This is an expose for an article titled “Why I’m Willing To ‘Waste’ My Vote” by Stephen Altrogge. His words will be indented, mine not. Also, unless indicated otherwise, all emphasis is mine.
I hear it all the time.
“Not voting for Donald Trump is the same as voting for Hillary!”
“You are wasting your vote!”
I understand the argument. There’s already a high probability Hillary is going to win the election, and unless everyone throws their support behind Donald, the presidency will go to Hillary.
Woah! So this guy believes that “unless everyone throws their support behind Donald, the presidency will go to Hillary.” And he is STILL trying to persuade people to NOT vote for Trump? So maybe he thinks Clinton is good, right? Nope.
If Hillary is elected, she will appoint liberal Supreme Court justices who will strengthen Roe v. Wade, further gay rights, and take the United States on a crash course with destruction. She is another Obama (or worse) who will ruin everything good about this country and promote wickedness.
There is certainly some validity to this argument. People I respect hold to this position and will be voting for Trump. Hillary is clearly not a good candidate for so many reasons, and I absolutely will not support her this election. She will not get my vote.
This guy already let us know that he believes that not voting for Trump is going to cause Hillary Clinton to become president, and yet he still thinks that it’s not a waste to not vote for Trump?
But does this mean I must vote for Trump? Is a vote for a third party, such as Evan McMullin, a waste?
I don’t think so.
So, he thinks voting for a Mormon who formerly worked for Goldman Sachs and the United Nations (Evan McMullin) is good? But voting for a guy who is for American sovereignty is bad? I’m going to put this out there right now: Stephen Altrogee is a traitor. He is a traitor to conservatives, a traitor to the USA, and a traitor to Christianity. Fighting to help the establishment NWO people to stay in power is wicked. On top of that, Evan McMullin has let it be known that he’s not even in it to win, but simply to keep Trump from winning. Even if Hillary Clinton becomes president, he’ll “be happy” if he knows he was able to keep Trump out.
THE QUESTION OF THE HOUR
It seems to me that, as a Christian, the question I’m confronted with is:
Is this election only about outcomes? [emphasis his]
No, it’s about a choice between life and death (not only on the issue of baby murder—click here for a list). God’s commands to choose life (Deuteronomy 30:19). Hillary Clinton is for death, and Donald Trump is for life. And, as Altrogge himself let us know, not choosing (not voting) or choosing (voting) third party is likely to give us Hillary Clinton, which is death. Choose life, not death!
In other words, is a vote only a godly vote unless [sic] it truly influences outcomes, both of the election and of other issues, such as abortion, gay rights, and the Supreme Court?
YES! A vote SHOULD be based on the policies of the candidate. It should be based on what the outcome will be (what that candidate will do). If you are going to base your vote on the candidate’s personal sins, then you are unlikely to be able to vote for anyone—not even yourself. “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20)
To put a very fine point on it: do the ends justify the means?
Wait… What? That does NOT AT ALL mean the same thing as the paragraph above it—it does not refine it. If someone were to go out and kill a bunch of Democrats to improve Donald Trump’s chances of winning, that would be using wrong means, sure, but voting for him is NOT WRONG, and is, in fact, right and Biblical. The means I’m using to help get Donald Trump into office are by voting for him, supporting his good policies (NOT his sins), and defending him from slanderous lies; those are ALL GOOD things to do. The means are just, and the ends are just. I have not seen anyone advocate doing something wrong to get Trump elected.
Donald Trump is very clearly a man of horrendous character. He has a long, well-documented history of blatant racism, withering misogyny, sexual aggression, infidelity, bad business practices, corruption, and a host of other problems.
Some are arguing he has become a Christian recently. Maybe, but I find his change of heart oddly coincidental with his attempt to woo evangelicals this election. Additionally, he has a history of “changing” to forward his own agenda. After all, he was pro-choice until recently and a Democrat until 2001. I think suspicion is well-warranted.
Hold it… This guy… Wow. He writes about the ends justifying the means, and then flat out slanders Donald Trump. Talk about an extreme hypocrite! Where is the proof for all his accusations? Why not give some links if there is such great documentation of Trump being “racist”? This guy is showing himself to be right in line with the humanist, mainstream media, screaming “racism” to defame people. I’ve looked A LOT into the “racist” allegations against Trump myself before, and I concluded that it is VERY OBVIOUS that Trump is NOT prejudice against people simply because of the color of their skin.
Donald Trump has been getting more and more pro-life for a long while, not just recently. The narrative that he’s only recently switched positions (some people even going so far as saying he only switched last year) is FALSE. The National Right to Life points out that “In 2000, in his book The America We Deserve, Donald Trump wrote that after consulting with doctors about the partial-birth abortion procedure, he concluded that he would support a ban on that method.” (source) 16 years ago is not “recently”. On top of that, the extremely pro-baby-murder president of NARAL Pro-Choice America said this:
“Donald Trump’s list of potential Supreme Court nominees is a woman’s worst nightmare,” said Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. “Their records reveal a lineup of individuals who would likely overturn Roe v. Wade if given the chance, gutting what’s left of abortion access in this country and heaping punishment on women.”
