Pray for Mutual Respect & Dignity

When did religion bashing become a part of our political process? I feel more like Andy Rooney than a religion columnist, but I feel I must speak out against this insanity! Maybe my readers are as fed up as I am. What is up with this? Where is our civility? Where is our integrity? Where is our dignity? Where is our respect for ourselves and others? Where is our humanity?
When the disciples came to Jesus wanting to intimidate and/or ignore the Samaritans, a sect of Judaism that worshipped differently than the predominant one, he would have nothing of it. When he spoke out against the pharisees, he only objected to the fact that they were hypocrites, not their religion per se. In the Old Testament, laws admonish the Hebrews to be kind to the strangers and foreigners among them, even equating them with widows and orphans for special care. In the book of Hebrews, Christians are instructed to welcome those who are different from themselves because they may have been messengers sent from God. The prophet Jeremiah says, "This is what the Lord says: Be fair-minded and just. Do what is right! ...Quit your evil deeds! Do not mistreat foreigners, orphans, and widows." Jer. 22:3 NLT Yet on television, radio and any venue they can find, politicians are parading about making fun of the foreigners, those with different religions, and those who have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, which, in case they may have forgotten, IS EVERY LAST ONE OF US ON THE PLANET! (paraphrase of Romans 3:23) When did it become their job to sit in judgment on someone else's sin?
As Christ-followers, we are resident aliens in this world anyway. We are working to bring about heaven on earth, but our citizenship is in heaven. In the Bible he instructs us clearly to treat even strangers and foreigners with the utmost respect, and each other with even more respect.
“For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed.  He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt." Deuteronomy 10:17-19 NLT. How then can we treat people of a different race or creed like they were somehow inferior to our race or creed? If God shows no partiality, how dare we? So what if Romney is Mormon? So what if Cain is African American? So what if there's a one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater running for office? They're all children of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and worthy to be treated with respect and dignity. When did it become en vogue to be potty-mouthed smarty pants and come out of it looking holier than thou?
I'm saddened by the muck-raking, mud-slinging that passes for debates these days. I'm praying for transparency and honesty. I'll settle for tolerance and respect. Hopefully the Women's League of Voter's "Meet the Candidates" Forum here in Waxhaw will be just that next Thursday. Join me in praying for our local, state and national elections and all the rigamarole leading up to them. It's enough to make you lose your ....religion.