Why I Won't Be Voting for the "Lesser" of Two Evils

I have been writing, editing, and re-editing this post for about a month. I wanted to describe in detail all the reasons why I couldn't bring myself to choose between the "lesser" of two evils tomorrow, but I have decided to keep it short and not-so-sweet.

I cannot, in good conscience, support any presidential candidate who adheres to the doctrine of preemptive war. I refuse to give my consent to a man who claims to be pro-life on the issue of abortion, yet will not hesitate to order the slaughter of men, women, and children in foreign countries without so much as a declaration of war from Congress as mandated by the Constitution. Being an authority instituted by God (Romans 13:1) does not give one a license to murder.

I cannot, in good conscience, support any presidential candidate who has praised the policy of indefinite detention and assassination of American citizens. Sorry, but if we throw out due process and grant the president the ability to unilaterally decide who lives and who dies, then we are no longer a free country.

In the end, I think it is up to the conscience of each informed and prayerful believer to decide how, or if, he or she should vote. After all, our primary concern is spreading the gospel, which is what we are called to do no matter what kind of government presumes to assert control over our lives.

I realize, of course, that while we are not of the world, there is no escaping the fact that we are in the world until Christ returns (John 15:19). Yet scripture also says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2).

How does that apply to voting? If whatever we do is to be done to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31), then we should not look upon the act of voting as the world does. We citizens of the Celestial Kingdom must consider the moral implications of voting beyond the immediate, pragmatic results.

Keep in mind what happened 12 years ago when conservative Christian voters thought their prayers were answered with the election of George W. Bush. He launched two wars to set up two new fundamentalist Islamic regimes in the Middle East. He buried us under massive debt, oversaw a failing economy, and ushered in a burgeoning police state. I shudder to think what might happen if Christians didn't spend time in prayerful consideration before heading to the polls.

I have long held to the notion that voting is not simply a bet on who will win but a reflection of one's principles. With that in mind, I have come to the conclusion that neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney will get my vote.