Chapter 7: And Now What Do We Do?

By the time I publish this, the polls will be closing or closed in half the nation.  The vote will be done for 2012.  The counting, well that could still be a while.

There are two outcomes for today for you, and it doesn't matter if you voted for the big two or a third party:

Your guy won.

Your guy lost.

What do you do now, no matter what your result?

Your Guy Won

Let's face it, elections have been influenced by NFL fans.  I expect to see only an increase in body paint in future elections as fans (and let's face it, that's what many of them are) of their candidate identify more and more with their candidates.

And so, today, roughly half or a little more, of the nation will identify with the winner.  They will celebrate, they will be happy, they will probably do a victory dance.  But, like the NFL and the NCAA, excessive celebration can and should be penalized.

Here's why:  as divided as we are, spiking the football in the face of the losing parties will not bridge that divide.  It is OK to be glad, excited, relieved, and even exuberant that your candidate won.  But please be civil.  Please be good winners.  It is not the time to taunt, to mock, to humiliate or to denigrate.  Bipartisanship should not be just a buzzword used to get elected, it should be an endeavor that we all strive for.  There needs to be compromise from both sides- and no matter what they say, neither really has in the last decade at least.  But there needs to be that same spirit of bipartisanship amongst we the people.

That can't happen if we are jerks to the guys who didn't win.

And elections are not about winning- they are about earning the privilege to serve and lead this nation.  You play football to win the Super Bowl- it's OK to be a little bit of an annoying fan if your team wins because in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't change the world.  It doesn't affect the things that make life happen.

But winning the election matters.  It is a grave and serious and (should be) a humbling victory.  As a minister, I say the greatest honor, and most humbling, is to be asked to preside over a funeral.  People have trusted me with the final words over their loved one- I am tasked with honoring the wishes of someone not there and  providing comfort to those left behind.  There is no room for me to arrogant and make it about me.

Nor is there room for arrogance or selfishness in leading the country.

I hope the candidate who wins displays that.  But if they don't, then let us as "we the people" show them how it's done.

Your Guy Loses

Don't be a sore loser.

Unless there is clear and solid proof of shenanigans, don't whine about "unfairness."

It is acceptable, and understandable that you feel discouraged.  You can even be angry.  But the same rule applies to the losers as the winners- don't act in a manner that makes working together impossible.  It is OK to despise the policies that the other guy has, you can even actively and legally work to see those policies stopped- that is the beauty of democracy.  But there will also be a need for compromise.

Be civil in your social media interactions, even be gracious losers.  Maybe take a break from talking politics with your friends and family who backed the winner.  And above all else, seek peace.

I must admit- I am a bit fearful.  I hope I am wrong, but I fear that no matter who wins, we will see things we've not seen in the modern history of this nation:  protests, threats, and maybe even riots.  I say that not because I am feeling the atmospheric pressure of the election climate- I say that because those things have already been promised.  There have been tweets threatening riots, even threats to assassinate the winner.  We are a divided nation, and we are angry.

And if the election is contested?  Or there are irregularities?  Or, what if one candidate wins the electoral college but loses the popular?

Things will get crazy.

So, what do I say?

I want people to be civil.  I want people to have excitement if their candidate wins, but I want them to temper that excitement with the knowledge that the job is not done, it is just beginning.  I want people to learn to agree to disagree again.  I don't want violence to came about because of an election.  We are the United States- not one of the many countries in the world where these actions are commonplace following elections.  We are better than that.

As Christians, we need to lead the way in this new dawn, regardless of who wins.  We need to be better than petty arguments, character assassinations, threats, and making a political party equal to the Scripture we follow.

And what if America falls?  What if the candidate elected does turn us to socialism or return us to failed economic policies that destroy the nation?

Our nation has been torn apart before, she has been on the verge of death before.  She was almost not even born a couple centuries ago.  But she survives.  Because people believe in her.  Because, on a rare occasion, a politician rises to bring things together again- like Washington and Lincoln.  Because on far more frequent occasions, teachers, pastors, moms and dads, store owners, business people, custodians, bus drivers, farmers, soldiers, entrepreneurs, scientists, and others like them rise up and make a difference.  Because they find something worth fighting for.

For Christians, the thing worth fighting for- and I mean taking a stand, not taking up arms- is a relationship with Christ.  And I believe that if we want to spread that message to the world, a free and civil America is the best place to launch out from.

I pray that we lead the way- not for our glory, but for His.

