Has your clergyman ever advised you how to vote?

Question

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Has your minister, priest, preacher, rabbi, etc. ever advised his/her congregation how to vote -- either for candidates or "yes" or "no" on certain legislation?
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If so, did you / will you vote accordingly?
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If not, would you follow the dictates of your minister, if asked by your clergyman to vote a certain way?
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Do you think it's right or wrong that ministers tell churchgoers who to vote for, or how to vote on certain issues?
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Please mention your religion when answering. Thank you.

Is there a technical difference between advising your congregation to vote a certain way in person and putting out the message in front of the church? I've seen churches with the message spelled out "Vote No on" such and such legislation pertaining to gay marriage, for example.

Answer 1

Thank you fo asking this question that I feel very strongly about. I hope you will take the time to rad my answer as it has a lot of information on this topic.

First off, I am a Christian democrat.

No, noone has done that where I witnessed it

. Legally, they are not allowed to endorse candidates from the pulpit due to their tax exempt status.

I would definitely not follow what they said but rather the dictates of my own conscience and moral values which often differ from the outspoken, christian right but are no less moral and, in fact, are more in line with Jesus' teachings.

They are allowed to preach about issues from the pulpit but not endorse specific candidates but imply that you should not vote for people who do not support this (their) view or the (in their view) biblical view as it is a sin.

It is definitely wrong for them to endorse candidates unless they give up their tax exempt status. But they may legally , I believe, do individual campaigning for an issue or candidate separate from the church as an individual.

They try to find ways around this. For example, many "patriot pastors" are trying to get the law changed so that they will be able to endorse candidates and issues and still keep their tax exempt status. Powerful Christian right leaders with ties to Bush and top Republicans like James Dobson are working on this.

Dobson really pushed for voting drives in churches and supplied all the materials but it was contingent on the pastors preaching on the evil of voting for any candidate who supports things like abortion or gay rights, etc. If the pastor did not want to or refused to preach from the pulpit and try to sway the vote of their congregations, they were not eligible for the materials. Many, many pastors and churches are on his mailing list so this one man (Dobson..good friend of Bush) has tremendous power.

Dobson extremely tried to push his views on his large readership of over 4 million people. He ran a number of articles in his citizen magazine talking about Kerry and Bush and how abortion and gay marriage are big issues and it is all in our hands to stop it. He then wrote things Bush did and said an especially said how Kerry voted for partial birth abortion..following it up with how wrong this is. He didn't actually say to vote for Kerry, but even someone with a very low IQ could pick it up..he made it quite clear who he supported (without actually saying so) buy the context.

He also repeatedly sent information in the mail to his 4 million strong mailing list about the election. asked us to do petitions to get gay marriage on the ballot (which they claim is why Bush won (can we say vote fraud really) and with the request to do petitions very detailed instructions on how to be successful, what not to do, etc.

They also sent voting guides first saying how important it is to vote values (their values), how crucial it is and how anything hangs in the balance and how crucial you are needed to stop the moral decline and save marriage etc and then had all the candidates in all offices' records on their issues they were talking about (school vouchers, flag, abortion, gay marriage, etc)...again you would have to be a moron to not know who they wanted you to vote for. They did a lot of political work despite using tax payer money for their work in violation of the law but they were careful with their teems of lawyers to go so far but avoid getting in trouble. If they did get ion trouble for violations all they had to do was draw on a little help from Bush and their many republican leader friends to pull strings. He is high up in the echelon of republican power.

Dobson just couldn't stand not being about to outright tell you who to vote for and just his army of people to sway things (which he does all the time..he has gotten his readers to flood congress with a number of issues Dobson and his gang favor or don't favor and changed legislators minds..it is said they several Or many more) times have flooded the congressperson with more visits, calls, and email than they had even received making it look like the whole country wants them voting a certain way..so wrong...

but now he has opened a non tax exempt organization where he can endorse and uses his tax exempt group to direct people to this new one one where he can tell you who to vote for so his readers will have no doubt who he feels they are to vote for..indeed he says they have a christian and moral obligation to do so..and he uses his background in psychology to sway the reader to his side...and he also uses his 4 million mailing list from tax exempt to sens info on his non-tax exempt so everyone can know who to vote for. I have been on his mailing list 30 years and consider him quite dangerous as he has gotten extremely politically involved and is highly influential. Truth be told, I once liked him (back when he focused on kids and before he switched to politics essentially and now I despise him so much.

He and people like author Tim LaHaye (left behind series) and his wife (concerned women of America head) and other christian right people had meetings before the presidential election where they came up with the strategy of getting gay marriage on ballot to draw out rural and rep areas which is said to have been very helpful in drawing out (misguided) Christians.

