Warning: Theology and politics ahead.

    The current election cycle has come to an end.  At least in my circles, a lot of the controversy has been about social issues like health care and welfare.  Now for the most part my ticket was purple as usual.  I'm not affiliated with either party and vote according to my personal legal ideals, which are not the same as my personal moral ideals.
   However, if there is any one Bible passage I take as a directive on how to live my life, it is this. (I'm using the New King James off Bible Gateway today.)

Luke 10: ²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”

²⁷ So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’^[a] and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”^[b]

²⁸ And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.

Love God.  Love our neighbor.  The story of the good Samaritan follows...and is summed up by who was the neighbor?  The one who showed mercy.  Jesus replies like Nike.  "Just do it."(Luke 10:37)

Mercy seems to be really important to God.  It's mentioned 275 times in the Bible.

Another of my favorite verses about mercy is a kid's song too.

Micah 6:8  He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

Mercy is not to be brushed to the side, so sayeth Jesus.

Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

Yes it does say justice along with mercy, but justice isn't judgement.  Most NT references to justice regarding how we treat others refers to seeking relief for the oppressed (like the parable of the widow and the judge.)  I feel this passage in James also makes the ordering of our priorities clear.

James 2:13  ¹³ For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

A couple other verses that affect my politics, and are in accord with my view that my legal views and moral views don't have to necessarily be one and the same.

I Corinthians 6
¹² For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? ¹³ But those who are outside God judges.

This verse comes at the end of a long sin laundry list, and how the church should handle others within the church who commit these sins.  But then it explicitly states, "don't hold unbelievers to this standard." (paraphrase.) 

The bible also says to protect the innocent in multiple places, so I'm not totally liberal.  I am kind of rabid where tiny humans are concerned, born or unborn.  

So how should we treat unbelievers?  See Good Samaritan story above.  I feel that the fact that health care and welfare are such huge issues is because the Church has failed.  I have failed.  Thus the government feels the need to step in.  In the end, my duty as a Christian is to make sure people are taken care of.   

"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”" John 13:35