My initial response to this question is, "How can you be a Christian and vote for someone who is the opposite of everything you claim to believe, like Trump?" That rarely gets a response or an answer. The most common response is, "He's the lesser of two evils." And that's an excuse, not a reason, since, in conservative Evangelical doctrine, there is no such thing. Evil is what it is, and there are no greater or lesser degrees of it. And there is no political party that is exempt from the label by virtue of its political platform.
Character is a qualification for the Presidency, in my personal opinion, and Trump's total lack of it, from any perspective, disqualifies him, especially when compared to the Democrats against whom he's run. He cannot be trusted, and that undermines his ability to serve, regardless of the issues. From a Christian perspective, a man who has mistreated and cheated and broken promises to the women he claimed to love, and married, is total disqualification. Once was enough. Three times is proof he is evil.
Clearly, there is no expectation on the part of conservative, Evangelical Christians who support Trump that character is a qualification required for their vote. And even though most of them are Christian nationalists in some form or another, being a convert to Christianity is also not a qualification they apply to Trump. In fact, he has openly stated that he has never done anything in his life which requires God's forgiveness, which is a denial of the Evangelical interpretation of the Christian doctrine of conversion. Denial is the only explanation coming from Evangelical leaders for following someone as a political leader whose character is a total disqualification based on their own standards for leadership.
Frankly, their willingness to support an evil man like Trump relieves me of any obligation to justify or explain my votes for Democrats. That gives me the moral high ground when it comes to political choices, and because character is at the top of the list of my own consideration of qualifications when it comes to casting my ballot, that's my justification for voting for Democrats on the ballot. It's been very clear, for the past eight years, which party's candidates have the character necessary for leadership and which party's candidates don't have any character. All we get from Republicans is caving in on this issue when it comes to Trump.
Two of the early church's leading apostles, Paul and Peter, made note that the church's obedience to the authority of the secular government, whose power came about as a result of the permission of a sovereign God, was important to its testimony about redemption offered by grace through Jesus Christ. There's no indication here at all that the church was to become engaged directly in the affairs of the state, though in that space, it would have been impossible to do so.
Still, along with several places where Jesus declares the new covenant to be one between the individual and God, while there's no restriction on Christians participating in civil government, there is a principle related to this responsibility and accountability that the church had in order to keep its testimony.
Primary Considerations When Casting a Ballot
The Democratic party isn't perfect, no political party is perfect. Voting for Democratic party candidates on the ballot does not constitute a personal endorsement of every single issue that they support as a party, nor does it mean I've signed on to the candidate's own agenda, which may vary from that of the party. It's not very likely that I would be in full agreement with any candidate. Some issues carry more importance than others, from my own perspective, and of course, there is always the possibility that I may vote for someone who's on the opposite side of one issue from me, but who is in agreement on something I think is more important.
The single issue deal breaker for me, at this point, is election denying. No matter what, I will not vote for a candidate who believes that the 2020 Presidential election was stolen or rigged.
The protection of the constitutionally guaranteed liberties of all Americans is a primary issue for me. That includes protecting the right to vote, and to make sure that every vote is counted. And whatever it takes to make it easier to register and easier to vote, is also something I support. That includes early voting and voting by mail, which has proven to be one of the most secure, safe ways to cast a ballot. And I generally support a social justice agenda that includes awareness of rights being deprived on any basis.
It is not possible to read Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, including the Beatitudes, or the general epistles of Paul, and not understand that being "woke" with regard to social inequalities, racial and gender discrimination, and the denial of rights to minority groups, is simply following the principles of the Christian gospel.
My short list of issues includes:
- Medicare for all or a single-payer, nationalized health care system
- Reasonable, common sense gun control that includes background checks, restrictions on purchasing, eliminating of assault weapons, and gun-free zones including all schools, open shopping areas, sports events and public gatherings
- A standard "fair" tax rate that secures finances from those at the top who use more infrastructure, security and resources than those of us who pay for their development do.
- Support for the NATO alliance, and for Democratic governments around the world.
- Support for Ukraine's defense, as a nation attacked by an enemy, not one that started a war.
- Continuing the Biden administration's policy of energy independence, and the manner in which he has handled the oil business, including selling off reserves at a profit, and replacing them at a lower price, generating billions in income.
But What About Abortion Rights, and the Rights Given to Persons of LGBTQ Orientation?
This is a far more complicated issue than far right conservative Christians think that it is. To them, it's open and shut. The Bible condemns abortion, because life begins at conception, so abortion is taking a life, which is equal to murder, an obvious and grievous violation of both Christian theology and the law. That is the basis on which this has become a single issue for many Evangelical voters. It's easy, when this is at the top of the priority list. Just vote for the pro-life candidates on the ballot, and that's it.
But it's not that simple.
