Voting is Not Only Your Right, But Your Duty

I understand that in the last presidential election, some Christians did not exercise their right to vote. What was their reason for not participating in the most important election we hold every four years…that of selecting our country’s next leader and the leader of the free world? They believed that to do so would be a violation of the 1st Amendment…a violation of the separation of church and state.

In my humble opinion, the 1st Amendment is the most misinterpreted amendment in the Bill of Rights. I think it is time to revisit what our founding fathers intended.

"The 1st Amendment expressly prohibits the United State Congress from making laws 'respecting an establishment of religion' or that prohibit the free exercise of religion, laws that infringe the freedom of speech, infringe the freedom of the press, limit the right to peaceably assemble, or limit the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

How could anyone seriously interpret this to mean that if you are a member of a church, you should not vote? As Christians, we are not just members of a family or a church, but members of a largely populated and diverse country.

We are so blessed to live in a land where we get to choose those who will represent and lead us. We are not subjects of a king or queen who rules because of birthright. We are not subjected to the whims of a dictator who remains in power because of fear and intimidation and leads the same way.

We have the opportunity to mandate how we want our country to be run by choosing those whom we believe hold our same values. Does this mean we always get the leaders we want? No, but at least if we tried, we are not to blame for the results. To do otherwise…to believe we are not to take part in elections or that our vote doesn’t matter…is akin to surrender and defeatism.

It is not only your right, but your duty to vote. We have the privilege of letting our voices be heard, but when we do not exercise that privilege, we are responsible for whatever happens. It is our responsibility as citizens of this great nation to study the issues and those running for public office at the city, county, state and national level. We must look within ourselves and determine what our values are and vote for the issues and the individuals we believe will uphold those values. We can not sit idly by and let others determine our destiny or the destiny of this nation.

The “silent moral majority” in this country has been silent for far too long and shares in the moral decay and corruption that plagues this nation. However, it is not too late to truly change the direction of this country in a positive direction…a direction which will keep us free, keep our children safe, continue to reward hard work and determination, and keep us safe and secure from our enemies abroad. If we do not stand up and make our voices heard we may wake up one day and find out that the country we have called home no longer looks like home.