There are two republicans running in the primary: Matthew Berry and Patrick Murray. Berry is a new-comer to politics and is seeking his first elected office. He is unashamedly homosexual, living with his life partner in liberal Arlington, VA.

Patrick Murray, whose name sounds so familiar but can’t place it, is also running in the primary. Residing in more-blue-than-red Alexandria, VA, Murray is also running for his first elected office. Little is given away about his private life on his website. He is a retired U.S. Army Colonel.

I’ve said this before: I’m a Republican by force, not by choice. What I mean by this is that I’m often more conservative than the Republican party tends to be. Since we live in a two-party system, unfortunately, the only option is the vote for candidates that best represent my views. These candidates, more often than not, side Republican.

Berry and Murray have similar political views. They both have pledged to repeal the Healthcare bill if elected. They stand remarkably close in terms of national defense. I believe the biggest difference comes down to two issues: gay marriage and abortion. And this is where I made my choice.

Berry, who is homosexual, supports legalized marriage for same-sex partners. This is understandable, but something I completely disagree with. I actually ran into Berry when I was having lunch with a friend at Famous Dave’s. When I asked him if he would support federal legislation, he said no, which was surprising. He said that he was a federalist and that question should be left to the states. While I disagree with this notion, I like the fact that he would not support federal legislation to do so, which also means that he would not support legislation to support marriage between one man and one woman. Murray’s stand is that marriage should be between one man and one woman, but agrees with Berry that this should be left to the states to decide.

My stance is that an issue this important should be decided at the federal level with a constitutional amendment defining marriage between one man and one woman.

Abortion legislation is likely to come up after the election. Something so pisive is never introduced on an election year for fear of political ramifications. However, it’s important to remember candidate’s voting record on these issues.

Berry and Murray both describe themselves as “pro-life” but this can mean many different things to different people. So both of them describe what they would support. Murray believes that abortion should be a “decision that should ultimately be made by the woman in consultation with her family and her doctor.” Berry, on the other hand, told me that he believes abortion should be made illegal.

While I believe the battle for making abortion illegal has been lost, I believe that Berry’s stance is important. His stance says to me that he believe life is important. It should just be terminated without regard. Abortion supporters will say, “What about a woman’s health?!” The word-choice here is important. Health can mean many things. I’ve heard “stretch marks” be used as a reason to abort a baby. Berry’s stance on this issue made my choice clear.

As a Christian, I believe God values every life, from conception to death. While I believe God would disapprove of Berry’s life-style choice, the fact is that there is still time for God to reveal this sin to him. When a baby is terminated, it is never given the chance to know God. (I’m not going to start a “Does a fetus go to heaven?” debate here.)

I believe God values life far more than he loathes sin. This is the reason Jesus came to save us. While I disapprove of Berry’s lifestyle (and told him so when we met), it doesn’t mean that I hate him or think he’s evil. There are many people in my life whom I believe are not living the life that God had intended. I lived that life for a while. It just means that God is still working on their hearts.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: I would vote for a Satan worshiper who believe in the right to life than a Christian who was pro-choice. I am not saying Berry is a Satan worshiper! Let’s make the clear! But the priorities he has placed is important and this key issue made the difference.

This is why I’m asking Christians as well as conservative Republicans to support Matthew Berry in the upcoming primary on June 8th.