I am throwing down the gauntlet, so to speak.
Not to a duel, though. (The image of me marking out ten paces with an 18th century pistol in my raised hand would make for a ridiculous meme though.) No, I’m challenging all Americans to vote. And to vote with much logical thought and prayer. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or Republican or neither. It doesn’t matter if you identify as liberal or conservative.
It does matter that you have the privilege of casting your vote in a free election.
Elizabeth Willing Powel asked Benjamin Franklin after the Constitutional Convention had concluded, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?”
“A republic, if you can keep it,” was his reply.
America has spent over four years squabbling over party policies, personal vendettas in the ranks of Congress, the Cabinet and within every administrative office in the nation. It has spilled into every nook and cranny of every town. Individuals either square off with clenched fists or hide in a closet with their hands over their ears and their eyes scrunched shut. None of these actions help us elect a President.
As polarized as our country has become, people on both sides of every issue fear that America will fail in its intended purpose laid out by a group of men who labored over many of the same issues trying to make sure the United States would be as fair-minded as is possible for the human race to be.
Voting is part of the equation of keeping our nation strong and free.
I’ve been dismayed, sometimes to the point of tears, when I hear friends decide they won’t vote at all because they don’t like either candidate.
Our feelings toward the individuals are beside the point. What matters is what each candidate intends to do while in office. And that’s where your vote counts.
What do YOU want to see happen in America?
Do you want immigration policies to remain as they are, or do you want them to change? If you want change, how do you want things to change? Which candidate is more likely to make the change you want—or the inverse, which is more likely to keep things as they are?
Do you want abortion laws to be restrictive or available to any woman for any reason at any time in pregnancy? Since this is now left up to the states, which state representative lines up best with your position? Or do you want Congress to enact a law which all states must follow? Which candidate for President shares that desire?
Inflation has skyrocketed. What plan does each candidate have to curb high prices? If you don’t know, search out what they’ve said on the matter and vote accordingly.
What about the sexual mores that have changed over the last sixty years in our country? Humans have been breaking God’s law for millennia, but the Bible is clear. Do you want to move toward Biblical values? Or do you see our laws as pluralistic, so adultery, homosexuality, and other sexual preferences should remain legal since not everyone believes as Christians do? How should we be protecting our children from pornography?
Your vote allows you a say on the issues that are important to you.
You may end up as the minority vote, but you did what you could. The person who complains about our culture but never votes, has no reason to be angry with election results.
Set aside your feelings about “mean tweets” and “word salads.” When you look at the issues and not the personalities, you may find you agree with Harris’s point of view for some issues and with Trump’s point of view for other issues. Albert Mohler and Best of the Left try to do their due diligence, both on the right and the left. They might be able to help you out. Weigh what you learn carefully. Did they back up their opinions with facts? Overall, which candidate’s policies are more in tune with yours? Vote for that person.
If you’ve read through my rant to the end, thank you.
I have encouragement for you, though.
Ultimately, Jesus is in charge. He knows how the election will turn out. He will use those circumstances to advance His kingdom. Which means the pressure is off us. It’s not our job to worry over the outcome of the election. If we, as citizens in a free nation, use our right to vote, if we exercise our freedom of speech, we do well.
If you are not registered to vote, go do it! There’s a deadline for that! Which is why I’m writing this in September and not October. And on November 5th or earlier, vote with an educated mind, not with your feelings.
Ronald Reagan was right when he said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
P.S.
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