It’s basic human nature to assume that you can trust what someone tells you. But when it comes to politics one needs to be careful to not automatically accept at face value what members of a political party say they stand for. Political parties routinely accuse each other of being dishonest, so how do you know who’s telling the truth? Fortunately there is a way, and it is this: “By their fruits you will know them.” (Matthew 7:16).
That passage is from the Sermon on the Mount, at the point where Jesus warned of false prophets being “wolves in sheep’s clothing”. By comparing a deceptive prophet to a bad fruit tree he gave us a way to know if they are being untruthful, which is “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.” (Matthew 7:18).
That analogy can also be applied to politics, in which case the politician is the ‘tree’. While it’s debatable in the case of false prophets whether their ‘fruits’ are their works or their prophecies, undoubtedly the fruits of politicians are their policies.
Now in choosing a political party to support, there are two major considerations: 1) is the party being truthful about what they stand for, and 2) does the party have your best interests at heart in terms of promoting policies that support what is important to you.
Only you can determine what’s in your own best interests and what is important to you. For example, do you believe the government should take an active role in helping those of its citizens that are less economically fortunate than others, fight for equal rights, protect the environment, and regulate corporations to prevent economic meltdowns? Or, do you value money and material possessions above all else, believe it should be ‘every man for himself’, and believe that government should be limited mainly to fighting wars and enacting policies that favor those of its citizens that already have the most? These are some of things that people consider to be their own best interests, and the politicians of opposing parties may profess to support.
But the question is, how do you know if a political party is telling the truth about what they really stand for? Well, ‘by their fruits you will know them”.
Consider the following examples regarding one issue, the well being of the middle class:
1) Party A and Party B both say they care about the strength of the middle class. But when Party B tried to enact legislation to extend unemployment benefits during a recent major economic downturn, Party A fought diligently to prevent the legislation from passing and as a result many families went hungry, lost homes, etc., until Party B finally prevailed. Which party really cares about the middle class? By their fruits you will know them.
2) Party A and Party B both say they want a fair system of taxation. Party A enacted 10 years of tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefitted the wealthiest citizens and corporations, while offering a relative pittance to the citizens of the middle class. (Coincidentally, during those same 10 years, the wealthiest citizens got even richer while the average middle class family saw its income stagnate or decline). After those 10 years, when Party B tried to let the tax cuts expire for the wealthiest 5% but leave the tax cuts in place for 90% of its citizens (the middle class) Party A fought diligently to stop it from happening, attempting to keep in place the grossly disproportionate tax breaks for the wealthy (and also claimed falsely that Party B was trying to raise taxes on everyone). Which party cares more about the middle class? Which party favors the wealthy? By their fruits you will know them.
3) Party A believes that outsourcing manufacturing and high-tech jobs, thereby putting millions of their fellow citizens out of work, is a good thing for the economy. When Party B tried to enact legislation to encourage companies to create jobs here at home and end tax breaks for companies that outsource and ship jobs overseas, Party A fought diligently and prevented its passing. Who really cares about the middle class? By their fruits you will know them.
The above examples surround just one of many issues to consider in choosing a political party to support, but the same logical process can be followed for any issue. That is, to listen to the rhetoric of the political parties, and then evaluate not only if their policies truly reflect what they say they stand for, but also if they really have your best interests at heart.
Remember this: “By their fruits you will know them.”
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