Henry from Threads from Henry’s Web has an excellent post on the responsibility to vote.
Since the Foley scandal broke I’ve read and heard a number of commentators talk about the danger of evangelical Christians staying home on election day. The suggestion is that especially the conservative “family values” voters will be so put off by the Foley scandal and the apparent lack of action by the leadership to deal with it effectively that they will stay home. I don’t know how true this is, but I’ve heard a few supporting comments myself from individuals.
Now there are those who will think I should rejoice. After all, the groups of voters involved will probably vote differently than I do (I’m a mainline, moderate Christian), and thus “my” candidates will have an improved chance if they stay home.
Here’s my view. I think that our republic is impoverished when a category of voters decides to bow out of participation. This doesn’t mean I won’t debate the same group and fight them at every turn. But I believe having all of us there for the debate and having all of us participate in choosing our representatives gives us a stake in the process and helps to prevent a fracturing of society. Serious debate provided by opponents with strong convictions tests ideas. We are seeing less and less debate, because the candidates are presented to us in a canned fashion, the media has bought into the process and presents staged events and quotes and themes of the day, and we as the public have accepted that. But if we also allow scandals, a fear of defeat, or apathy to keep us home from the polls, we are simply asking for more of the same.
Read the whole thing. And keep Henry and his family in your prayers, as his dad has just gone on to heaven to wait for them.
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There is a pretty big realm of thought that says Christians should not take part in the concept of the nation-state at all. What do you think, Laura?
By the way, glad there was nothing on the MRI!
I haven’t spent a lot of time studying the issue (and don’t really intend to, to be honest – stuff that isn’t critical to salvation or growth as a Christian, I try not to analyze to death because why bother?)
But… my 2 cents, for whatever it’s worth, is that God has placed me in a country where we have representative government, and in addition to my obligation to obey man’s law, I have civic duties as well… including voting, being in touch with those elected to represent me, campaigning for the best candidate, etc.
God could have placed me in any country, but I’m here in the most prosperous one in the world and I figure “to whom much is given, much is expected” so I try to give away as much as I can, and live up to my duties as a citizen. I can get carried away by politics, which I think is the biggest danger – remembering that this is all temporary, and not worth the level of energy we normally put into it.