Why Not Voting is Not Okay. {aka “the rant you were warned about”}
Just a warning: this is political.
And I felt that after tonight’s debate was a good time to post this. Call me crazy.
SO….
Political passivity is not noble. It’s not intelligent or more enlightened.
I am not sure why it is looked on as academic, spiritual, noble or somehow more level headed to shun politics in an election year. I know people are fed up with both candidates, and I get that. I am tired of it, too. I know that neither candidate will solve the world’s problems. (despite what they claim)
It is alarming for me to hear that people are not voting for either candidate because they don’t like their personal religion. Although I can understand your sentiment, they are not running for church office. It is a secular job.
AND
It is alarming when people say, “Well, God is in control, and He is going to do what He’s going to do. So I don’t really get involved.”
Well, let’s think about this in regard to other matters: work, your house and your children.
If you do nothing to your house, you don’t paint it, mow the lawn, clean the gutters, or fix the roof, it will fall down. God didn’t do that. Your neglect did that.
And your kids: You take the attitude, “God will supply all my needs,” and you lay back and watch it unfold. You don’t cook, or make meals, so your kids starve. God didn’t do that. You did.
You had the means, but you squandered it. For those who aren’t getting what I mean, when you don’t vote you are squandering a God given liberty and means to affecting your children’s future.
The principle is a stewardship issue.
We have been given the gift of liberty.
If we fail to vote, ie “neglect our national duty” we have nobody to blame but ourselves when our country is in disrepair.
Does God put rulers in place? The Bible says He does.
Does God give us food? The Bible says He does.
Does God give us clothing? Yes, ditto.
But does God expect us to do our part? You’d better believe it.
If a father does not care for his family, the church is to view him as worse than an infidel. If a mom does not make good food for her children and family, she is not being the “home manager” that she is expected to be.
I tire of reading post blog posts, FB statuses, etc… that seem to indicate that if you’re passionate about one candidate or another, you are divisive, ignorant, Christian or not Christian, exclusively “American” in mindset, blah, blah, blah.
There is a TIME for this. Ecclesiastes says that there is a time and season for everything.
I love this country. I am PRO American, because I was born here. That is not a bad thing.
Because we are talking politics right now does not mean that we are neglecting the poor and sick of other countries or minimizing the real needs of other countries.
This is the country God set me in. He “set my boundaries” here.
We have family and friends who are actively fighting to defend it. Spilled blood, the blood of other women’s sons, is what has gained my children their freedom and I am thankful for the sacrifice they made to make America the strongest nation on earth.
I could cry when I think that someday my son could be called to protect your family. This is not a we vs. us thing. This is all of us.
It irks me when I see people bashing this country. Some advice if you don’t like the good ol’ US of A: move elsewhere and spare us the headache of having to hear you complain it. Really, our borders are THAT open. You can leave. This is freedom, folks.
I will vote because I believe that ONE candidate (Romney, by the way) is a better choice for what I believe in.
I believe that capitalism is better than socialism. When our family members go to work and work hard, I want them to get ahead.
The principle is that if you WORK HARD you will succeed.
I know that this annoys some of you who just read that, but America is not a land of equality or entitlement. It is a land of opportunity.
Yes, we are all created equal with rights, and among those are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. NOT, the right to have what everyone else has, the right to expect that if you have more than I have, that somehow you are bad and my insistence on fairness is good.
If you can work, you should. Period.
If you don’t want to work, that is not our fault. And things should not be equal if you don’t want to work. If you are lazy or strung out on drugs, than there will be consequences. Your family will suffer, even perhaps go hungry. Your children will be virtually fatherless. And you made it happen.
If you can’t work, yes, we have a moral obligation to help you, and we are happy to.
But, laziness is not a virtue. It shouldn’t be rewarded, and you shouldn’t expect that others will pay your way because you won’t work.
I don’t believe that playing the race game is respectful to hard working black Americans. Socialists target black Americans and tell them that everything is against them. They are part of the “have nots” in class warfare. This junk has been printed in Socialistic and Communistic literature for 60 years and it is disrespectful to black Americans.
