There are two topics that one should never discuss at a dinner party: Religion and politics — and for good reason. Religion and politics are the two topics that tend to drive people toward the poles. Even otherwise normal, sane and decent people have been known to split into opposing camps and start hurling truth grenades at each other over the topics of religion and politics.
But this is a blog post, not a dinner party, so here goes nothing. I’m going to talk about religion and politics… together. Double whammy! In fact, I’m going to go one step further. I’m going to tell you who to vote for — that is, if you happen to call yourself a Christian.
Believe it or not, it’s not actually that hard to work out how you should vote as a Christian. In fact, it’s pretty darn obvious.
When there’s an election on the horizon…
It’s election season in my home country right now. Like many other western democratic countries, when an election rolls around, two main candidates who claim to be offering the answer to the country’s present woes start spruiking their vision for the nation while highlighting the evils of their opponent.
They travel from place to place, kissing babies and volunteering at soup kitchens so that people know what an outstanding human they happen to be… at least when there is an election to be fought and won.
The leaders of both ends of the political spectrum often end up looking equally insincere and incompetent, and the nation is left to pick between the lesser of two evils.
Sound familiar?
It makes you want to vote for Mickey Mouse.
What is a Christian to do?
When Christians choose who to vote for, they often resort to using downright stupid measures to decide on the best candidate.
For example, a candidate who attends church is statistically more likely to be voted for by Christians. Of course, Christians seem to forget that Satan attends church as well. Sitting in church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than sitting in a garage makes you a car. Politicians who represent more conservative values and morals are also more likely to win the Christian vote.
But, when it comes to sealing the deal with Christian voters, there is one thing that every good politician knows will win their vote: It’s a promise to protect religious freedom. By religious freedom, we really mean preserving the right of Christians to discriminate against others using religious beliefs as justification for that discrimination.
You could imagine the Christian saying, “I shouldn’t have to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding, and I’ll vote for the candidate who protects my right to refuse services to people with whom I am morally opposed.”
Religious freedom matters to many Christians — more than almost any other topic. In fact, in my country, a Christian lobby group known as Family Voice has distributed “How to Vote Wisely” guides to churches, specifically targeting politicians who have not vowed to uphold religious freedom. Basically, it’s a church-sponsored smear campaign where they have advised Christians, “Don’t vote for these guys unless you want to lose your religious freedom!”
But is that how Jesus would vote?
Unlike the USA, in my country, voting is compulsory for all citizens over the age of 18. Yes, if Jesus lived in Australia, he would have to pick someone to vote for.
If Jesus had to vote, I wonder who he would choose?
I’m fairly sure that all Christians would want to vote in the same way that Jesus would, but to do that, you really have to look at the life of Jesus and, dare I say it, know Jesus.
So, here’s a question: Can you imagine the thing that wins Jesus’s vote being a politician’s promise to protect religious freedom? Can you imagine Jesus voting for the guy who promises to protect the right of religious schools to exclude LGBTIQ+ students and staff, for example?
More importantly, can you imagine Jesus — the man who gave up his own right to be served, his own right to freedom, his own right to wealth and comfort, even his own right to a fair trial — voting to protect his own right to religious freedom in this day and age?
How would you expect Jesus — the man who laid down his rights — to vote? Take a look at his priorities, and it will soon become obvious. Jesus described his mission here on earth in Luke 4:18–21:
Yes, Jesus came to serve the poor, the sick, the enslaved, the oppressed, and the unfortunate. Isn’t that obvious? He didn’t come to establish a system wherein certain rights had to be protected. He came that the downtrodden might be uplifted. He came for the rights of others.
The Christian who votes for the politician who protects their rights doesn’t get it. If we say we are followers of Jesus, then it’s the rights of others that ought to matter more.
So, who should a Christian vote for?
Here’s the long and the short of it: For followers of Jesus, whenever we vote, we vote not for what’s best for us. We vote for what’s best for the last, the least, and the lowest in our society.
That’s how to vote like a Christian.
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This post was previously published on Backyard Church.
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Photo credit: iStock
You don’t get the connection between religious freedom and serving the least among us. When Jesus was throwing the money changers out of the temple, he was protecting religious freedom. Serving and loving our neighbors can only be achieved when we are allowed unfettered pursuit of our faith.