Ruth's Ramblings

Beyond Partisan Politics

Notes From the Journey
Post Election Confession: Casting Our Ballots in November
By Rev. Dr. Kenneth Uyeda Fong

Someone at church recently told me, "Confession is good for my soul but bad for my reputation." Well, I have a confession to make that may mar my reputation.

By the time you read this, the 2004 election will finally be over. If you're like me, you probably had every intention to make time to study the issues, initiatives, propositions, and candidates, but except for the ones that managed to catch your attention or promised to impact you or something you care about, you weren't prepared for what lay in wait on your ballot. Almost every election, I'm caught off guard by the need to select judges from a list of candidates I've never heard of or know anything about. Or with confusing propositions that I might have at least heard of but still haven't considered deeply enough to feel like I have a strong grasp of what's at stake. Every year I come away wondering how in the world we can all be sure that we're electing the right people to govern our lives or that we're making the right call on controversial or hotly debated issues. And when all of the results get announced early the next morning, there are times I can't even remember everyone and everything I voted for.

I believe quite strongly that it's our civic duty to vote in every election, but I often leave my polling station wondering to myself how the democratic process really works if most of us haven't the time or interest in many of the things on the ballots. Every American who is able to should vote, but an ill-informed bunch of
voters, no matter how numerous, can potentially do quite a bit of harm. I'm not sure how to rectify the problem, but I believe it's a problem nevertheless.

To make matters even more complicated, if we haven't had or made time to pray over ballot issues and candidates, if we haven't pushed our way past the spin, distortions, and rhetoric that inundate our air waves and newspapers from every side, how can we really know whether our faith in Jesus is influencing our votes?

Did you bring Jesus into the polling booth with you this year? Unlike those who claim to know Jesus' political affiliation, I don't believe the Son of God is a Democrat, a Republican or aligned with any other political party. There have been times when I've actually felt led to vote against my personal interests after asking myself, "How would Jesus vote?" Even at that, I know that thoughtful, careful Christians may still disagree, but hopefully we are all open to Jesus teaching us how to love and learn.

While I don't claim to know how Jesus would vote for the candidates and things on our 2004 ballots, I do know for sure that protecting his own life and interests wouldn't come into play. That he would care deeply about the powerless, the voiceless, the weak, and the marginalized.

I plan on doing a great deal more praying/listening before I exercise my right to vote in the next election. I hope you'll do likewise.

With faith, peace, and promise,
Pastor Ken

(Excerpt from Evergreen Life: Reflections and Connections; Vol. 7 Issue 8, Nov-Dec 2004; (c) 2004 Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles)

Posted by Ruth at 11/04/2004