Feeding the “you can’t get ahead” lie to a whole segment of Americans generation after generation is sadistic and insulting. Can’t we acknowledge the wrongs without “handicapping” the injured?
Black Americans are capable. They are not stupid, or in need of pathetic pandering.
Peter and I have many close friends who are black and they are good people struggling to work hard for their family just like the rest of us, thank you very much.
They don’t need affirmative action to get their kids into college because Mom and Dad are at home making sure they study just like other conscientious parents across the country. Their grades speak for themselves.
In our church alone, I can think of half a dozen black couples right off the bat who have raised or are raising moral, good, upstanding children. They’ve done well for themselves financially, and they are conscientious parents.
They haven’t bought the lie that morality is for one skin color or another.
You don’t have to be a certain color or of certain economic bracket to turn off the vileness that comes through the TV or to be a good parent by spending time with your kids. Several of these aforementioned women are very good friends of mine. They homeschool their kids. My kids sleep at their house, and vice versa.
Lastly, the more money our government takes, the more control they have. And when the government spends money on things that I fundamentally disagree with, I object. The lower the taxes, the more freedom individual families have to give to causes that they believe in. So, if you want to donate to the “Free the Tree Sprites” Campaign, by all means, do so. It is your money. But please, please don’t send my money there. I don’t believe in tree sprites, nor that cause. (fictitious cause to make a point.)
This election is crucial. Please vote. Right now, it is your right. You have a voice. (Women in Afghanistan just gained their right to vote in the past five years and have risked their lives to do so.)
Smaller Government and lower taxes means that you can spend more of your money on causes YOU believe in. And it means helping the poor and needy that you know right here in our own neighborhoods on personal level.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand spending $16 for f.o.u.r. gallons of gas. We can’t afford that. Something’s gotta give.
On twitter the other night, I asked for input.
I asked, “Fill in the blank. Not voting is ______________.” Here are a few answers.
[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/DogFurDandelion/status/258956494706470912″]
[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/Jay_Severin/status/258627435778682880″]
[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/MomMilkshake/status/258606489026043905″]
Go Vote.
*(I understand that some cannot vote for reasons of conscience. Everyone else, don’t be passive because you are disgusted. Whatever candidate you choose, please care enough about our land and children’s future to vote.)
This is the first time I’ve visited your blog (because I saw that Kara Chupp recommended it and I trust her :-)), and I just wanted to say thank you for this very thoughtful post. My husband and I have been discussing many of these same points, and you have expressed them so well here. I really appreciate it!
On the issue of government handouts – it drives me nuts to see some of the people getting assistance, when a little discipline would help them stand on their own two feet! I’m one of those who truly needs the government’s help, since I’m legitimately unable to work. But I can’t get what I need, because the money is stretched so thinly, because too many people who don’t really need it are using it up.
We desperately need reform in government spending, even within the boundaries of social welfare. People need to rely LESS on government handouts and MORE on working hard – as well as learning to be content with not “having it all.” Something’s wrong when those on welfare can get brand new iPads and Xboxes, and those who are desperately trying to stand on their own can barely afford the gas to get to work each day.
Anyway… that’s all I have to say about that 🙂
Love this. Shared it with my readers this morning. Thank you.
I appreciated this article by Kevin DeYoung about what we are doing (and not doing) when we vote.
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2012/10/23/what-am-i-doing-when-i-vote/
Read this article too and thought it was helpful!
Wonderful post, Sarah! We need to get back to a nation in which people assume personal responsibility for their lives. Yes, of course, there needs to be a safety net for people who encounter hard times. But the American psyche needs a boost, and I think that one candidate clearly gives us that “can-do” attitude.
I have a friend who is a young (mid-20s) single mother of two. Poor choices got her to where she is, but she is working very hard at a low-paying job and is a good mom to her kids. It broke my heart to hear her mother say the other day that my friend is hoping the babies’ father gets on gov’t disability (he is absolutely NOT disabled, but he’s convinced a job will kill him). She then intends to save the disability money so she can buy a house with gov’t help. They are afraid if the administration changes hands, they won’t be able to buy the house. My heart breaks because I wish I was hearing her say that she was getting a gov’t loan to go to school so she can get a better job and buy herself a house. It is still gov’t help, but it would be a hand up and not a handout, and I just really think it would benefit all of us so much more if that were the norm.
