I officially take the stance that you've been previously warned.
My friends by and large know that I stand as a libertarian who was in full support of the godly, pro-life limited government-minded Ron Paul as our next president. Unfortunately, because we live in a society that allows the media to decide who should be our elected officials due to their extreme bias towards a two-party system, he decided to end his campaign after a well funded and well organized fight. But his revolution to the fight for liberty continues to this day.
Here's to the meat, and to the part where many people might be upset if they knew my view on this. I have decided not to vote this Tuesday for our next president. By and large, many negative responses come to mind:
- You're not being the citizen you're supposed to. This is an obligation!
- You have no excuse to complain about the results.
- What does this say about your involvement in politics?
- You should at least vote for _____ to keep _____ out of office!
But let's go to the Bible for a moment. I've read a good bit of it, and no where in it have I ever read about the calling of God on His people to vote for elected officials. I understand where it says to follow the laws of this land, but voting is not a law, it's a privilege. And once you study the scriptures to also find that's it not in there, you can feel a little less mad at me. I do, however, reserve the right to be wrong here. I really believe this Tuesday's voting is not an obligation. Apparently, many people on facebook agree, cause I can't tell you how many times I've been "invited" to election day, which is where the idea to post this blog came from.
I do read in the Bible that God is sovereign, even over rulers and all authorities. I believe that God ordains all events in this world, and that nothing can thwart his plan just as Isaiah explains. I'm not playing the hyper-calvinist card, since I all but hate those guys apart from the grace of Jesus. But I am saying that God's will rules even in our voting booths. But here's the deeper issue for me concerning this Tuesday...
Though I agree mostly with Bob Barr (Oh, who is that? It's the libertarian candidate for president that you haven't heard about because our freaking country is that jacked up.) on the major issues, I'm not sure that he's convinced me of his leadership capabilities. He's sort of a Ron Paul knock off, and he doesn't have the natural leadership qualities that Dr. Paul possesses. With that said, I'm so weary of people saying, "Why would you waste your vote on him?" My obvious response is, "I think it's the two major party system votes that are the wasted ones, this one would actually be worth supporting." Yeah, it's funny because it's true.
And so I'm left with this dilemma. Most people are so concerned of "the other guy." I hear the neo-conservatives frightened by an Obama presidency, while I hear moderates and liberals desperately seeking "change" and desiring so much to keep out "Bush #2." Here's the heart of the issue. Everyone is hearing, "I'm just going to vote for the lesser of the two evils." Listen. I mean read, haha. This is my question and response to that statement:
HOW IS IT HONORING TO THE LORD TO VOTE FOR THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS?
If you are truly in disagreement with both major party candidates, do you really think that you are serving the country's and your own better interest just by voting for someone you feel would be "not as bad as the other guy"? If you do, we can respectfully disagree. Most people will take the stance of saying something like, "Well, if you don't want your voice heard, then you have no reason to complain," in which my reply is, "My voice is heard by non-association and refusal to vote for someone(s) I disagree with." If there is no one worth voting for, I truly believe that if your convictions are strong enough against them, your best option in having a real voice in the matter is saying, "No. I'm not voting for either of these pathetic options."
The Lord may do a work in me and change my mind, but as of now, I refuse to vote for the lesser of two evils. I believe the Lord is more honored in my stance to sit out of this voting season based on the fact that my convictions are that strong in the politics of our nation. I disagree with both senators on multiple "major" issues regarding the economy, foreign affairs, military involvement in preemptive wars, as well as true pro-life stances. For these reasons among others I may have not mentioned (yet), I will not cast a vote for any candidate running for the president of the United States this next term.
Please put the stones back down. I still love Jesus.
