Why I Can No Longer Be a Republican

Don't panic. It's not like I'm changing religions. My beliefs and positions haven't changed much. The party has. The people in the party have. I don't like them. They're mean. So I'm taking my toys and I'm playing somewhere else. I don't know where. I'm not joining the democrats either. I guess that means I'm an independent.

Does being an independent mean I can't decide? On the contrary: I have made a clear and firm decision that neither party is worthy of my company. So what's so bad about the GOP? Well, I'll tell you...(cue the music)...

First of all, it's not God's party. God couldn't care less about political parties. I know many serious, committed, conservative-minded Christians like me chose the republican party because of some top moral issues. But in case you haven't noticed, the repubs in office are almost daily demonstrating how un-Christian they are. Now I know "nobody's perfect" and "we all make mistakes". I'm not talking about various mistakes in speech or brief lapses of judgement. I mean blatant and constant behavior that is not Christian at all. I've tried to dismiss these over and over like many of us saying, "well, that was just him" or "that's an exception to the rest" But I've seen too many bonehead repubs in office to feel anymore like they're the exception.
The phrase goes, "you're known by the company you keep". I don't like the company I've been keeping. The kinds of hateful signs and bumper stickers and statements yelled by people who are republicans is embarrassing to me. I can't associate myself with such ugly behavior. It's even biblical to ditch bad influences. I'm following that advice. And this isn't because I'm buying into the "liberal media's" portrayal of repubs. First of all, there are too many scenes of hateful messages by hysterical crowds of republicans. Those aren't false images. It doesn't matter whose camera is pointing at them. Idiot repubs are definitely out there by the millions. And second, I see it in real life. People I meet at churches, online, etc. who claim to be Christians really do act like this. Act like what? Like uneducated, narrow-minded, unreasonable, immature people who are full of hatred. Have I made myself clear?
I'm passionate about my beliefs too. I can get on my soap-box like the best of 'em on lots of topics. But by God, I hope I never make some of the childish, asinine statements that I've seen and heard others make. Mind you, I'm sure there are many civil repubs out there who are mature about how they handle themselves. But there aren't enough to make me feel like I can say proudly, "I'm a republican". I'll still vote my conscience and promote my Christian beliefs, but I want a 32 and 1/2 foot pole distance between me and the hate-mongering buffoons.