take any stock in their "terror alerts" made to scare the American public. They are responsible for creating part of the terror in the first place, and they cannot rule me by fear of terrorism. Did Christ lead his people by fear? No, he lead them by love and compassion.
Can you tell me that there is anything moral about what the current Republicans in the Bush administration have enacted and supported lately? Tell me what is moral or in concordance with Christian thought about this war which George Bush and his advisors have fomented, augmented, and drawn out? Jesus told us that "by their fruits you shall know them." Look at the fruits of this Republican administration. The Iraq War alone stands as testament that what George Bush and his staff have produced as their fruit is destruction, sorrow, fear, and death. Is George Bush a Christian just because he tells us he is? Of course his words claim he is. But look at his deeds. Is he truly acting in a manner that is consistent with true Christian beliefs and ideals? Is a preemptive war, responsible for a body count that continues to grow with each passing day, the act of a true Christian?
Of course as Christians I know you have to vote as your consciences tell you to. More than anything else I want for all Americans to be free to vote as they feel led to. But my plea to you is don't let anyone else tell you how to vote, not me or any other Christian. And especially don't vote for people like George Bush just because your pastor tells you to. I highly recommend the Mormon approach. Examine the candidates, look at the facts, and search the issues thoroughly. Then pray about your decision and do what your heart says is right. And please remember that voting Republican isn't always voting for Christian ideals. It is not a matter of good versus evil. Rather it is a matter of deciding which shade of grey is better than the other.