Answering, "As a follower of Christ, I cannot give my
vote to either Bush or Kerry!"
Ramesh C. Reddy
Pittsburgh Standard
PART I:
As a
follower of Christ, when we feel neither presidential candidate deserves
our vote, it is because we feel we have experienced where they stand on
issues that do not come close to upholding biblical values.
In that
case, there can be a temptation to sit out this election and not vote at
all. We can feel justified not voting for anyone when we compare their
record and scrutinize it with the Word of God.
What
happens then is a lot of followers of Christ will sit out the election
while others elect a presidential candidate to run the country. Both
candidates profess to be believers in Jesus Christ but many follower of
Christ see neither candidate following Scripture as it should be
followed so they want to stay away from choosing a president to run the
country.
In the long run, is that the
right thing to do to sit out instead of voting for the lesser of the
evil?
I say
‘lesser of the evil’ because when followers of Christ decide not to give
their vote, they may see both candidates as evil. Both presidential
candidates have records in their past that can make them seem evil to
many followers of Christ when compared to Scriptural values.
They can be justified in
thinking that but is it justifiable not to vote?
I want
to share a personal example from India’s elections to analyze the
American elections. In India, both parties do not believe in Jesus
Christ as American presidential candidates say they do. If they do not
believe in Jesus Christ, they are not going to look to the Bible to make
their policies. If anything both parties are of the Hindu religion and
worship idols they believe to be gods which is forbidden according to
our Ten Commandments.
Does that mean Indian
Christians should not vote for either party’s candidates?
Actually, even if the parties don’t look to Biblical scripture to make
their decisions, Indian Christians compared the candidates in light of
Biblical scripture to make their decision. There was the Bharata Janta
Party (BJP) in power in India that was not sympathetic to Christian
persecution by Hindu nationalists. On the other hand, there was the
Congress party that was more tolerant towards Indian Christians and
protection of their religious freedom from Hindu Nationalists even
though the Congress party was Hindu but not in power. During election
time, I believe Indian Christians made a difference in ousting the BJP
in power that resulted in so much persecution for Christians and elected
the Congress to power.
Will followers of Christ, in
this country, vote for a presidential candidate they believe does uphold
the crucial biblical values than the other candidate?
Why do I say crucial
biblical values?
I
believe there are crucial biblical issues when compared in light of many
issues facing us this election. I decided to look at many issues.
There is
the issue of abortion.
There is
the issue of War on Terror.
There is
the issue of the Iraq War.
There is
the issue of gun control
There is
the issue of the poor.
There is
the issue of economy.
There is
the issue of environment.
There is
the issue of Israel.
There is
the issue of Gay Marriage.
There is
then the issue dealing w/ credibility.
Rather
than not voting because we feel none of them come close to upholding
biblical values as we want them to, I believe as followers of Christ, we
should make our vote count as we focus on the issue of life and death
and where each candidate stands. I believe Scripture helps me decide
what candidate to vote for. I do believe as we vote and seek the Lord in
prayer, all the other issues we are concerned about will fall in place.
PART II:
Express your view
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