Word Association?

I was browsing through facebook today looking at various friends pages and I noticed something. The majority of the freshmen college students on my friends list have something in common. They all have their political views listed as liberal. It kind of made me chuckle at first but then it kind of started to upset me.

Then I started thinking about the word liberal. What is the first thing that people think of when they hear the word liberal? Well it kind of depends on your environment so let's take it from a Christian perspective. The minute a Christian hears the word liberal they cringe (don't deny it I've seen it happen). There are very negative connotations to the word. If you're talking politics you instantly think the liberal supports abortion, gay marriage, and taking away your guns. If you're talking about churches you instantly think the pastor doesn't have any standards and anything goes. But is this an appropriate view of the word liberal? College students hear liberal and because we have placed these bad connotations on it, it appeals to them because they feel they can use their "political views" to justify their wild behavior. Again I have to ask is this appropriate?

How many of these young people know what it means to be a political liberal? How many of you that call yourselves conservatives know what it means ot be a political conservative?

Taking it agian from the Christian perspective, when a christian hears the word conservative they smile and instantly associate themselves with the conservative sect. One automatically thinks that to be a conservative means you are a pro-life, God fearing, gun toting (or at least supporting), homophobic republican.

Now I'm not saying that it's good or bad that these young people call themselves liberals. I just wish that people would become more educated before declaring a political viewpoint. I was guilty of doing the same thing. I'm a Christian so therefore I must be a conservative republican. Upon educating myself on the true meanings of these words though I have discovered that while I still support the republican party I am in fact a liberal.

Did you know that it was the conservative movement that fought against freedom of religion? The state should use religion as a method of controlling the masses. In other words the state should decide what religion you practice. It was the liberal movement that fought against religious conformity.

I'm just throwing out a random fact about the conservative movement. There are some great merits to the conservative movement but there are also some great things about the liberal movement. That's why I love the fact that we have a mixed government.

I've heard Christians make the joke that democrats can't go to heaven. I'm going to change the wording of that a little bit because I think that's a bit harsh. Do you think that in order to be a Christian you have to be a conservative? I'm interested in knowing what you think.

I realize I have rambled here but I do that often. I promise that pictures of DC are on their way!

Yvonne