More than 30 percent of the American population now identifies as a “none”, as in, no religious affiliation. If the gov’t wanted to make Christianity irrelevant to the masses, there is no better way than to take over completely the churches’ role of helping the poor.
This election is a clear choice in two different philosophies. I know which one I want the country to have, and I pray that people think long and hard, and then go out and vote!
Thanks, Sara. My grandmother told me that at one point in her childhood her dad hurt his back and they ended up on gov’t assistance for food for a few months. She said that every so often a social worker would come to their house unannounced to make sure they were using the “gov’t” money for food, and not frivolous things. She remembers being asked “Where and How” she got a new coat. (It had been given to them.) Now, I think that is a little extreme, of course, but at least someone had that mindset that you are using money that someone else worked for and you should be held accountable. There was a balance of generosity and social justice to the person who worked to give the money to help.
“Balance of generosity and social justice with accountability”. Love that thought. Loved this whole post. Love your writing.
Well said.
What I tire of is posts saying that if you don’t support THEIR particular candidate, then you are anti-christian, not saved, not a real christian, or an idiot. THAT is what I think is divisive, completely NOT okay in terms of God’s word, and I think why many of us hate election time. Not because we don’t support the right to vote, but because we tire of the personal attacks brought out.
Capitalism is not perfect. It is NOT TRUE that if you work hard, you will succeed. There are a lot more factors involved like education and opportunities, and sometimes choices that were made long before some people had any knowledge of what they were choosing. My mother works her BEHIND off 40+ hours a week at a crappy factory because that’s the job she can get and so she can get insurance. She is not succeeding. But no one could dare say she’s not working hard.
Furthermore, I cannot believe that you would imply that if someone is strung out on drugs or lazy then their family deserves to suffer, including their children because of natural consequences and THEY made it happen?!? Those kids don’t deserve a choice or a chance because you think they deserve to suffer the “natural consequences” of their parents actions?
You make it pretty clear that what you want isn’t for people to vote, but to vote your way.
You say here that you object to things you fundamentally disagree with. I agree. that’s why I will not be voting, and why I think that’s perfectly okay.
Yes, I do understand the right involved. I also understand the responsibility. I cannot in good conscious vote for something that I fundamentally disagree with. And for me, voting for either candidate would be doing so.
Finally, I have to say, unequivically, that I believe people should work. Period. I believe if people can’t make it they should give up all their extra spending to make it work. (which is what we have done to carry out our choice to be a one-income family) I don’t agree with a lot of the ways that government assistance is handled…and I should note that gov’t assistance would be less necessary if the good Christian folk were more generous at helping the poor like we are called to do. But what a lot of people fail to admit is that not all gov’t assistance is misused. There ARE people trying to make it who just can’t. people who work hard. I have a friend who works at a food bank who posts story after story of the people helped there, just to try and subvert the stereotypes like ones you have spouted here.
Crystal, thanks for commenting. I didn’t say that people who work will be rich, but that they can succeed, meaning take care of themselves w/o the government. And no, I did not say that children of drug addicts deserve to suffer, but that those are natural consequences of foolish parental choices. I disagree that the church is not helpful to the poor. That has not been my experience with the Christian people that I know. And there is a role of the gov’t to help. But nobody is better off under socialism. I think history does support that. In the end, if you are a conscientious objector, then that is your call. I am not ashamed of who I am voting for. This is what makes America great. 🙂
You actually said that they “should be punished, in fact, by natural consequences.” which means pretty much the same thing as saying that they deserve to be punished by natural consequences, and in the previous paragraph you pulled in the fact that families might go hungry. I was that kid with irresponsible parents and I thank GOD that the government stepped in to help while the Christians would be shaking their head and talking about being punished by natural consequences of my parents’ actions.
Crystal, I wouldn’t write that because I don’t think it. I don’t want anyone’s children to be punished for the sins of their parents but that is what happens. My point is more that parents need to take responsibility for their children and not expect others to take care of them because they won’t.If you scroll up, you’ll see in the print that I did not say that kids should be punished–I was talking about expecting equality while being lazy. i.e., you won’t have what other people have. My point is for personal responsibility to ones own family.
