I'm Moderate

Politically I would describe myself as moderate, the perfect cop out answer. I am too liberal to be conservative, but too conservative to be liberal. Political parties aggravate me, because I believe that people more often vote for a party, rather than a Presidential candidate – a main reason I do not side with a political party, but rather research who I believe is the best candidate according to my beliefs.

 These are beliefs I most likely received from my parents, who for the most part seem to be socially liberal, but fiscally conservative. I did get my willingness to cross ideas with my parents, but we do not always hold the same beliefs. Fiscally, I am slightly more liberal than my parents, yet socially we hold many of the same beliefs.

I also receive a lot of my political beliefs from my religious beliefs. For example, when people were discussing whether to allow Syrian refugees into our country I stood firm in what I believed Christ would do. In that situation I stuck to this verse, “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself." (Galatians 5:14). The phrase WWJD may be pretty cliché at this point, but it is something I stick to. An example of me doing this would be the recent shootings that have been taking place. Many Christians believe they have to take the "conservative" side of the argument, meaning that they cannot support Black Lives Matter. An article I posted in the past called Social Justice is a Christian Tradition – Not a Liberal Agenda has much to say about what I believe as far as the social injustices taking place. While the reading had an impact on me, the title is what I appreciate most. People have tried to make Jesus into this ultra-conservative character, when in fact He had some liberal – and may I dare say, socialist views. Many Christians are attempting to make conservative figures, such as Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, etc, into their new Jesus. 

The aspects I have discussed have an influence on how I vote and act by making me less aggressive. The way my parents taught me how to be able to mix my political beliefs has a huge impact because I do not vote for a political party, and I am not aggressive against those with different political beliefs. Being a Christian has also influenced me in this way because I am always reminded that love is above all, and I should not let disagreement turn into hatred. 

Work Cited:
https://sojo.net/articles/social-justice-christian-tradition-not-liberal-agenda