First of all, there isn't anywhere in the Bible where evil is evaluated as lesser or greater. No moral ground has been gained by touting one's vote for Trump, because he's against abortion rights, but is an unrepentant sexual abuser, adulterer and rapist. There's no winner in that argument. Trump is also not personally opposed, by conviction, to abortion itself. He's just in favor of making it a "state" issue rather than a federal issue, and he's never stated a personal or moral objection to abortion. For him, it's a necessary position he has to take because conservative Evangelicals make up so much of his base. It's not a conviction.
Second, there's no biblical evidence for the declaration that life begins at conception. The few verses scattered throughout the Bible, frequently taken out of context to justify a position, do not specifically say that life begins at conception. There is a recognition of human personhood in the womb, in those few examples, but there's no conclusive statement that personhood and human identity are present in a newly fertilized egg.
Third, the entire ideology centered around when life does begin, when it becomes sacred as opposed to being a cluster of cells, incapable of survival outside the womb, is religious in nature. And that's a big part of this particular debate. Outside of specific religious dogma, there is no conclusive evidence, or acceptance of the idea that human identity begins at conception. So restricting access to it, by law, becomes an imposed religious belief, violating the freedom of conscience of those who are not adherents of religion. Under Roe v. Wade, every Christian, Muslim or person of religious conviction had the right to choose to bear their child to full term. The fact that those who practiced no religious belief, and accepted science as their authority now must comply with religious dogma in states that have completely restricted access to abortion rights are the ones whose constitutional rights have been violated.
The bigger issue here is that this is not as simple as eliminating abortion as a means of birth control. It is, more often than not, a decision made based on medical knowledge and circumstances that affect the health and well being of the mother, and in some cases, her ability to have children down the road. These are not decisions into which the government should intrude. And in our constitutional democratic republic, those who do not accept the religious principle that life begins at conception must take responsibility for their own decision. It is not the business of the government, and it is not the business of anyone else.
Using Government Power to Enforce Religious Principles is an Admission of Failure
Let's set aside, for just a minute, the large number of abortions that are performed at the recommendation of doctors, to preserve the life of the mother, and consider only those that are performed for the purpose of birth control.
If state law prevents a woman from making this choice, there's no religious influence or principle involved. It's a matter of law. She must either accept the cost and circumstances of going out of state to make this choice, or decide what the future looks like, in most cases without support or help, as to whether she can raise the child, wants to raise the child, or go through the birth and give the child up for adoption.
One of the least likely sources of help and support for her in these circumstances will be any Christian church. Yes, Christian churches do operate "Crisis Pregnancy Centers," though the number of these that exist fall far, far short of being able to meet even a fraction of the real need. And the fact of the matter is that, beyond getting some diapers, canned milk and a few supplies, and a lecture and "we'll pray for you," they are not capable, or apparently willing, to meet the real needs that will occur over the course of the pregnancy term.
Conservative Christians claim that there's a spiritual transformation that occurs as a result of the conversion experience which produces the virtues and values evidenced in the resulting lifestyle. It would be reasonable, under that kind of doctrinal and theological construct, to conclude that a conversion experience would be key, not only in helping those women who were facing decisions about abortion because they lacked any support, by raising up people within the church to help with whatever would be necessary to save the life of the unborn child, including housing, food, a job, provision of medical care, but also in leading a woman to avoid the kind of situation in which an unwanted pregnancy occurs.
And yet, in spite of having this power, or at least, claiming to have it, seeing this happen is rare. Churches would rather spend their influence and their money on getting the government's power to enforce this particular conviction than depend on God's power and presence of his Spirit. Had conservative, Evangelical churches and denominations in this country invested in this kind of ministry, it's hard to tell how many abortions could have been avoided.
And I will also point out that what resources are available to help women who find themselves in these kind of situations are usually the result of a Democratic party majority in a state legislature somewhere, or of a ministry of a group like the Quakers, or one of the more liberal branches of Protestantism. Social justice for women is "woke," and Evangelical Christians are absent from the ministry of compassion.
I Vote for Democratic Party Candidates Because They Understand the Preservation of Constitutional Democracy
So it's easy for me to conclude that there is no real substance or conviction in Republican claims that they provide the only consistent platform for Christians. They make a lot of noise about it, but the price they must pay to gain the favor of the politicians who demand their loyalty is too high to pay, and keep the faith. So they throw Jesus under the bus and follow the power. They've lost their way, their vision, their mission and purpose, a fact demonstrated in the number of insurrectionists armed with sharp objects, zip-ties, clubs and other weapons headed into the Capitol on January 6th to take hostages, commit murder and overturn the civil government in violation of their own scriptures.
That's neither Christian, nor patriotic American.
The Democratic party upholds the constitutional protection of religious liberty, for all Americans, including those who want to be liberated from religion. That makes it possible for me to follow my own conscience, and determine for myself, with spiritual discernment from prayer and the study of the scripture in its full cultural and historical context, how best to serve and worship God.
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