“Your family will suffer, even perhaps go hungry…But, laziness is not a virtue. It shouldn’t be rewarded. It should be punished, in fact, by natural consequences.” Yes, I read every bit of it…you said your family may suffer or even go hungry because of addiction or laziness…but that is the natural consequence; and that laziness should be punished by natural consequence…which you just above stated the natural consequence of addiction/laziness could be that your family goes hungry.
However, if you didn’t mean it, thank you for clarifying because I am truly glad.
Yes, I agree that parents SHOULD take responsibility for their own families. But we live in a fallen world so that’s not what always happens. And your deserved punishment of natural consequences on the parents actually directly effects the children as well, which you admitted in your text. So no I cannot agree that a lazy drug addict deserves to be “punished” by having his kids go hungry. You cannot guilt a person out of addiction, and the only person who suffers is the children. I think all this is easy to say if you have/had parents who did the responsible thing. But from the other side of the fence, I still reiterate that I’m glad my parents didn’t suffer the natural consequences of seeing their children go hungry…but, we are clearly not going to agree here so I will stop monopolizing your comment wall.
I think the conversation between you two is an important one…and I’ve been thinking about it all morning.
Random thoughts…
On one hand, when we have strong convictions, it’s difficult not to want others to vote in agreement with our perspective…which just makes sense because we think it’s the most beneficial (for everyone) option or we wouldn’t vote that way…
On the other-hand…we must leave room for the Holy Spirit speaking into the life and heart of each Christ-follower.
And as always…it’s so difficult to read tone and intent in a written format. Which is one reason I shy away from political posts.
But the other reason is because it takes bravery to discuss with honesty and sometimes, I’d just rather have people like me and keep the peace 🙂
But I’m also thankful for political posts like this one where writers are willing to engage and discuss and process.
I think in the frustration over our political “options” we can fall into apathy or avoidance. (Not that if someone chooses to not vote that is their reasoning).
I just know that in our state at least, 52% of registered voters didn’t vote in the last general election…that feels like a slap in the face of those men & women who have given their lives to maintain our freedom to vote.
But if it’s because of a God-led-conscious-conviction that someone chooses not to vote, I cannot ask for anything more or less.
When it comes to children and them hurting because of the choices of their parents…I absolutely think the government& church should get involved, though what I’d rather see is Christ’s love transforming and redeeming the hearts and actions of the parents.
But we know that isn’t always the case. That’s just reality. And that is when the government should step in and the church should come alongside.
There is no system of government that presents a perfect option…but I agree that capitalism presents the best option for so many reasons. I have people I’m close to who have lived under communism and also socialism and their stories are horrific.
On the flip side, we must also carry grace for those whose lives are one constant day-in-day-out of working without every getting ahead…and even with addictions and poor choices…we must maintain an attitude of “there but for the grace of God go I…” If god gave me the consequences I have earned, I be in a scary place right now.
With one of our adoptions, I became close to a child’s birth parent…grew to love her. And yes, she made some poor choices, but it was a window into what it’s like to live in a constant state of crisis despite her best efforts to turn her life around and get back on track.
It made me realize that I never have known what it’s like to get a job, work hard, and then lose it because my car breaks down or my child is sick…and I have absolutely NO ONE in my life who can help me. That just isn’t and never has been my reality.
I will never truly understand how scary that is.
That said…anytime government takes over a program…the waste and misuse seems inevitable. Even in my years teaching, I saw us trying to use up every bit of our department’s budget (buying things we didn’t need) because if we didn’t use our allotted money, we would lose it the following year. The government’s system encouraged waste and that is just one tiny tiny example of spending that doesn’t make any sense.
Locally, I see free summer lunch programs (which should be there and are necessary for children who need them…my heart aches for those kiddos)…but when there are no guidelines set in place…I have witnessed dozens and dozens of families utilizing those programs who have no real need (even some of my close friends).
