After reading an article in the Huffington Post by James Peron, I am having difficulty responding because of its searing truth. The piece was entitled, "There is no Morality left in the Moral Majority." Here is an excerpt.

                  

                  

                  

                  

                  

At the very least they worked to disguise their own hypocrisy. Those of us who escaped Christian fundamentalism know what a moral cesspool it is. My Christian high school was run by the largest fundamentalist church in America. The pastor had a long-term relationship with his married secretary and housed her a few blocks from his own home. His son, who became a pastor, was caught having affairs with multiple women. The pastor’s son-in-law took over the church and then went to prison for seducing an underage female who came to see him about being the victim of sexual abuse. Yet, the principal of the school was the man who got Jerry Falwell to start the Moral Majority.

                  

But now it seems these people are willing to chuck all pretense of supporting morality and focus exclusively on their prejudices and hates.

                  

What they see as God’s Own Party, the GOP, has nominated a man who is utterly amoral. Republicans in nominating Donald Trump abdicated any right to assert they defend “traditional morality” or common decency.

                  

Their candidate makes lewd remarks about him sexually assaulting women and, instead of being horrified they make excuses, I’ve seen Republicans claim it doesn’t matter since Trump was a Democrat at the time, others have tried to justify it by saying Bill Clinton was a philanderer. Trump’s excuse was he’s heard Bill Clinton say worst. But Trump and truth aren’t exactly on speaking terms—no matter what the topic.

                  

Jerry Falwell’s heir, his son, is sticking by Trump and so is the ultra-fundamentalist James Dobson, who has spent decades attacking gay people for their supposed immorality. Fundamentalism has always preached a morality they want imposed on others, but when they are caught rolling in the mud, it’s one excuse after another.

                  

Morality in fundamentalist circles is merely a blunt weapon used to beat others over the head; it is not something they ever apply to themselves. Their morality is a weapon to be used against others, not a guidepost for their own lives.

How do you respond to a guy like this and those like him?

May I remind all of us that the primary responsibility of a Christian is to persuade people (not convince or convict), like James Peron, by our words and LIFESTYLE to accept and adopt the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Now, there are two ways to respond to that kind of criticism. One stance is to dismiss it out of hand. You can call all of the above total fabrications, outright lies. You can consider these accusations, a la Donald Trump, the work of a conspiratorial liberal media in bed with the Clinton campaign. You could believe that these claims have been "largely" debunked, and have been brought to light at this late date to smear and wreck his campaign. You can quiet your shouting conscience--retreat into the cage of denial- by regarding all of the foregoing as utter nonsense and distorted facts---not relevant to the big picture. You can spin it like Bill, Hilary and everybody else in Washington and threaten to sue all the accusers.

Or take an introspective look, examine ourselves and consider-- judgment must begin in the house of God.

Are we guilty of any of the above?

Is there any truth at all in what this man is saying?

Are we blameless?

We can use those words as a catalyst to undergo true repentance, change our lifestyles, go out and live as salt and light in the world, become the shining beacons on the hills, living examples of the man who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

I subscribe to the second choice, regard it as a challenge to pick up the gauntlet, and answer the bell to step up my game.

They are laughing at us, folks.

They are reveling in our discomfort as we try to use our Bibles to legitimize a candidate that we know deep down is the wrong horse in the race.

The ethicists and intellectuals are having a field day at our expense as we squirm in our attempt to endorse a man who is anathema to established, classical Christian principles.

Some of these so-called liberal, ungodly people know the Bible better than we do and are keenly aware of true ethical Christian behavior.

Are we really declaring him to be an example of WWJD?

No wonder Christianity is not attracting millennials because we preach something on Sunday morning and on Monday our actions declare, "we really did not mean it."

Many of their friends are gay, minorities or have undergone abortions and feel the church only condemns them instead of loving them into a lifestyle more consistent with spiritual values.

The mouth can say anything but when it comes time to walk the walk we find excuses, logical reasons and the failure of somebody else to justify our sins.

We should instead, as we get nearer to appearing before the judgment seat of Christ to give an accounting before the supreme justice of the universe, endeavor to ensure that the life we lead and the life we sing, talk and preach about, are one and the same.

The following are 9 reasons that they have come up with in some Christian circles to vote for Trump:

• Trump is closer to God than Hillary.
• Trump is the lesser of two evils, even though we are admonished to shun the very appearance of evil.
• Trump, like biblical Cyrus, can be used by God to advance his purposes. By extension, they are hinting that Hillary cannot be used in the same way.
• Trump, despite his shortcomings, can be forgiven for his past indiscretions and has accepted Jesus Christ.
• This same grace, however, seems to end at the edge of the Republican Party and does not cover any Democrats.
• The Blood, which supposedly never loses its power, has somehow lost its effectiveness and cannot reach to the lowest valley where the liberals reside.
• We must be careful that we do not thwart the will of God and undergo his wrath in not electing Donald.
• He has been anointed by God to shake things up in hopelessly corrupt Washington and the federal government.
• If we elect Hillary, this will be the end of America as we know it and we will descend into a godless society where nobody decent, ethical and moral  can long exist.

Disclaimer, here at this junction.

I have voted by mail and I did not vote for Hillary or Donald. I wrote in my choice.

My wife, however, voted for one of the major party's candidates. She, however, reserves the right, should her chosen candidate loses, mount a legal challenge to any questionable result. Just kidding, folks. I will leave you in suspense as to which one.

I am not an apologist for Hillary or the Democrats.

People should vote their consciences and not be intimidated by hell fire and brimstone breathed out by some Christian preachers if we do not support Donald and his shenanigans.

Despite what some may say, you do not enter heaven or hell based on political affiliation or how you voted in a particular election.

People are saved by Jesus Christ -- supporting , endorsing  and OBEYING his lifestyle-- not by making flimsy, spiritually unbalanced excuses, to elect a flawed human being who is, according to his words, “somewhat nearer to our way of thinking.”

Does anybody remember his two favorite words in a sentence---BELIEVE ME!

To be continued.

V. Knowles is a husband, father and prison minister with an interest in penning issues that serve to uplift mankind. He melds his love for Classic literature, The Bible and pop culture - as sordid as it may be - into highly relatable columns of truth, faith and justice. Hence the name: Just Thinking. If he's not buried in a book or penning his next column, you may find him pinned to his sectional watching a good old Country and Western flick.