The other day at work I shared a recent mailing I'd received on the presidential candidates and where they stand on a host of issues. In the morning I taped it onto the door where we share interesting items with each other. By the end of the day, I found it torn off and tossed into the back of my shelf.
I was surprised and frustrated by the action, but it reminded me that actions are influenced by emotion, and emotions are influenced by attitude.
So it all starts with an attitude. And there are a few attitudes about politics that should cause us to do some soul-searching should we find ourselves slipping into any of them this fall (myself included! I've seen characteristics of at least two of these attitudes in myself at times) ...
-The Bubble Attitude. "Oh. My. Goodness. I can't wait until the election is over so life can go back to normal." Those with this attitude tend to forget that the choices of those in public office have a ripple effect on America. The laws passed do affect us both directly and indirectly even when we can't see it. Though it's tempting to stay comfortably in our own little bubbles, we are called to care for others in our country and in the world. So even if you won't feel the effect of election results (though that's doubtful), remember Christ's call to care for the weak (unborn, elderly, poor, ill) and remember your children will grow up in the culture we allow to be created by our votes.
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| Mary Immaculate, Patroness of the United States, pray for us! |
-The Blissfully Ignorant Attitude. "Well, I don't know enough about any of the candidates nationally or locally...so I think I'll just not vote." These sweet creatures are similiar to those with Bubble Attitudes. They prefer to stay out of the craziness of election season rather than wade through the muddy mix of truth and falsehood, issues and promises. But is that what Christ calls us to? Blissful ignorance? I think not! There are so many resources to help you in choosing moral candidates for your votes. Ask the Holy Spirit to send you His gifts of wisdom and knowledge as you seek truth and justice. (And check out United States Conference of Catholic Bishops page or Catholic Vote or Focus on the Family's CitizenLink Vote for helpful resources!)
-The Predestination Attitude. "God is in control. He is sovereign. We can't change His will for this country. What's going to happen will happen anyway. We should be thinking about the things of heaven, not earthly things." Absolutely He is in control and sovereign--and I'm so thankful for that! His Will triumphs and we should look first to spiritual realities and the state of our souls. BUT--we are not in Heaven yet, friends. He placed us on this earth and we are His hands and feet in our time here. Therefore we need to speak up and speak out for just laws that respect the God-given rights of life and freedom. When the right to life, religious freedom, and the definition of marriage are being threatened--we CANNOT simply sit back in our rockers and murmur contentedly that God is in control. In Ephesians 6, St. Paul instructs us to join the battle for truth (think Eowyn from Lord of the Rings...she was fierce yet feminine, right?).
-The Self-Righteous Attitude. "All this bickering and lying and slander. It's disgusting. Neither presidential candidate is good so I'm not voting for either one." Oooh. Be careful with this attitude. The Evil One is sneaky when he encourages you to adopt this one. Don't be fooled. Nasty, nasty pride is behind it. It's true that there are some very significant faith differences in our presidential candidates and neither one is Catholic-- BUT one candidate is pro-life and the other is outspokenly pro-abortion (side note: both V.P. candidates profess to be Catholic despite their opposing views on abortion, healthcare, and religious freedom...can I just use this moment to toot the horn for Paul Ryan? Did anyone hear his incredible debate answer on the beauty of human life in the womb? His daughter, the "Bean"? Alright...digressing...re-focusing...). Let's be real here. Not voting does not make a person holy simply because she did not cast a vote for a sinner. (There's no perfect candidate. We'll always be sinners voting for sinners. But we can prayerfully discern which imperfect candidate will more likely bring us closer to an ideal culture of life that glorifies our God.) The self-righteous may pat themselves on the back thinking their silence of not voting makes a real statement...but no. It simply is silence, unheard and unnoticed, silence that gives other voices--perhaps pro-abortion, pro-gay 'marriage'--more room to be heard.
-The Gloom and Doom Attitude. "The country is in a downward spiral. The end times are near. Corruption. Ohhhh, corruption." These are the Puddleglums of America (C.S. Lewis fans?). While there's a lot of sin and sadness and yep, corruption, the times are far from hopeless. There are many, many faithful Catholics and Christians standing up for truth, goodness, and beauty. Don't you want to be one of them? More Lord of the Rings for you: "There's still some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for." -Samwise Gamgee
(Sniff. Sniffle. Tissue, please. Sorry. That movie line gets me every time.)
So there we are, girls. Let's take this to prayer and ask our Lord to send His Spirit to open our minds and hearts to any attitudes that would not please Him, that would not serve Him or His children.
