With our nation embroiled in chaos and unrest, many Americans are looking to the upcoming presidential election in November and carefully weighing their options for which candidate is most likely to help lead the country away from impending doom while protecting constitutional guarantees of religious freedom.
Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, has been in politics for 50 years. And during those five decades, his once-centrist policies have gradually shifted far to the left, leaving many Christians questioning his commitment to protecting the rights of those Americans who hold to Biblical values.
The former vice president claims he will “restore a national culture of inclusiveness that encourages individuals of all faiths to celebrate their beliefs openly and without fear of harm or reprisal,” yet he also promises to reverse the Trump administration’s religious exemptions for faith-based ministries, as well as conscience protections for health care workers.
“Biden is running for president on a platform committed to advancing coercive social policies that would gut freedoms for many Americans,” says David Closson, director of Christian ethics and Biblical worldview at the Family Research Council. “If he is elected, we will likely see assaults on the freedom of religious institutions, religious people in the marketplace and public square, and the overall ability of people to integrate their faith in a robust manner in public life.”
The Equality Act
One such assault would be the passing of the so-called Equality Act. In an effort to win over LGBTQ activists, Biden has vowed that he would sign the deceptively named bill into law within his first 100 days in office. This would establish new federally protected categories of sexual orientation and gender identity in every sphere of society, effectively changing America as we know it.
Male-bodied trans women would have rights to women’s private spaces such as bathrooms, locker rooms, shelters and sports leagues; employers would be forced to provide health care insurance coverage for hormone treatment and/or sex reassignment surgery for individuals with gender dysphoria; parents would be federally banned from seeking counseling for their children struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction or gender confusion. Essentially anyone standing against the LGBTQ agenda would find themselves in violation of federal law.
“Governments that impose ideological viewpoints in law that deny God’s creation, like the Equality Act, threaten our fundamental rights of conscience and religious belief,” says Doreen Denny, vice president of government relations for Concerned Women for America. “Liberals like Biden attack women’s rights in promoting an agenda that claims any man who perceives he is a woman is female. This is an assault on the dignity of women and directly threatens our safety and status under the law.”
Abortion
When Biden began in the Senate in 1973, he believed Roe v. Wade was “wrongly decided,” and in 1974, he told Washingtonian magazine that Roe “went too far.” He also repeatedly voted for the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal dollars for abortion services in most cases.
But after falling out of line with his fellow Democratic candidates early in his presidential bid, Biden quickly denounced the Hyde Amendment and now pledges to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law and restore federal funding to Planned Parenthood if elected.
While the topic of race has taken center stage this summer, little has been said about the abortion industry’s disproportionate targeting of black communities. In the United States, 38% of abortions are performed on African American women, according to a 2016 CDC abortion surveillance report, while just 13% of the female population is black.
Yet Biden recently told listeners of the “The Breakfast Club” radio show that they “ain’t black” if they don’t back him for president—all the while advocating for what would lead to the murder of future generations of African American children.
Running Mate
During a Democratic debate with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in March, Biden committed to choosing a female running mate.
While many on both sides of the aisle applauded the announcement, some wonder if it’s all a ploy to disguise the very real harm that would come to women under a Biden administration.
“It is unconscionable that Biden and his presumptive female running mate would trample female dignity and justice for women,” Denny says. “Transactivists and all candidates who embrace their agenda are forcing female athletes to compete against biological males in women’s sports. They are forcing female prisoners and survivors of domestic abuse to share showers with males claiming they are women. They are forcing women to give up the privacy and safety of sex-specific restrooms, locker rooms and dorm rooms. These threats are against all the women of America and our daughters and granddaughters.
“Often the choice of running mate is viewed through a lens of what the presidential candidate lacks,” Denny adds. “Does Biden’s pledge to choose a woman signal he is lacking in his appeal to women? Ultimately the question should rely less on demographic characteristics and more on qualifications.”
A Biblical Response
Joe Biden may identify as Catholic, but his positions on religious liberty, the LGBTQ agenda and abortion run counter to many of the Bible’s fundamental doctrines about who God is and who man is.
“There is simply no way to square Scripture’s teaching on these important issues with the public policy positions currently being advocated by Joe Biden and his campaign,” Closson says.
As November approaches, now is the time for Christians to seek God’s direction for the future of our country.
“First Timothy 2:1-2 commands Christians to pray for the governing authorities,” Closson says. “During the lead-up to the 2020 election, Christians should pray for the safety and well-being of all the candidates. We should also pray for and advocate for candidates who will advance Biblical morality and God’s truth on important issues facing our country.”
Photo: Ron Adar/Alamy Stock Photo