The US Election is in full swing. Barack Obama and the Democrats had a big party last week and the Republicans are back in party mode today (now that the threat from Hurricane Gustav has abated). All of this conventioneering is the high point in a US election season that has seen many historic decisions and twists. In fact, more people watched Barack Obamas acceptance speech than watched the Oscars or even (gasp) American Idol! It was enough to give Canadians election envy.
As always, be careful what you wish for. It looks like we are going to go to the polls in Canada after all. Soon election ads will be all over our TV screens, invading our radio waves, lurking in our mailboxes and plastered all over the local paper. Perhaps they will be something like this....
Rocky and Bullwinkle Election Ad
note: this does not open in a separate window so you will have to punch the back button to read the rest :)
Perhaps they won't.
Some people don't like elections. They don't bother to vote because - "hey, my vote doesn't matter." Maybe they saw the video below and just gave up...
But in spite of the inherrant showmanship of an election, the tendancy to over the top attacks and counter attacks, and a deepening sense of ennui among the electorate, elections do matter. So learn about your candidates and the issues and vote whenever you get the chance. (We always drag our kids to the polls because we want them to see their parents voting, modelling good behaviour and all that.)
But what of the faith connection?
In the US there seems to be a much tighter connection between faith and politics than here. In Canada, we tend to regard our faith as a private matter separate from politics. However, it has been gradually affirmed that our experiences do matter, our personal stories are also political ones, and our particular voice is important. So, if you have a religiously based faith life, a set of beliefs, or a system of guiding principles, it is important to take them on the election trail and into the ballot box.
I have posted two examples below. The first is an interview with Bill Blaikie, an ordained United Church Minister and a (retired) MP. The second is a very helpful voting guide from a US organization, Sojourners. The slant is obviously a little bit towards US issues (though we share many of them) but of note is a particular way of using a set of guiding principles based on faith to make decisions. They also offer some very helpful suggestions on what participatory democracy looks like. Even if neither of these is exactly to your tastes it might help to inspire you to create your own guide for the coming election. What are the principles you honour? What are the most important values arising from your faith or ethics? And finally, which candidate/party most embodies those things?
Interview with Bill Blaikie
Principles and Policies for Christian Voters
Happy Voting
K
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