But I think really this issue was used to cover up and explain away the massive vote fraud..oh..the exit polls were wrong (odds 16 million to one) because all the "value voters" came out at the last minute (yeah they did but they were the black Christians, poor Christians, and the young who were democrats and waited in line for many hours up to 3 AM...so how could the vote all switch to Bush at 1 am when t was dems waiting in line and most reps voted early? Fraud that's how...57,000 voting irregularities worth and tons of voter suppression here in Ohio.

Also here in Ohio, secretary of state, Blackwell, in charge of election decisions in his Katherine Harris dual role as co-chair 9of the reelect Bush campaign, campaigned (illegal) for ballot initiative against gay marriage even calling people day of election to and goes to tons of prayer breakfast in Ohio. He is supported y The awful preacher ,Rod Parsley,, of World Harvest Church who is extremely involved in politics and who had a big get together before election of 4000 church members and Anne Coulter and Alan Keyes. I picketed that day and had my civil rights violated by a police man the church sent over who harrassed me and forced me to leave under threat of arrest and car towing saying I would be a "safety hazard" as people might slow down to read my sign and wreck. This is the case with any protest, strike, or highway sign..when I tried to assert my rights to this rude cop and that I had prechecked with policeman in charge of protests, he said he was arresting me if I didn't leave..I filed complaint but they said it was dismissed months later. We did get around there no where to park for three miles, no sidewalks thing by doing a rolling protest with cars/vans with all kids of signs on them and loud speakers and definitely got their attention and that of people on the freeway up.

Mark my words they will get the ability to endorse candidates and strong arm people with guilt and fear into voting there way as these "patriot pastors" spread and continue their strong activism that totally forgets the poor and much of what jesus taught..I think the Christian church is being lead astray by false prophets that were foretold of and they are seriously dividing the church with their activism..I don't even like to go to church now due to this division.

Answer 2

I am my own clergyman. I am an ordained minister and vote according to my political beliefs - generally that government should be secular and left wing.
I would only vote on an issue I had strong moral feelings towards. I would not use my position to influence to votes of others as I think people have their own opinions which are no less valid than mine.

I consider myself a Christian in that I follow the teachings of Jesus. I do not attend religious services with any great regularity at all - maybe once every 4 or 5 years. I do not think organised religion is always a good thing. I do not think my views are in line with most of Christendom, but that's just how I am.

Answer 3

I was born and raised Catholic. I don't specifically remember any priest ever mentioning any specific candidates. The only issue I remember them discussing was that Catholic school should be helped with tax money. I agree because the parents pay taxes and the government would be paying a whole lot more if all these children went to public school.

I am now a practicing Church of God member. (for less than a year). The preacher has never mentioned anything political so far.

Answer 4

If I felt that individual exchange into qualified for the place of work he or she exchange into working for i might vote for her or him. i does not rule out a candidate consistent with religious management or coaching positions, whether I disagreed with that faith. i might truthfully sense extra vulnerable to vote for a priest for a decrease place, such as Senator or representative, than for an government place such as governor or President, in view that i think the religious situation may well be much less of a situation at this point, however the overwhelming attention for any elected place of work may well be that candidate's ability to serve in that place of work. i'm a Christian yet does not oppose a candidate whose faith exchange into diverse from mine, even a priest, as long as I felt he or she might symbolize me particularly.

Answer 5

In the last UK general election the Catholic Bishop of Westminster advised his followers to vote for the Conservative party because he thought they agreed with him on abortion laws

Answer 6

Nope, they legally can't. Mine has discussed that you shouldn't vote for people who don't reflect your moral views, but he never mentioned which candidate specifically does or doesn't. He believes you should come to your own conclusions, or you will never improve your own spiritual wisdom.
Oh, and I go to an Assembly of God church.

Answer 7

Recently the place we vote at was changed. The new place was a local baptist church.

In the lobby as you came in they had a bulletin board set up with anti abortion literature and anti liberal messages.

I tore all of it off the board and threw it in the trash as i walked by.

Love and blessings Don

Answer 8

Haha, doing such a thing could cause trouble with the IRS.

Answer 9

It's not legal for clergy to tell you how to vote. However, they should be preaching and teaching on key bibical issues that would leave no doubt in your mind as to who you need to vote for to vote as best you can so that God's word is carried out in our country. Do you think God would want us voting someone into office who believes murdering His defenseless creation (preborn babies and elderly or infirm) should be legal and unquestioned? God bless you. ~Nise~

Answer 10

NO, he hasn't. Yes, it is wrong for them to. Methodist