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“So, whom are you going to vote for?”

Francisco Miraval

We are eight months away from a new presidential election and, perhaps because of the “unusual” campaign we are seeing, I have heard many times during the past few days the question “So, whom are you going to vote for?” Please, allow me to share here one answer I heard.

I was part of a conversation among friends about political issues when one of the persons said he will not vote for any candidate, regardless of the party affiliation of the candidate or his/her platform or ideology, because voting for any candidate means “a vote against God”.

I must say I am used to be part of serious theological debates and challenging conversations about social issues. However, I don’t recall ever hearing any previous “explanation” connecting democracy and civic participation (that is, voting) with the proper way to align one’s life with the divine desires about elections.

The person went on to explain that “God” did not choose any of the candidates to the presidency of the United States and, therefore, all those candidates have been “rejected by God”. By implication, voting should be understood as allying oneself with the “enemies of God”.

I must confess that I have Heard many other, simpler reasons why not to vote. People had told me “I am not interested” and “They are all corrupt”. Other said, “I have no time for politics” and even “Politics is a very complex issue”.

Therefore, there is no need to employ some complicated theological maneuver separating the “chosen ones” from the “rejected ones” to explain why not to vote, unless, of course, the person offering such an explanation implies he/she is among the chosen ones and, because of that, there is no reason for him/her to participate in lowly worldly affairs.

I am, of course, reacting with sarcasm at the answer I heard. However, in all seriousness, there are at least two real dangers in invoking the deity for not voting.

The first and obvious danger is to “use” certain beliefs to justify our own detachment from the needs and the future of our own communities. The second danger is to “demonize” not only the candidates, but also everybody else remotely connected with the candidates. (Obviously, some candidates are very easy to “demonize,” but that’s a topic for another occasion.)

In other words, “I am not going to vote” turns into “God doesn’t want me to vote” which turns into “Voting goes against God’s will”, leading to “Every voter rejects God’s will.” The conclusion is easy to see: “They are all bad people” and, therefore, “I don’t need to care about them.”
In our time of hyper-individualism and undeniable narcissism, when social apathy is expressed every day in a myriad of ways, using “God” to stop caring about others is unnecessary, unless, of course, there is a need for “spiritual” self-justification behind that explanation.

I wonder what other convoluted excuses this person uses during the years with no presidential elections to justify his indifference for his neighbors.

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