The following is a response to a letter in our local newspaper (The Lancaster News, Lancaster, SC).

I appreciate the fact that in this country we continue to have the freedom to share our opinions and thoughts in a public forum such as the editorial column of local newspapers. I appreciate the fact that it offers citizens a forum in which they can share their beliefs, and even have a debate of sorts as to why we believe the way we do. Having said that, I appreciate the fact the Sheila Bickford took advantage of her freedom of speech to disagree with my statements in a previous guest column.

Ms. Bickford seemed to be offended that I, a conservative, Bible-believing minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, would state that I would cast my vote for Donald Trump. For the sake of clarity, I would simply ask Ms. Bickford, and others, to consider the following points:

·         With a Clinton administration, we would continue to see the slaughter of innocent, unborn children. The Bible teaches clearly and unmistakably that every child conceived in the womb is a creation of God – a creation that bears the image of God Himself. The Bible teaches that every life is important to God, and should be important to us. How could anyone who believes the Bible to be the guide for life vote for someone who embraces this culture of death.

·         With a Clinton administration, we would continue to see the deterioration of the family. It was God who established the family unit – a man and woman, united for life for the purpose of companionship, mutual encouragement, and procreation. The argument from the LGBT community might be that same-sex partners can experience companionship and encouragement, but they cannot possibly procreate, at least not without some intervention through genetic intervention or manipulation.

·         With a Clinton administration we would continue to see the national debt rise, as she has stated numerous times that she would raise taxes so that those who are living off the government might continue to do so, while adding multitudes of others to the roles of the entitled. The Bible teaches clearly that if a person will not work, they are not to eat. There are those who are sincerely in need and should be helped, but for those who are capable of earning their own way, the government should not provide what they could earn themselves.

·         With a Clinton administration, we would continue to see illegals come into our nation, taking jobs away from honest Americans who only want to provide for their families. We would continue to see an acceleration of crime, as drugs continue to come into our country through wide open borders. And worse yet, we would continue to see the possibility of terrorists coming into this country through an un-vetted process of immigration.

·         Finally, with a Clinton administration, we would continue to see the proliferation of lying to the American people. We have yet to hear Ms. Clinton speak forthrightly about her 33,000 deleted emails. We have yet to hear her speak about her involvement in the Benghazi murders. We have yet to hear her speak about her own vicious words caught on tape.

With a Clinton administration it would be more of the same liberal agenda that we have seen for the past eight years, with an ever-increasing agenda of more liberal policies that will continue to destroy our beloved nation.

Ms. Bickford, I stated clearly in my previous column that I am truly disgusted with both candidates, and sincerely wish we had others for which to vote. But, all things considered, Donald Trump has promised he will close the borders to illegals; push for an overturn of Roe v. Wade; appoint supreme court justices who would stand by the constitution, and not enact laws that contradict the clear mandates of that document; lower taxes, which would result in an economic boost for our nation; and bring to justice those who willingly and knowingly break the law. All things considered, I believe the choice is clear. My vote still goes to Donald Trump.