Obviously the enemies of the unborn innocent babies believe that Donald Trump is PRO-LIFE.
CHARACTER MATTERS, RIGHT?
As a Christian, I believe that character matters. I believe there is a clear, Scriptural connection between a person’s ability to lead well and their personal character. Does this mean I’ll only support a Christian president? Of course not. You can be a Christian and a terrible leader (see Jimmy Carter). But there is also a clear connection between terrible character and terrible leadership (see the entire Bible).
I think it’s pretty funny that he thinks anti-Israel Jimmy Carter is a Christian but not pro-Israel Donald Trump. (Trump is certainly much more pro-Christian than Carter is!)
I also believe that voting is more than a numbers game. It is not a neutral activity. When I cast a vote, it says something about me as well. It is an indicator of what I believe about God, sin, people, my country, and a host of other things.
My vote reveals what I think is most important. It shows the lengths I’m willing to go to make something happen. To influence an outcome.
That’s right. Suggesting to vote for Evan McMullin reveals that what’s most important to Altrogge is globalism, and helping Hillary Clinton get into office.
If I vote for Donald Trump, who I would never trust to run anything, who I would not let in the same room as my wife and children, who I would put under church discipline if I were his pastor, who I would keep away from all my minority friends, who I would fire if I were the boss and he was the apprentice, who I would never appoint to a political position under any other circumstances, what am I really saying?
Again, trying to say Trump is prejudice. Slanderous.
That the ends justify the means.
That I’m willing to do whatever it takes to further my political agenda.
Obviously Altrogge DOES believe that the ends justify the means. If he didn’t, he’d not slander Trump.
That some of God’s commands are more important than others.
That policy and issues are more important than racism, sexual purity, righteousness, integrity, and wisdom.
There’s the “racism” card again.
And really, if the ends justify the means, why not go further? If we’re willing to leverage ungodly people to accomplish our godly ends, why not push further? Many white extremists are pro-life. Should we make an effort to get them appointed to positions of political power to further our agenda? What about using criminals to harass liberal politicians to the point where they are forced to drop out of races? Is that off the table?
The DNC actually HAS been using people to harass Donald Trump! And Altrogge slanders him; why isn’t that off the table?
I realize it sounds crazy, but I think that logical loophole at least exists if the ends justify the means.
This seems like suicide to me.
And yet Altrogge has jumped through that loophole. God’s Holy Bible does teach us NOT to do evil for good to come (Romans 3:7-8), and it also teaches us that no lie is of the truth (1 John 2:21). People need to stop slandering Trump. If Trump is really so bad, why must people slander him? Shouldn’t the truth be enough?
LOSING OUR PROPHETIC WITNESS
If I support Trump, I lose my ability to effectively speak biblical truth to a lost and dying world.
Flat-out lie. Daniel didn’t lose his witness even though he served under immoral kings and helped their kingdoms prosper. Jesus didn’t lose his witness even though he supported Caesar with tax money.
Consider how this will play out for me. I become friends with an unbeliever who has had multiple affairs and is currently living with his girlfriend. “You need to stop sleeping with her, “I tell him.”
“But you voted to put someone just like me in the White House. You didn’t oppose him, so why are you opposing me?”
“Right. But see, that was different. It’s okay for a president to do that. Just not you.”
Nope, that doesn’t make sense at all. Would he say that about who someone works for as well? “Your boss has committed fornication, so you need to quit your job!” Hopefully he wouldn’t, because that’s stupid, and not biblical. If the boss’s business (not personal life, but his business) is wicked (like selling drugs, or trying to bring about a one world government), then that would be different and you shouldn’t work for him; but just working for a sinful man with a legitimate business is not wrong. If Trump’s promised policies were anti-Christian (like Hillary Clinton’s are), then I’d not support him. None of the Christians I know that support Donald Trump support the sins he’s committed—we support his GOOD policies he’s promised. And, again, Daniel served under some immoral kings—he did not quit, run, or try to overthrow them or replace them.
Or I’m trying to share the gospel with a man who is clearly a racist. “You need to turn to Jesus and stop treating minorities like garbage,” I say.
“You supported a man who clearly has no respect for minorities,” he fires back. “Why should I listen to you?”
“No, technically I didn’t support him. I just voted for him.”
Playing the “racist” card again. Wicked, wicked, wicked humanist tactic, and a flat out lie. Donald Trump is not “racist”.
It just doesn’t work. How can I call people to repent and simultaneously give my support to a man who has so many well-documented cases of unrepentant sin?
He repented of being “pro-choice” and is now pro-life! That’s an important thing.
I know the response to this will be, “Yes, but Hillary…” Or, “I’m far more worried about Hillary’s emails than Trump’s words.”