Chapter 6: How Now Shall I Vote?

When you vote, do you vote based on the issues, or on the person/party?

Sure, we all want to say we vote on the issues, but I don't really think that's completely true.  If it were, personal attack ads would not exist.  But they do.  And they don't just attack a candidates policies, they attack their character.

Character is, and should be a deciding factor- not the only one and not as big as the issues, but a sizable one nonetheless.  Of course, the cynic in me feels to the need to point out that we need to ignore the lying character flaw because it is a given they all bend the truth until they darn near break the thing off.  Both candidates said things in the debates that were fact checked to be inaccurate at best and yet they still kept saying them.

But there is still a question of integrity.  And it is not just "doing what they say."  I believe candidates, especially those running for president, make promises that are literally impossible to keep once in office because they learn things they could not be privy to before they took office.  Obama promised to close Gitmo, but didn't- and I really think that has more do with him getting information that forced him to change his plans.  It wasn't a lie, it was new context.  And that's just one example.

So, for character, we need to look at people's personal life, what they choose to do with their lives outside of office.

Are they charitable?  Are they faithful to their spouse?  Are they good parents?  Are they committed to something bigger than themselves (that is not about getting elected)?

This election, I have seen people attack the President as a Muslim.  This should stop.  As a Christian, I believe that I cannot judge a man's heart, I can only hear what he says he believes and what he shows that he does with that belief.  President Obama has stated he is a Christian- my only concern is to see if his actions follow that belief system.  Just because he has taken actions and said things that show an affinity for Muslims and Islam in general doesn't make him un-christian and it does not make him Muslim.  To understand the man's faith, listen to his words, look at his activities with his church, and his expressions of faith.  And let God judge those actions.

This election is historic because we have our first legitimate Mormon candidate for President.  There have been attacks on him for this belief.  This should stop.  As a Christian, I believe that Mormonism and Christianity are in fact different theologies.  The deity is not the same based on what I have read and what I have heard from Mormons I have spoken to.  The salvation story is different.  But much of the expressions of charity towards others and family values are the same.  Since we are not a theocracy, the theology should not matter, but if his beliefs make him a more compassionate and better person or a more hateful person, they should affect our vote.  As I said with  President Obama: my only concern with Mitt Romney is to see if his actions follow that belief system he claims to hold.  To understand the man's faith, listen to his words, look at his activities with his church, and his expressions of faith.  And let God judge those actions.

I often quote this line from Batman Begins:  "It's not who you are on the inside, but what you do that defines you."

Politicians say things, but what do they do?  We have an incumbent President- and I have not heard a significant change in his plans for the next four years.  If you like what you have seen of his policies and his character- vote for him.  If you do not, then look to another candidate.  Look at what they have done- not what they have said, what they have done.  Choose the best candidate based on that and their character.

It must be both, I believe.  If we elect a man or woman only for personality and not for his/her work and his/her plans, we are fools.

And I think we must remember that just because we don't like a candidate, it does not make them evil.  Sure, there could someday be a person elected to President who is truly despicable and vile, a tyrant that people will talk of overthrowing.  Christians will wonder if it right to do so- like Bonhoefer with Hitler.  Because our leaders are humans, and power is an enticing corrupter.

At the end of the day, even if whoever is elected Tuesday turns into a modern day Attilla the Hun or heaven-forbid Adolf Hitler- or conversely the next JFK or Lincoln- we need to remember this:

No politician can save you.  Only Christ can.

So, why then is it important that we vote?

Because when we vote, we are are voting to keep the freedoms in place that make it easier for us to share the message of Christ with our neighbors- those down the street and those around the world.  Freedom of speech and religion that allows us- along with all religions- to openly share their beliefs.  A sharing that must be accompanied by love and grace.  Because even despite our current economy, we are financially blessed and able to help- as individual missionaries or through our churches and organizations- people who are in dire straits all over the world.  Because we are free to send missionaries at all.  We vote because we are declaring that we want to continue to be able to use our blessings to live for Christ.

We vote because we hope each vote we cast is a vote to make things better.  That may be naive- but I certainly hope that this election will make things better, just like I hoped the last one did, and the one before that.  And it doesn't always get better.  Sometimes it gets worse.

As Christians, we should take comfort whether we are better off after next Tuesday or worse in the fact that Christ will still be our Lord.  He will still be working to make it all right even when we make it all wrong.

And whoever wins, may we pray for them even when we disagree with them.