Column:

If alive today, Jesus wouldn't vote

By Gwen Daniels

Published Oct. 20, 2008

 Some religious leaders suggest that Christian voters should push aside fiscal and foreign policies and cast a vote for the anti-abortion platform instead.

At least that's what The Rev. James Lamb, executive director of Lutherans for Life, has said.

"A candidate who favors abortion should be disqualified from receiving a Christian's vote," Lamb said in Christianity Today magazine. "A vote for a pro-abortion candidate implicates the voter in the destruction of children created by God and for whom Jesus died."

Other theologians echo his sentiment. In an editorial for Catholic Online, scholar Robert Stackpole asks Catholics not to vote for Barack Obama, who has said he will uphold Roe v. Wade. (John McCain, on the other hand, has said he would like to overturn the ruling.)

But must Christians recognize abortion as the absolute value and priority in the upcoming election? Must Christians rule out Obama and other political candidates because of this?

Some voters of all religious persuasions do identify this concern as the deciding issue in the election and should complete their ballots accordingly. But, as we cast our votes, we must not regurgitate politics from the pulpit.

Religion begets a personal relationship with God or gods. Conversational prayer, back-and-forth questions and answers, and a running, open dialogue can help us get in touch with our God and align our will with his.

And as religious voters pledge support to a presidential candidate, we should strive to do just that: to align our will with God's will, not with the desires and beliefs of our favorite clergy or theologian.

Recently, my friend Beka and I discussed the link between religion and politics. Real-life politics do not offer a clear-cut option between good and evil, love and hate, or right and wrong. So we considered it another way:

For whom would Jesus vote?

Actually, Beka and I phrased it less pretentiously, but now I have to be grammatically correct.

Although the question seems straightforward, I discovered it's a multi-faceted, subjective essay question. It couldn't be answered with one word or surname.

And, in my opinion, Jesus' followers and disbelievers alike should acknowledge the question. Even those who don't accept Jesus' divinity must recognize his significance to many religious voters across the U.S.

So for whom would Jesus vote? Would he be a card-carrying Republican, Democrat or Independent?

I don't think Jesus would carry a voter registration card. I don't think Jesus would vote.

First, I believe Jesus wouldn't be tangled in the political scene. During Jesus' ministry, I think his personal needs, ideas and priorities transcend earthly lawmaking and governance. Jesus spent his time spreading his message and ministering, directly and hands-on, to the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized and the outcasts.

Furthermore, Jesus could not vote for the lesser of two evils.

With a hunt-and-peck method, we support candidates whose priorities best match our own. Although I personally have never seen completely eye-to-eye with one person, I pledge allegiance based upon a candidate's stance on the issues I deem imperative. (Lamb and Stackpole, for example, most value their stances on the issue of abortion.)

But Jesus cannot rank evil. Jesus, the biblical embodiment of perfection, cannot condone or disregard any blemishes of imperfection, even the smaller societal evils that don't resonate as strongly with us. Jesus simply cannot accept evil, even if it is a lesser amount.

And most important, many voters believe Jesus is the lord of all. He is the caring, compassionate controller of abortion, climate change, fiscal and monetary policy, education, health care, housing, immigration, foreign relations and the many other issues our nation is facing right now. His interests are not limited to anti-abortion policy or to anything else.

As the presidential elections draw nearer, I don't think Jesus would immediately hone in - or demand that his followers focus - on a single issue. And I certainly don't think Jesus would ask his followers to equate a personal political agenda with his own plans.