I get it. That’s why I’m not voting for Hillary.
But I’m also not voting for Trump.
Altrogge is still helping Hillary Clinton have a better chance to get in and nominate pro-death SCOTUS judges. He’s not even willing to give Trump the chance to nominate the pro-life judges he’s promised to nominate. If a congressman refused to vote for a bill that would end abortion, people would say he’s not pro-life. And here Altrogee is refusing to vote for pro-life Trump and his pro-life SCOTUS picks. I’m beginning to think that Altrogee is not even pro-life.
I’m not willing to trade my prophetic witness to give my party political power, even if that power will be used for good. As crucially important as Supreme Court justices are, sacrificing the power of speaking prophetically for the power of the courts is a terrible trade.
But slandering and lying is OK?
IS THIS OUR DANIEL MOMENT?
The book of Daniel contains some profound lessons about the relationship between God and power. Daniel correctly interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and he, along with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were promoted to positions of political power and influence. They had the ability to influence the decisions of the king and his court. They had the ear of the king. They could use their power to accomplish good.
That’s right. Nebuchadnezzar was an immoral king, and Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego served him anyway and helped his kingdom prosper.
Then Nebuchadnezzar erected his statue and commanded all people to bow before it. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had the chance to preserve their power and influence, and all it would have taken was a simple bow. They could have justified it by saying, “We’re not really worshipping him in our hearts.”
Hahaha… That is so stupid, I’ve got to laugh. That is an extreme wresting of scripture if I’ve ever seen one. They would not sin for Nebuchadnezzar, but they still served him. They didn’t run away. They didn’t try to overthrow him. They didn’t try to get someone else to replace him. They served him. And voting for Trump is not worshiping him (if that is the case, we should never vote, as we should not worship any man). The Christian Donald Trump supporters I know are not sinning for Trump, and if he commanded them to sin, they’d not do it (in fact, they’d likely stop supporting him), but he has not asked them to sin. Trump has not commanded his supporters to sin, in fact, he’s asked them to pray for him!
There were clearly important issues at stake in Babylon, and they had the opportunity to change the outcome.
They did change the outcome by standing for what is right. What is this guy talking about? Is he really so blind? We are not to sin for any leader (not even for pastors!), but if we cannot follow a sinner then we cannot follow anyone on this Earth, because we’re all sinners. Do not follow sinners into sin because that is sin! It is not sin, however, to follow a sinner to do right!
But they refused to sacrifice the truth for power. They refused to sacrifice integrity for the advancement of God’s people.
Again, they did advance God’s people by not bowing. This guy’s argument is insane. They stayed true to God, but still didn’t wish harm on the king, and so were able to influence the king. If they’d have been slandering the king like Altrogge slanders Trump, what’s the chance they’d have been able to witness to him for the LORD?
Daniel made the same choice later when he chose the lions over the king. He was willing to sacrifice godly political influence for the sake of God’s word.
And Daniel didn’t slander the immoral king he was serving that cast him into the den of lions, but even said, “O king, live for ever.” (Daniel 6:21) After he came out of the den, did he stop serving that king? Nope. Did he slander him? Nope. He didn’t sin for the king, but he also still supported the king.
Fear rarely leads to godly choices. Fear almost always leads to self-protection.
Fear of Hell led me to Christ! We’re actually commanded to save with fear! (Jude 1:23) Is that not a godly choice? And what is wrong with self-protection? Is this guy anti-Second Amendment? I guess that would explain why he’s helping Hillary Clinton to have a better chance at getting elected and dismantling the Second Amendment. Fear can make us careful, which is not bad for certain things. Do you carry a gun? Why? For protection? Why, are you afraid? You’re just being careful? Why not just trust God to take care of things? Why lock your doors at night? Why teach your children to not get into cars with strangers? Why are you so fearful?! Why are you protecting yourself? Because we’re taught in God’s Holy Bible to protect ourselves, that’s why! Jesus even had the disciples buy swords (Luke 22:36)! This misinterpretation of what the Bible teaches on fear that Altrogee is using is wrong.
It is wrong to fear men more than God to the point you obey men instead of God, that is true. If your fear is keeping you from believing in Jesus, that is wrong. If it’s keeping you from doing what God commands, that is wrong. If it is causing you to sin, that is wrong. But if it is encouraging you to do right (like protect your family), then it’s good. I fear for the future of my children, so I protect them. Another way to put it is that I CARE about my children’s future. One thing I hope to help protect them from is the destruction of the USA, which is why I’m supporting and voting for Donald Trump!
Am I willing to make the same choice as Daniel?
I doubt it.
Do I believe that God is bigger and more powerful than politics? Do I believe he can achieve his ends without the power of the Republican party?
I do.
Do you now, Mr. Altrogee? Then why don’t you believe he can achieve his ends without your lies?
People, please don’t allow those like Altrogee to deceive you. Voting for Trump is good, not bad. I’ll leave you with a great video on this topic:
