Would the "Christian Left" please stand up?

Allyson's comment on the last post got me thinking about something that I often rant about: Republicans and their arrogant claim to the "moral" issues. You know, like gay marriage and abortion. If you didn't know any better, those are apparently the big threats to our nation.

They don't often bother with pesky things like the environment or helping the poor. After all, God loves capitalism. And preserving the world we live in or helping those who aren't rich really go against the basic tenet of capitalism, namely, Getting More. More money. More land. More power. More. More. More. After all, that's our right as Americans, isn't it?

But if you believe that God created the heavens and the earth and all that are in them, isn't it your responsibility -- your duty, even -- to protect them? To be a steward? If your father built you a house, would you trash it?

And what about those poor people? We don't see a lot of lepers, destitute widows, or abandoned orphans in our society, but we see plenty of homeless people, the working poor, and families without health insurance.

Some conservatives argue that taking care of the environment and the less fortunate are important, but are not the duties of the government. But if we can legislate some morality, why not all of it? If you believe that abortion is murder and gay marriage is an affront to God -- and should thus be outlawed -- why can't we have effective government restrictions on pollution and government programs that work toward social justice?

Issues such as environmentalism, responsible government spending, and public assistant programs are considered platforms of the Democrats. So I ask: Where is the Religious Left? Where are the Christian Democrats?

I know that I'm not alone in my religious beliefs and political leanings. But where are you people?! I'm maintaining my stance as a political Independent, but it's time for the Democrats to reclaim some moral authority.

Earlier I asked, "...if we can legislate some morality, why not all of it?" There's a problem with that question. Should government legislate morality, or only ethics? Some may say that I'm splitting hairs, but I see a significant difference between morals and ethics (despite the Merriam Webster definitions).

Morals are determined by religious faith. Ethics are an inherent understanding of right and wrong. More on that, and how it impacts things like abortion and same sex civil unions, in the next post.