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Voting an American right, a Christian responsibility
Pope Benedict XVI and Catholic Cardinal-designate Raymond Burke both recently characterized voting as a moral act with spiritual consequences.
The pope said that "decriminalizing abortion is a betrayal to democracy," since he believes the procedure denies rights to the unborn. Burke called voting a "serious moral obligation" and added that Catholics "can never vote for someone who favors absolutely what's called the 'right to choice.'"
If Catholics largely disregard the church's teaching (the 2008 Catholic vote for president went to pro-choice Obama), does what the pope says matter? Is voting a religious act or purely political?
Voting is our right as Americans, but it's also our responsibility as followers of Christ. The Bible, after all, calls us to be salt and light to the world. Making informed decisions at the ballot box rooted in our morals and values is a critical opportunity to act on that exhortation, one way we "season" and "brighten" the society we live in.
In their new book, "City of Man: Religion and Politics in a New Era," Michael Gerson and Peter Wehner rightly note that "the laws of a nation ... express moral beliefs and judgments. They tell citizens what our society ought to value and condemn. What is worthy of our esteem and what merits our disapprobation." When we step behind the curtain on Election Day, we're deciding who is fit, in our estimation, to make these laws that govern us and our society. Ideally, we base that decision not on the ceaseless stampede of negative ads that have overrun our radios and TVs for the past several months; not simply on who this or that celebrity endorser says deserves our vote; but on which candidates share our most deeply held beliefs and are most likely to advocate for legislation that aligns with those beliefs.
In my view, there is no way for a Christian to arrive at that decision except by "spiritual" means. No activity we undertake should be devoid of or uninformed by the principles and practicalities of our faith. They should influence how we regard our neighbors, how we do our work, how we raise our children, how we love our spouse and -- yes -- how we cast our ballots. President George Washington understood this well. "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity," he said in his farewell address, "religion and morality are indispensable supports."
What a masterful, meaningful phrase -- "indispensable supports." It states, quite plainly, the important role religious people play in shaping the system that governs our nation. At the same time, it makes clear it is religion that adds strength to government, not the other way around.
As a Christian, that tells me we must take seriously our duty to engage the political and policy processes robustly. It also reminds me, in the end, the biblical truths on which we base that engagement transcend the temporal nature of who wins or who loses on the first Tuesday of any November.
By
Jim Daly
|
November 2, 2010; 2:02 PM ET
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Posted by: Cobalt_Blue | November 7, 2010 9:26 PM
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GibsonPolk - what revisionist history classes have you been taking? You're even more deluded than a creationist, and thats pretty hard to achieve. Democracy started with the Greeks, but was never threatened by Christians. Democracy was revived by the Christian countries in western Europe, and was spread around the world as a result of the imperialism of Europe, and the belief that pushing Democracy on all countries is the right thing, and as Bush showed, they often believe that its God's will to push Democracy on those who do not want it. But there's no evidence in history of Christianity being the enemy of democracy.
I guess delusion is easy if the truth doesn't need to be taught in schools. Thank you for showing us how creationism isn't the only dangerous ignorance in the world.
Posted by: GabrielRockman | November 7, 2010 6:39 PM
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Voting is "our responsibility as followers of Christ".
Christianity is all about self delusion, so it is no surprise they like to believe that Democracy and Christianity somehow go together. Democracy was a pagan invention, and since it's inception Christianity has been more of a threat to democracy than an ally.
Posted by: gibsonpolk | November 5, 2010 5:58 PM
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A lot of Christians think Abortion and Homosexuality are big deals, that they should view above all other issues when deciding to cast their votes.
That's not true for me, in fact I am filled with loathing by anti abortion activists and homophobes. They aren't good people or usually good Christians. Hateful and violent.
I use other criteria to decide how to cast my ballot. Jesus can judge us all when we're dead. I'm OK with that.
Posted by: dwickert51 | November 2, 2010 3:45 PM
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Voting is an American right, but the right to NOT vote is also one of the great American rights. In some other countries, it is illegal to not vote, and I am very proud of my country for not forcing me to vote.
It is my responsibility as a citizen to only vote for candidates who have earned my vote. If no candidate has earned my vote, then I vote for no candidate. And I would do so proudly.
Posted by: GabrielRockman | November 2, 2010 2:34 PM
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Er... why are they commenting on this, and why are they being taken seriously?
When Vatican City starts holding open Papal elections, I'll listen to their heartfelt claims to value democracy.