Look Patricia I am not ~attacking~ you, but I will attack Pragmatism:
Firstly I understand that we live in a world that is not totally ideological or theological, but I also believe that as Christians we ~CAN NOT~ seperate any avenue of life from Morality based on the Bible. That is why I believe that is not just wrong to oppose socialism on purely pragmatic (utilitarian) grounds, but also that socialims in fact is ~immoral~ (robbing from someone to give to someone else..the Ten Commandments...thou shall not...). I think you know this one. It is not just enough to oppose liberalism based on utilitarian grounds, you are a Christian so you should know that belief ~MEANS~ something...
Oh as for how this meets reality, true we should and can ~IN REALITY~ only advance our goals to a certain degree (your half-loaf) in most issues, which we should do, but compromise on that way..unless it contradicts with the Bible, does not= or mean that we should compromise ~principly or morally~.
I think we are talking mostly about the same thing and only differ on the application of morality over all of life rather than ~parts~ of it which I would defend against till my dying breath because Christ died + resurected for all of life's mysteries and parts. Oh well I guess we all just come back to the Platonic argument of the defense of JUSTICE as an intrinsic good as well as not only being beneficial utilitarian wise!
Should I vote for or against Proposition H to build a firehouse and hire more firemen and cops by raising the sales tax 1/2 cent?
You say we cannot separate any avenue of life from Morality based on the Bible.
So, what is the Principle and the Morality involved if I vote yes or I vote no?
Excellent post. That is the way it should be looked at. If more Christians who constantly vote democrat would live how you illustrated, and stop being democrats first and Christians second, the democrats would be a permanent minority party. That's the problem we have with my wife's grandparents. They're long time southern Baptists, pro-life, support the death penalty, against gun control, on and on and on but they're among the brainwashed masses who continue to vote democrat "because they've always been democrats", despite the fact that based on their Christian convictions, most democrats would spit on them for being pro-life, etc so on, which is totally in conflict with the democrat plank. People who are that short sighted and unable to get their priorities straight really annoy me. Given the plank of the democrat party, I am of the opinion and belief that all Christians who vote mostly or entirely democrat have decided either consciously or unconsciously that they are democrats first, and Christians second. I don't know how else to explain that kind of lack of real importance of ones convictions and beliefs. Other than unadulterated stupidity, which I won't rule out, since a great many democrats are just flat stupid when it comes to the real world and what makes it work.