why would you vote for someone by virtue of their ''christianity''?

Question

it seems as if the majority of americans would vote for a nutjob who claims to be christian over a truly worthy candidate with no religious affiliation. i've actually met many people who voted for dubya because he was a ''stronger'' christian than the other candidate. this scares me, as it should you. christians... would you vote for someone underqualified by virtue of their christianity? atheists/agnostics... do you think this will eventually be the downfall of our nation or will reason take hold and win out.

and elmjunburke... don't misquote me, it only makes you look dumb...

Answer 1

I find it very difficult sometimes to discern a candidate's motive for professing Christianity; are they truly Christian, or trying to emphasize it to appeal to a certain bloc of voters? Do they make a big show of it for camera ops and sound bites? It actually offends me a bit, not as a Christian but as a voter with a brain, to see very carefully arranged footage of a candidate entering or leaving a church when there's no reason to do so other than make him or her appear devout.

I've had the opportunity to meet and talk with only one senator who, a few years later, became a candidate for the presidency. It was his actions more than his words that bespoke his faith. Since it's not possible to have that kind of insight about most candidates, I never base my vote on whether or not one claims to be Christian. It does mean that I have to do some work to find out, as much as possible, where they stand on issues that are important to me as well as their other qualifications for the office.

Many people do pull that lever because they think a candidate is Christian. Many also do it because they like (or don't like) the way a candidate looks or dresses or speaks. Voting on superficialities of any sort happens much more often than we'd like to think.

Answer 2

If by their actions they showed themselves to be a true Christian, yes I'd vote for that person over another with better supposed qualifications. If they claimed to be Christian, but their actions showed otherwise (as most politicians these days seem to do) I'd stay away from them and vote for whoever was the most moral. I doubt there'd be many people who run that aren't at least somewhat qualified for the job so "truly qualified" is a bit trollish.

What will be the downfall of our nation is the vast majority of politicans caring only for themselves. There's very few people in government who actually care what the people want.

Answer 3

I would vote for the candidate with better morals. And as a Christian, I would hope that all Christians and those who are not Christian would a a sense of dicernment...And choose who they know is the best candidate. And although that is not the deciding factor for me I would want the person running our country to be a person of Faith. Without faith how can you have vision and dreams for this country. When faith looks upward it turns into vision!

Answer 4

I would never vote for a someone because of his/her religion. However, if the candidate did not seem to understand separation of church and state, such as the current King Georgie, I would definitely vote against him.

Addendum: "I would vote for a lesser qualified candidate who was a Christian over a more qualified un-believer"

That explains W...

Answer 5

I don't consider the person's religious beliefs at all.
" Underqualified by virtue of their Christianity ". Sorry, I don't know what that means. How can a person's Christianity make him underqualified ? We've had many thousands of government officials who were Christian, and we've done darn well with them.
By the way, I am one hundred percent non-religious.

Answer 6

Since you have to belong to some religion to even run for office in the States, I'd say all of the States does. By the way, did you notice what happens when you DO vote for someone simply because they claim to be a good Christian, You get another Bush type leader. SO STOP IT!!!

Answer 7

I would weigh it as one factor among many.

Their is a bit of false thinking in the question, though. Everybody has a theology, even a theology that God does not exist... That will always filter how you interpret the world around you.

I would mostly prefer a candidate who can honestly articulate how their belief impacts thier thinking rather than someone who denies that they have a world view, or tries to pretend like it does not colour their view of things, as I think that shows either a lack of insight or a bit of disingenousness...

Soli Deo Gloria

Answer 8

The truly fundamentalist Christain politicians scare me. I vote for politicians based on if they are congruent with my opinions on matters, not their person religion.

Separation of Church and State sounds good, but not many people seem to be putting into practice.

Answer 9

Yes, I would vote for a lesser qualified candidate who was a Christian over a more qualified un-believer. Why? Because of a promise which God gave to us.

Romans 8:28 "For we know that all things work together for the good to those that know God, who are called according to His purpose".

Basically, God is saying that He takes care of His people. Whatever comes our way, He will cause it to work out for good in some way. Now if He promises to do that for every believer, then a President who was a believer would be an asset for a nation. We may not always see the good that is going to come out of a situation, but we trust Him when He says that it will. For this reason, I always will vote for the candidate whom God has promised to bless.

But beware. Be careful not to vote for a psuedo-Christian who is using their faith as a political tool. Just watch what they say and how they act. The true Spirit will always show through.

Answer 10

This is an excellent question. Bush may be anti-choice, which makes many Christians happy, but he's certainly not anti-death (655,000+). Nothing like making sure we have a good Christian in office, eh?