Should a christian vote?

[humbled]

I'm just new here and I see many threads that talk about Bush, Kerry and elections.

My question is: Is it scriptural to vote?  

[Symphony]

Hi, YHWH.

The last verse of Romans 14 says  "...whatever is not of faith, is sin."

[humbled]

Sorry, I don't follow, are you saying it's unscriptural?

[Symphony]

Nope, not at all.  

Romans 14:23 says, "But he who has doubts is condemned, if he eats because he does not act from faith; for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin."

There are many other passages, similarly.

If it's you walking in the Spirit, by faith, then voting is sort of like asking if you should put your left foot forward, or your right foot.

The point is, if you are walking by faith, does it really matter?

So for you, if voting is "by faith", then you would automatically be doing it, w/o any doubt.  It would be very logical to you.

Just like going to the lions den, for Jesus, should just be a very 'logical' thing (IF I'm walking by faith - a very big if).

   

[humbled]

I'm trying to follow your reasoning I really am.

I guess my question should have been "Is there any record of early followers of Christ voting" any record at all?

Also do members of this forum feel that voting for an earthly government contradicts or supports Matt. 6:9 "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."

If Jesus taught us to pray for a heavenly government; why do Christians vote for an earthly government that won't last?

[nChrist]

YHWH,

Are you trying to use an abreviated name of God for your user name?

Moderator

[Brother Love]

I'm trying to follow your reasoning I really am.

I guess my question should have been "Is there any record of early followers of Christ voting" any record at all?

Also do members of this forum feel that voting for an earthly government contradicts or supports Matt. 6:9 "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."

If Jesus taught us to pray for a heavenly government; why do Christians vote for an earthly government that won't last?

When your 18, you can vote.

[humbled]

YHWH,

Are you trying to use an abreviated name of God for your user name?

Moderator

Not trying to I did. Is there a problem with that? I read the rules carefully before I began to post.

Or do you ask that question because you think it's blasphemy?

[nChrist]

YHWH,

Are you trying to use an abreviated name of God for your user name?

Moderator

Not trying to I did. Is there a problem with that?

Do you usually refer to yourself as God, OR are you claiming to be God?

Moderator

[humbled]

No I don't think of myself as God.

Where do you see me claiming to be God?

I've made 3 or 4 post so far and nowhere do I see in my post that I claim to be God.. How do you come up with that?

I am a Christian that likes to see God's name in the forefront of things, just like Christ did.

My signature should have told you that with one glance...

[nChrist]

No I don't think of myself as God.

Where do you see me claiming to be God?

I've made 3 or 4 post so far and nowhere do I see in my post that I claim to be God.. How do you come up with that?

I am a Christian that likes to see God's name in the forefront of things, just like Christ did.

My signature should have told you that with one glance...

I love Jesus Christ with all of my heart, but I don't tell people my name is Jesus Christ. I don't have a clue what your intentions are, but others will have the same common sense question I have. Do you think it is appropriate for you to refer to yourself as a Name of God?

Moderator

[oneBook]

I think most people will here will have a hard time calling you YHWH, since that is God's name.  You are in effect using it as your name.....

If you want to keep it holy, then you shouldn't use it as your name.

I think that is what BEP was saying.

In regards to voting, Scripture tells us to pray for our government, so I would think voting is in a sense a form of prayer.  The Bible is silent on a lot of issues such as breathing, but I am sure you do. In the Torah, God told his people to appoint judges for themselves (), and the apostles selected a few to replace Judas  who were Godly, and then drew lots to select from that chosen pool (), Paul says that we need to appoint leaders in the church ().

I agree these are talking about leadership in the body, but I think if we can effect the country in a positive moral way by voting, and our government allows us to, then we should.

My 2 cents, for what it's worth.

-oneBook

[humbled]

There does that show my intentions....

[Symphony]

I understand your sentiments, humbld.

I wrote this earlier, here, on a separate thread:

They've found, buried eight feet deep in the volcanic ash of MT. Vesuvius, in Pompey, and Herculaneum, from 79 A.D., the hollowed out molds left by corpses trying to escape - a well-to-do lady's skeleton, still with the gold rings and bracelets on her wrists and finger bones.

And where the beach use to be, in the Bay of Naples, the skeleton of a Roman soldier, still with hilt from his sword and scabbard, his carpenter's tools, and skeleton of his horse.  Forensics aged the man at 42 - with sword wound still in a leg femur bone, his right arm, the sword arm, twice the bone size of his lesser used left arm, with fused lower spine vertabrae - they surmized he in constant pain from that - the life of a soldier in Rome, shortly after Christ.

But they also discovered in city streets, on the walls, preserved by the volcanic ash, billboards or wall paintings advertising for an election - they were in the middle of an election when the volcano hit, and buried them all!!

For me, the lesson was so we needn't take our politics too seriously to heart, I don't think.  It may be important but, I think for a Christian, there may be more expedient things to be thinking about.  



But also, earlier in Romans 14, it cautions about creating stumbling blocks for our brethren.  

I don't like to make it an issue, for that reason.  That passage says one may, and the next not.

That why I refer to "whatever is of faith..."

If you can vote "by faith", I suppose, by all means, then, you shoudl vote.

I don't think it's really much more important than that, for the believer.

[Symphony]

Technically, Jesus' words - as a boy no less - "I must be about my Father's business" - should be on all our lips, all the time.

Is 'voting' "being about my Father's business"??

I have difficulty imagining Jesus in a voting booth.