It is election year 2012 --- time once again for voters to march to the polls to elect the next President of the United States.  From George Washington, our first President, to the current President, there have always been, shall we say, hot topics that become issues for voters to consider as they start to cast their vote on the ballet. The deciding factor of which candidate to vote for often centers around the voters’ religious and ethical views, thus paving the way for the century old argument: Religion vs. Politics.

With that thought in mind, the hot religious and ethical topics in today’s political debates making headlines are:

1. Equal rights for same-sex marriage
2. Abortion access including methods of reducing the abortion rate
3. Contraception (provided by employer health care plans and/or birth control measures dictated by religious convictions)

My point in writing about these hot topics that voters are facing in this up-coming election is not to voice my opinion one way or the other on any of these issues.  I firmly believe in freedom of choice and free will.

My main point is this:

Religious freedom is one of the most cherished rights in our country.  Our Founding Fathers established our nation while envisioning that religious liberties would be celebrated and faith openly expressed.  Yet efforts to safeguard our First Amendment rights are opposed and ridiculed by activists determined to force people of faith to succumb to pressure and vote against their religious belief.

A former pastor of mine once said:  “A person who doesn’t know and stand for what he believes, will fall for anything.”