We are women. This is a beautiful gift. One that comes with responsibility because of the influence we have on men and society. Let's use it for the Lord. Let's ask Mother Mary to lead us ever more to true, virtuous womanhood that impacts the world around us and reflects the beauty of our Creator and His plan.
Last quote. I promise. (In Part II, that is.)
“The hour is coming, in fact has come, when the vocation of women is being acknowledged in its fullness, the hour in which women acquire in the world an influence, an effect and a power never hitherto achieved. That is why, at this moment when the human race is undergoing so deep a transformation, women imbued with a spirit of the Gospel can do so much to aid humanity in not falling.”
-Blessed John Paul II, Mulieris Dignitatem
You also must be conscious of the fact that you mustn't vote on one candidate or the other solely because of one view. Sure, one of them is pro-abortion and one is pro-life. But don't let that be the decision-maker for you. There are vast other flaws with both, as well as a great many good qualities. LOOK AT THE WHOLE PLATFORM -- don't focus on just the things that are causing the most stir in the news. It can be hard, and it can be gut-wrenching, but each campaign needs to be looked at clearly and soundly before making your decision. DON'T LET YOUR EMOTIONS CLOUD YOUR GOOD JUDGEMENT.
ReplyDeleteAnon- According to the Catholic voters guide, Catholics have to vote pro-life. The rest of the platform will reflect whether or not a candidate respects life at all stages or not. This isn't an emotional issue. It is an issue of life or death. Literally, for pre-born children in the womb. Do we believe that human life should be protected? Do I have the right to walk down the street without being attacked/ raped/ murdered? If so, what gives me that right? The fact that I am human. When did I become human? At conception, which is the scientific definition for when a new life begins to grow. Therefore, if human life is to be protected, it must be protected at all stages. Especially at it's most vulnerable. I can fight off an attacker, but a child in the womb cannot fight the abortionist's knife.
DeleteI understand where you're coming from about the Self-righteous attitude, but although the candidates may certainly differ in their opinions on certain issues that we think are essential, in the bigger picture we have to consider if voting for 'the lesser of two evils' is really supporting the true and just or just shying away from an alternative that we find so awful that we can't see the faults in the person we're voting for? As dear old Sam said, 'there's still some good in the world', and why cast our vote with the lesser of two evils when another course (not necessarily not voting at all, there's more than 2 candidates) may in the end help America more?
ReplyDeleteI'm not old enough to vote this time around, but I find this an important issue to address.
Carolyn- Actually, voting for the "lesser evil" is the just thing to do, and it is choosing the true, the good, and the beautiful over that which will draw us away from the truth, goodness, and beauty. That doesn't mean being blind to the "lesser evil's" faults, but instead praying and trying to move them closer to the true, the good, and the beautiful.
DeleteAnonymous--thanks for your comment! You make some great points and good reminders! :) I do believe, though, that the pro-life issue is the top issue in voting. It's not so much a "one-issue voting" when looking at that, but rather looking at it as the top issue or one with most priority. Life itself is the first and most important right--plus it's God given. It must be defended before all others rights can be. I completely agree that there are so many other issues to look at--and that both candidates have good as well as bad (Obama definitely has shared some good thoughts in his speeches) I think we need to look at the evil of abortion for what it is intead of getting used to the fact that babies are killed in the womb every day...and remember that 50 MILLION people are not here today because of it. I will always vote pro-life first and then look at the other issues from there if both candidates are pro-life. Blessings and grace on you in your voting discernment! :)
ReplyDeleteCarolyn, thank you for your comment as well! You too brought up a great point, and one that I myself have pondered in this election and others-- when to vote for a lesser of two evils, as you said. I don't know that there is a definite right answer for that, but I will share what led me to vote for Romney this year: it's such a close race between him and Obama. When I look at the bold pro-abortion stance that Obama makes, his proud support of gay "marriage" and rights, and his new healthcare law that violates the freedom of the Catholic Church--I am STAUNCHLY opposed to him. Therefore, I see Romney as professing to be pro-life and pro-traditional-marriage and to me that looks like a worthy choice even though he has his faults. I look at the whole country and the likelihood that one of these two candidates will gain the presidency because of the tight race--a third party candidate has little chance, so I must be realistic in using my precious vote. I will vote for the lesser evil (Romney) if it means Obama's healthcare and aggressiveness for abortion will be stopped. Does that make sense? I can definitely see myself voting for a third-party candidate in a different election if not so much were at stake as this...or if the two mainstream candidates were pro-abortion. Hope that helps and thanks for the discussion! Blessings!