by Dr. Glenn Mollette
Are the Presidential candidates all sinners? This could be a potential question for an upcoming town hall meeting or debate.
Answers by the candidates would be interesting. Would any candidate admit to being a sinner? Would some of them deny ever having sinned? Would they say something like, “I sinned a long time ago.” Or, I might have sinned some as a young adult.”
If any would admit to having sin in their lives, would they be comfortable explaining which sins they have committed? Probably not because any admission would become fodder for the other candidates to beat on them throughout the campaign. Of course the media would freeze the admission into print to be replayed multiple times.
What would they admit to? Do political candidates ever admit to being wrong? Doing wrong things and saying wrong words sometimes are accidental but which of them would be willing to admit to even an accidental moral or ethical slip?
The truth is that all the Presidential candidates are sinners. If they say they have never sinned then they are liars. The Bible says “If we say we have not sinned we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us,” 1 John 1:9. Another verse says “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23. Jesus Christ is God’s measuring stick. He’s the only human the Bible says who ever lived without sin. According to the verse of scripture we have come short of Jesus Christ.
The bottom line is that we are all sinners. Thus, so are all the Presidential candidates.
Politicians like most all humans are more comfortable pointing out the failures and sins of the opposing candidate. We all do this to some extent. We point out the wrong things that others are doing. This makes us feel a little more righteous. However, when we point our finger at someone else, we always have three more pointing back at us.
How could there ever be a town hall meeting or political debate without blasting the opposition and condemning every movement the opponent ever made? In our world it would be a difficult achievement. Most of the Republican candidates have already been criticized for not condemning former President Donald Trump enough.
Hopefully in the myriad upcoming television political speeches and discussions we will hear more about what each candidate has done and what he or she will do if elected.
Unfortunately, I am not really interested in spending endless hours listening to political rhetoric. Summer is here in its full glory. Daylight in my area starts about 5 AM and lasts until almost 9 PM. I want to be outside walking, biking and enjoying life. I’ll review all the candidates and have my voting decision made by election day.
Between now and then they can hash out and beat out their failures and sins among themselves.
Dr. Glenn Mollette is a graduate of numerous schools including Georgetown College, Southern and Lexington Seminaries in Kentucky. He is the author of 13 books including UncommSense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa’s Store, Minister’s Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states.
