I knew the gist of it when I saw it.  Perhaps it was the source it came from; perhaps it was because I'd seen something like it almost every election year I can remember.  But I got the idea right away.

It was a photocopy of a chart entitled "State of Maine Citizen Stewardship Voter Guide".  In the fine print at the bottom it said, "This voter guide, produced by The National Black Robe Regiment has been approved for use in churches by constitutional attorneys..."  Right away this told me this was a voter guide that was intended to give  "objective" input to Christian voters.  Certainly, some of the six issues that appeared on the chart hold unique importance to people of faith: Abortion, Religious Freedom, even Educational Choice.  But a couple seemed out of place for such a guide; more on those later.

I searched "National Black Robe Regiment" and learned that this is a group spawned from Glenn Beck's huge religious rally in Washington DC a few years back.  Oh brother!  Why do Christians still look to Beck for spiritual insight?  His Mormon Jesus shares DNA with Satan.  His Jesus was a mortal who earned his divinity (as he believes we all can).  His Jesus is currently somewhere in outer space governing some unknown planet.  His Jesus is NOT the Jesus of the Christian faith or the Bible. 

Furthermore, a quick perusal of the site confirmed what I suspected from the start.  For example, there was a whole section on the "biblical support for the unlimited right to bear arms", which brings me back to the voter guide.  The first issue on the list was abortion.  The very next issue was the Second Amendment.  The irony is blatant.  "Vote for pro-life candidates, but make sure they believe in the right to own assault weapons that fire armor piercing bullets, too." 

Furthermore, the wording was ridiculous.  Under each candidate, there appeared either the word "supports" or "opposes"; nothing more.  No candidate completely opposes the second amendment; but they don't all see eye to eye on where to apply limitations.  For a ridiculous example, nobody thinks Wal Mart should start selling nuclear warheads to their customers.  That doesn't mean we all oppose the second amendment.  Likewise, candidates who think there should be background checks on people purchasing handguns, or that the Jones's next door really shouldn't have machine guns in their garage, aren't opposed to the second amendment any more than opposing human sacrifices makes you an enemy of freedom of religion.  And, on a voter guide designed specifically for church members to understand how best to vote, such manipulation is completely out of place.

Just as noteworthy, though, were the items not included on the guide.  While the Black Robe Beck-ites  felt tax reduction was important to include on a church voters' guide, they chose not to include creation care, prison reform, mental health issues or any issues related to Maine's indigenous people. 

My friend, James Wethersbee,  is the chaplain of Maine's largest psychiatric hospital, and he happens to be a Baptist pastor from Louisville.  Hardly a left wing agitator.  But he will say that our current Tea Party  governor (who, by the way, has been called the craziest governor in the country and once said the NAACP could 'kiss my butt" because he wouldn't attend a Martin Luther King holiday event.) has really hurt his ministry to  some of the most hurting people in the state of Maine.  I've heard similar feedback from a prison chaplain who happens to be a nun, and a chaplain of  a  juvenile facility who happens to be an evangelical pastor from Georgia.  Again, not exactly radical socialists;  but believers whose ministries weren't important enough to make Glenn Beck's cronies' voters guide.

The truth is, for all voters- Christian, Jew, Muslim, or  Mormon -there are a huge range of issues to consider, and all of them are more complex than a simple  "supports" or "opposes".  I guess this is just one more thing Glenn Beck doesn't understand. 

What a surprise.