Separation of church and state. I learned that one early but as an American I know just how thin that line can be. You're encouraged to support politicians that represent the good ol' American values. One that prays to Jesus and supports things in the bible - generally ridiculous Old Testament scripture. It's okay though because it's how I was raised, it's what was right and I appreciate immensely all the things this taught me. The year I was old enough to vote was the year McCain and Obama ran against each other, I voted for McCain. Yearly, and unapologetically I voted red all the way down the ballot. I did my duty as an American and I have voted In every election - small and large. I read on the candidates and I stuck to my family values. I voted in a manner that when I was asked at family gatherings that I could proudly say that I voted the same way as everyone else. I did my part, just like I was taught. Last year was the first time in 7 years that I questioned myself and it has absolutely bled into the here and now. It's because for once, I decided to not separate church and state - but not even church really, I decided not to separate Jesus and politics. I watched these men preach and the do the most inhumane things. I watched Fox News tear into the gay rights movement while the same people who were defending the "biblical" idea and value of marriage were divorced many times over. The people who boasted that they sit in a pew every Sunday tore apart the idea of human rights because they felt "immigrants" were ruining our country. The people who claimed to follow Jesus were picking and choosing verses from the bible to back up their point and not remotely embracing the values that Jesus actually embraced. I am by no means a good Christian by a normal definition, I constantly falter and know I could do better, but one thing I have always stood by since finding Jesus was the fact that I wanted to live more like that. To love more like that. What being a conservative Christian taught me was that it was okay to tap a bible and use it to back up a hateful point. I am no longer a conservative. I can happily say that. There are many, many conservative beliefs that I still hold true - like I am very passionately pro life. But I want to explain to you what pro life is to me since I'm not a hypocrite like many people seem to be on the subject. As a pro life supporter I do not support abortion. That's a given, but here's where things seem to confuse people. As a PRO LIFE supporter I support ALL life. I support basic human rights. I support children of immigrants. I support people seeking refuge. I support religious freedoms. I support love. I support things that in MY heart I feel are just morally right, and I don't do it because that's what a man made party tells me to do, I do it because I want to be more like Jesus. I do it because I believe that America is an amazing country with opportunity, I do it because I love the rights I have and I love watching us progress from the sins of our Fathers. I do it because I learned to think for myself, to think outside of the boxed in idea that I had to be one or the other. So take that as you wish, I won't hate you for it, but I will stick to my own guns (which I love having the right to own) because dammit this is America and that's part of my freedom.