Tag: voting

Join Beverly Gibb as she shares her reflections on the political climate and her musings about a potential relocation to Canada.

Voting is usually seen as a political act, but as this column explores, it is also an act of faith. Rooted in the Biblical idea that all people are made in God's image, denying someone's right to vote silences their divine voice. The piece examines how white Christian nationalism threatens this ideal through voter suppression under the guise of "election integrity." It argues voting is a sacred duty affirming human dignity, with leaders like Rev. Raphael Warnock calling a vote "a kind of prayer" enacting our spiritual values in the political sphere. The column calls on people of faith to vote their deeply held beliefs in favor of true democracy.

If we wish to maintain our democratic republic, voting is crucial. Understanding the issues and the candidates is important for each of us if we want to be responsible citizens being governed by the same principles we hold dear.

Like most of us watching the news recently, I was shocked and horrified by the shootings in the Uvalde school on May 24th. In a country numb from hundreds of shootings, I was surprised I could still feel anything about them at all.

There is a trend of nominal Christianity in America. Many people adopt the label of a Christian and align themselves with others who are vocal about their same label. It’s as if employing the words “Jesus,” “Bible,” or “God bless America,” demonstrates a political candidate’s validity. This claimed identity then acts as a shortcut for voters who don’t want to research a candidate’s values or platforms.

I aspire to counter that prayer-posturing, however, with halting words and with stuttering silences that actually compete with March Madness for our passions.

Voting is the individual’s opportunity to have a voice.