All of these issues are complicated and that’s why I think the discussion you two had is valuable. It’s important to really “hear” each other and to not oversimplify any of these issues (and I’m not saying that’s what you were doing).
But your dialogue showed the complexity and the real emotions & life experiences that must be acknowledge in any political discussion.
Same with affirmative action…we are naive if we think racism isn’t still alive in this country. It scares me to think of comments and actions that our youngest may face because she is Black.
It makes me feel sick and irate when I read emails that people send around with comments they think are “funny” but that clearly are derogatory.
Likewise, I’d be offended if someone approached her when she is older and assumed she was on food stamps and was only in college because of her race.
None of this is easy and none of this is simple. We must vote the best-option-possible with humility and compassion because in this broken, sinful world there will be pain and suffering and heartache under every single system of government.
And that is where our responsibility as God’s church comes in…we must be there for the hurting, in real ways…through adoption and foster care and providing food and financial help (in a responsible way) and prayer and for widows and in sickness and as fill in mamas-and-daddies for those kiddos who don’t have stable, solid families.
And Sarah…I know you do this.
And that’s why I think you two actually probably agree with each other on a lot more than this interaction might lead readers to believe.
I really appreciated this article on “What I am Doing When I Vote” by Kevin DeYoung–
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2012/10/23/what-am-i-doing-when-i-vote/
Excellent thoughts, Kara. See? You are brave–on my blog! haha.
We help the poor because we are commanded to help the needy. But when the government steps in and over taxes w/o accountability, it makes it harder for us to help those in need or to give to causes we believe in.
I was just telling my kids it was like this: If one child works, and another doesn’t, of course we can’t force the one child to give money to the other one. That is unfair, and social unjustice,because the other child made a choice, which has consequences. The “lazy” child cannot *expect* others to support her lazy lifestyle, and that is all I meant. I tried several times to explain that but it did not seem to be going anywhere so I dropped it.
In my view government confiscation of money w/o any real accountability to the working person is just plain wrong. And that is what I am against. I do believe that we should help the truly needy, but I think we can all agree that things are out of hand with gov’t hand outs.
And racism is just plain wrong. I also agree that there are always going to be racist people. I know that. BUT, to fuel this class warfare thing as part of an agenda is wrong. As far as I can recall, it was the Republican party who cared enough to push for abolishing slavery, yet that never is mentioned by liberals. But I also know that too many times the liberal agenda feeds stereotypes, and in doing so, they are “labeling” black people. When we go to the Children’s Museum in Boston they have a section about black life that basically represents the ghetto. That is what liberals are feeding us–if you are black, this is what you do and this is what represents you. I don’t allow my kids to see that or visit that display because it is 100% disrespectful of black people. That is not what all black people are like. Maybe that is the life that some have chosen– a drug culture, low morals, raunchy rap music,etc…–but that is not a black issue. It is a morality issue. Our black friends are some of the godliest people we know. We have a very diverse church, and black and white serve together because in Christ we are “one.” I really can’t fathom people who blame the church, either. Our church is so generous to the poor–almost to a fault. Thanks for your thoughts, Kara. You are always so thoughtful. And you are right–there are so many facets to this that it is hard to cover it all in a post.
And this is just another reason you are my friend…
I posted this on our FB page after the first debate:
“A Christian’s first duty is to God. It then follows,
as a matter of course, that it is his duty to carry
his Christian code of morals to the polls and vote
them… If Christians should vote their duty to
God at the polls, they would carry every election,
and do it with ease… it would bring about a moral
revolution that would be incalculably beneficent.
It would save the country.” ~Mark Twain
If you aren’t watching the debates…why not?
If you aren’t registered to vote…why not?
If you don’t plan to vote…why not?
If you aren’t praying about the election…why not?
It is a gift, a privilege that men and women have given their lives to uphold…
Engage, stand strong, use this opportunity. Our true citizenship is in Heaven, but we’ve been gifted with the freedom of a voice and citizenship in the here-and-now. Let us not forsake it because of ignorance, inertia or complacency.
Sharing…um…all over 🙂
Thanks, K. I am cracking up that you are sharing all over. 🙂 Gotta love these controversial ones, huh?
Well…I shared somewhere at least 🙂