Everyone Votes

This year everyone votes. Like it or not it’s evident there are just two sides in this election. Every citizen of the United States will identify which side they are on with their vote (or lack of a vote) within the next three and a half days.

Like many recent presidential elections, polls show that the race is close. Many voters are still in “the valley of decision”. Why? Why would a Christian stay at home? Why would Mormonism affect that decision? I am roused to do my best to take up my political pen and write when friends and neighbors use this as grounds not to vote at all when they have the chance.

Here are three reasons to vote, and vote for Mitt.

1. Love for, and fear of, God

Historically God never works around authority but always through authority, including the authority of the president. Those who reverence the Lord are able to maintain the right attitudes toward their parents and other authorities because of a conscious awareness of the ways in which God has used those authorities in their lives to provide protection, direction and chastisement.

We are not voting between one of two religious leaders, we are voting between one of two civil leaders. For this position there are two options and not three. If enough of the citizens don’t vote, does that mean the position just goes blissfully unfilled? No. Can we wait and find a perfect candidate if we differ from both of these two? No. For one to not vote is actually a show of support for whoever wins, a vote for which he or she will be held accountable before God.

By the way, One candidate supports our Constitution and our Christian heritage, the other does not.

2. Love of country

From our love for God comes a love for our country, that is, our fellow countrymen. If we focus on politics and take our eyes off of the people who actually make up this country, it would become easy for us to find fault with the candidates and take an easy road out, forgetting that Jehovah Himself originally blessed Washington and our founding fathers with the prudence to establish a government fairly unique among governments at that time, partly in that it trusted its own citizens with a freedom of choice in their president. Our decision will affect our future, locally.

By the way, there is a move to fill government positions with officers appointed by other government officers, not elected by the people. This year, 2012, may be the last chance Americans have to make a difference with their vote.

3. Love of children

Perhaps the clearest distinction between the two candidates now running is the impact their policies make on children. Abortion doesn’t recognize children. Sodomy doesn’t produce children. Broken families don’t support children. Welfare and food stamps don’t inspire children. And debt will keep children from ever seeing and knowing the light of civil liberty. Rather, children grow into responsible adults when governments allow parents to train them up to be responsible for (govern) themselves.

By the way, your vote can be a positive influence for your children’s future. If you don’t vote, others will decide their future.

11 Comments

  1. Ana November 3, 2012 at 11:53 am #

    Dear brother Donald: I greet from Buenos Aires, Argentina with the peace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Sorry to disagree with you, and you being a Christian and living according to God’s word, be a preference to vote for a Mormon, when seen as a cult and most seriously, that for them the book header is: The Book of Mormon, since according to their beliefs, God appeared to Joseph Smith and instructed him to organize the Mormon people. . . . Greetings from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Bendiciones.

  2. Sarah S November 3, 2012 at 12:40 pm #

    Amen! Thank you for these true reminders Donald! We as Christians need to vote, and of course to be faithfully in prayer during this time as votes are cast around the U.S.
    “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

  3. Matthew W. November 3, 2012 at 6:36 pm #

    Donald, what if there is a third candidate to vote for beside Romney and Obama? So, instead of just not voting we, principled Christians, vote for Virgil Goode (Constitution party candidate), who is a solid Christian, supports the Constitution, and believes in the founding principles of this nation. He also owns a better record then Romney in holding to biblical principles. Would it not be merely pragmatic to vote for Romney when there is another candidate more conservative then him, yet doesn’t stand a chance of winning the election?

    The decision would be easy for me if there was only Romney and Obama – I would never give up my privlege to vote. Yet when there is an alternative to both of them and the alternative candidate is more in line with my convictions, should I not vote for that alternative even when I believe he will most definitly lose. Or can I trust the sovereignty of God that He is the one who puts leaders in power and I can vote for a third party candidate and anticipate the impossible?

    Just some thoughts to consider – I do appreciate the points you made. Thank you for picking up your political pen!

  4. Michael November 3, 2012 at 9:40 pm #

    I have no reservations about voting for Romney in this situation. If Romney wanted to make Mormonism the national religion, it would be a different matter. But he does not, and that’s not what this election is about. Romney understands the U. S. Constitution and intends to uphold it. As he said, “Religious liberty is the first freedom in our Constitution. And whether the cause is justice for the persecuted, compassion for the needy and the sick, or mercy for the child waiting to be born, there is no greater force for good in the nation than Christian conscience in action.”
    “…on day one I will eliminate the Obama Administration rule that compels religious institutions to violate the tenets of their own faith. Such rules don’t belong in the America that I believe in.” – Mitt Romney

    God used the founders of our country to give to us the awesome privilege of voting for our leaders. Now it falls on us to choose the best option. For right now, I see Virgil Goode’s running for office as helping Obama win. Our options will improve if we are able to improve the worldview held by our fellow Americans in general, so that better candidates are selected in the primaries, or that the two-party system is done away with all together and you have more candidates involved in the national presidential debates. That’s when candidates such as Virgil Goode become an option. If anyone hesitates to vote for Romney thinking God would punish them for voting for the best option you have, then at least go to the poles and vote for those you can vote for! There are lots of races that are VERY important, and not voting at all is the worst option in regard to voting.

    There are many fundamental evangelical Christians who had to “hold their nose” while voting for McCain four years ago, but are actually very enthusiastic about voting for Romney now. The reason is that they understand what they are really voting for: someone who has the right views on the issues at stake. If we don’t have a true Christian to vote for, we need to choose the one who will do the most to uphold the U. S. Constitution and the boundaries it places on the federal government, preserve the free exercise of religion, defend the 2nd amendment, understand when life and citizenship begins, adhere to family values and morals, reduce spending and debt, reduce government dependency, balance the budget, etc. I agree with William Einwechter’s article on the Vision Forum web site concerning who Christians should support for office. After hearing Mitt Romney speak on a number of occasions, I feel he is worthy of our votes.

