A question was posed on Facebook earlier — “what do you hope for in November?” I didn’t know the person asking the question personally to know what his endgame was, but it got me to thinking about how this day has gone since Cruz and Kasich both suspended their campaigns.
I’ve seen terrible debates, vitriolic anger even. People able to look past the litany of his questionable behaviors (or sins for those of us who are more faith minded) are passionately entreating others to vote for Trump so Hillary won’t win. Guilt is used as a weapon — if those who take moral issue with Trump don’t vote, it will be their fault that Hillary wins.
It’s this high-pressured, anger driven demand for my vote that made me really examine the fact that it’s my vote to do with as I will. To use on Election Day, or to “throw away” as the Trump supporters would claim. Somehow in the examination of my vote, I started to think about what I would do in other high-pressured “my way or the highway” situations. Situations like this one:
In the last days, we will be forced to choose. Choose the way of man (the antichrist), or fidelity to Christ. Fidelity to Christ will not be a popular choice for those who don’t truly forsake all others, including themselves. Fidelity to Christ will mean suffering, persecution, even death. Most likely death. DEATH. And yet, I have people yelling that I must choose Trump. If I don’t, terrible things are going to happen. My taxes may go up (again). My guns may be taken away. I may not be able to speak freely and they may even tell me I can’t go to church. The truth is, these things may still happen, even with Trump. His claim to Christianity is thin and as the man who wrote The Art of the Deal, I’m pretty sure Trump says whatever Trump thinks he needs to say at that moment to gain his objective, which is the presidency.
Ultimately, whatever may happen to me under a Trump or Hillary presidency, it can’t be as bad or worse as the consequences for compromising my faith.
Unless I get some clear sense of peace about voting for Trump, I won’t be able to do so. A man who says he sees no need to ask forgiveness from Christ is full of pride which, if you’ll remember, is the same sin that led to Lucifer’s fall from the angels. Of course, I did read the article below earlier, which gives a more positive, although painful spin on what a Trump presidency might do for America. If my vote will help bring this about, hopefully the Lord will give me peace about voting for Trump. Of course, I don’t think this is what the Trump supporters have in mind when they say he’s going to “make American great again.”
What about choosing not to vote for the lesser of evils and just abstain?
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That’s my current plan. Because as far as I’m concerned they’re both evil. Kind of the whole point of my post: I don’t think I can vote for either with a clear conscience before the Lord.
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Amen
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I’ll be honest with you, Tim. When you first talked about not voting (months and months ago), I couldn’t understand how you could do that. I believed it was our civic duty to vote. As I’ve watched this election cycle degenerate into the cesspool that it is (more cesspool-y than any other I can recall), I completely understand how you feel. Conversations with my cousin have reinforced what you said about God’s sovereignty and how, as Christ-followers, we have nothing to fear regardless of the outcome in November. And God’s opinion of my choice is much more important to me than the opinions of men.
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This makes me do happy. 😆
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*so* happy
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I just figured you had a cold. “do happy”…. 😉
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