I was talking to a Christian friend this week. He was telling me that he probably wouldn't bother voting in the election as politics doesn't interest him.
But it's not politics. It's democracy. We have one of the longest
and most well-established democracies in the world. For the most part, for
hundreds of years, we have had an ability to vote for those who take decisions
on our behalf for our nation. And for the most part, those years have been free
from corruption. Our elections have been fair and free.
Our Christian forefathers fought for the right to vote, fought for
freedom and fought against slavery.
We should not take that for granted. My friend Emile had to flee
for his life from Iran. My friend Freddy is in our country because of decades
of civil war in the Central African Republic. They long for the freedoms we so
often take for granted.
But we should never take our democracy for granted. In answer to
my Christian friend, yes you should vote! We may vote for different parties, we
may hold different political views, but every one of us should value the nation
we live in and the freedom we have.
We are fortunate enough to have strong Christian politicians in
practically every political party. Here are a few quotes to encourage my
Christian friend to think again:
I know people often say you shouldn't
mix religion and politics, but my experience has been that faith in Christ…. is
a great starting point for political work.
Sir Stephen Timms MP, Labour Party candidate for East Ham
Christ died on the cross for me and that changed my life.
Fiona Bruce MP, Conservative Party candidate for Congleton
Christianity is always going to be challenging; it is an enormous
affront to your ego, to my ego, to everybody’s ego, to realise that we aren’t
our own, and that we are answerable to one higher, who loves us immensely, who
is 100 per cent just and pure, and we’re not.
Tim Farron MP,
Liberal Democrat candidate for Westmorland and Lonsdale
I believe in
the person of Jesus Christ, I believe He died for me, He saved me and that my
calling is to serve and to love Him and to serve and love my neighbours with
all my heart and soul and mind and strength.
Kate
Forbes MSP, Scottish National Party representative for Skye, Lochaber and
Badenoch
This is a further comment, posted on Facebook the day before the election:
ReplyDeleteIf you object to the political regime in Russia, you are sent to Siberia to die. If you hold alternative religious views in China, you are sent to re-education camps. If you attempt to reach out to people from other nations when you live in North Korea, you are left to starve and die. If you try to speak about Jesus or distribute bibles in Iran, you end up in prison.
Let's be grateful for the freedom we have. The Magna Carta of 1215 stopped the injustice of a tyrannical king. The first English parliament created by Simon De Montfort in 1265 carried the beginnings of democracy. When an English king prorogued parliament in 1628 and ruled without them, he was stopped. When England and Scotland were joined in union, a new parliament was formed in 1707.
We continue to enjoy our freedom to vote, our freedom to speak and our freedom to think. Whoever you choose to vote for tomorrow, please do vote. So many in our world today long for such an opportunity.