    Having said that, the state of the nation, and whether we receive God’s blessing, has more to do with God’s people obeying Him than with who is president. Amen Sarah! The biggest danger of getting a good conservative in office is God’s people setting back and thinking they do not need to humble themselves and pray and seek God’s face and turn from their wicked ways any more.
    (I originally posted these thoughts here: http://kirkcameron.com/2012/10/urgent-message-from-billy-graham/)

  5. Anita November 4, 2012 at 2:35 pm #

    Dear Brother: What if Romney is elected president of you and the Mormon religion imposes on some issues? You would think the same as you thinking now?, many politicians campaigning promising this or that, in our country it is the same, and then they forget the promises, also claim to comply with the Constitution and then want to change some items, some are politicios befriend immorality, approving gay marriage, giving children in adoption to gay couples, approving abortion, all this is absurd in the eyes of God the Father, and all the politicians are in your country or mine, swear by putting his hand about the Bible, claiming that anything not meeting, that God and country demand it. Brother, I understand their position and their desire to see their country succeed and to make a real change for the good of all, but only God can give that tranquility, peace and prosperity in all areas of life, if you put your eyes only our savior, he will supply all our needs and if we live according to his word, we will live a full life, our journey in this world is only temporary, we expect a heavenly home with Christ Jesus, where we will dwell for eternity, and all the problems, anxieties, and others, not to be compared with the presence of one who gave his life for us all. Receive blessings from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

  6. Nathan B. November 4, 2012 at 11:27 pm #

    I was just at a prayer meeting about the election. Although I understand how great our responsibility it is to vote. I think, that we have to remember that God’s ways are higher than our ways and God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts in this situation. Although, I have the candidate which I would like to win. We have to remember that God set up [the evil king] Manasses.
    My prayer is that we would trust in the Lord no matter come what may, and that we would continue to worship God and tell others about our relationship with God, even if worldly leaders come against us. Hope you guys understand this! Thanks so much for your ministry!

  7. Ana November 5, 2012 at 5:56 am #

    Estimado hermano: que pena dá usted, veo que sus pensamientos son mundanos, yo creia que usted tenía valores cristianos muy fuertes, pero me ha decepcionado, es lamentable que no quiera publicar mi comentario todo porque la palabra de Dios lo exhorta sabe usted que la palabra del señor es como espada de doble filo,que penetra hasta los huesos?…. Los hijos de Dios tienen que cumplir con las leyes de su pais, aceptar toda autoridad, pero no hay que equivocarse, no confunda la libertad que tiene para votar con mezclarse con los del mundo. Bendiciones.

  8. Nathan B. November 5, 2012 at 11:19 am #

    Yo no soy muy bueno en español, sin embargo, ¿Podría explicar a qué se refiere. Yo entiendo que tengo la responsabilidad de votar, y acepto sus comentarios. Sin embargo, Dios no siempre funciona de la manera que pensamos que debería. Espero que esto tiene sentido, si se puede entender Inglés por favor, responda en el mismo. gracias

  9. Donald November 5, 2012 at 12:21 pm #

    Thank you Ana, Sarah, Matthew, Michael and Nathan. Your sincerity is evident and I appreciate your way of keeping politeness in politics 🙂
    My goal for the post was to help brothers and sisters in Christ to simplify the decision before them. It is very late in the game. It would take much to address all the issues but here let me give a short answer for you each. I hope it is enough for now.
    Ana, thank you for the greeting from South America! I wish my Spanish was as good as Nathan’s. I just recommend that you re-read the post again more carefully and you will see your questions answered.
    Sarah, it looks like these three days could be the turning point of a lifetime as we humble ourselves, fast and pray with you and your family at this time.
    Matthew, I sincerely wish that Goode was an option.
    I once voted for an “impossible candidate” in a past primary race. However this race is the last race of the year. Romney trying to reverse the trend of government dependence is truly an impossible mission of its own that would bring glory to the Lord.
    Michael, It’s great that you took the time to write what you did for Kirk Cameron’s site.
    Nathan, We will certainly give God thanks regardless of who wins! He does all things well. The winner will show simply whether enough of us have humbled ourselves at this time or not! He has already used the current president to do this in a truly miraculous way. I Thessalonians 5:16-18.

    Reference of the hour: Bill Federer’s message, available through Embassy Institute. From the treasure chest of American history he brings to light the remarkable sequence of events which led up to our right to vote.

  10. The Johnson Family November 10, 2012 at 11:20 pm #

    Donald

    Thank you making this stand. Yvonne and I both had a hard time going over all the issues and making this decision. We have voted for the Constitution party in the past and would have done so again. However I believe with all my heart that God has removed His hand of protection from the United States, not from His people but from the U.S. With that in mind we look at the candidates and found that none of them hit the bulls eye on every issue. We feel that Gods program involves Israel now and in the future. That God is not finished with her. I discovered that Virgil Goode would not support Israel in her time of need and that was all I needed to hear. I realize that some may have not known this about Mr. Goode and voted for principles. We to wanted to vote for him as well. But we couldn’t leave Israel in her time of need. God said in Genesis 12:3 ” And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you: and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed ” I’m saddened for my country and how she has turned against the Lord and how He has had to remove His protection and the forces of evil are all around this nation. Time is growing short, we need to get busy. Thank you for sharing with us Donald and may I say I also believe that the root issue for God’s people is in that fact that we don’t have a broken and contrite spirit. We haven’t humbled ourselves the way in which He really wants.

    The price of freedom for this country was not cheep. The powers of evil have been working a long time to get to this point, so Christian’s get busy and don’t fall asleep.

    Mr. Johnson.

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