To Vote or Not to Vote

With the 2024 election season starting to crank up, I thought I would share an interesting perspective on the subject of voting. I am not endorsing this viewpoint(but I do think it makes interesting points), as I have been voting, even though in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022, I found it to be harder and harder to convince myself to go vote. One would think that with 330,000,000 citizens, that the Democratic and Republican Parties would find better candidates to run, especially for president.

David Lipscomb quoting B.U. Watkins in Lipscomb’s book, On Civil Government: Its Origin, Mission, and Destiny, and the Christian's Relation to It.

“One of the signs of the great Apostacy, was the union of Church and State. Its chosen symbol was a woman upon the back of a seven headed and ten horned beast. It is almost uniformly admitted, among American Protestants, that this is a well chosen symbol to represent the absurd, and unnatural union of Church and State. It is generally conceded, that the woman represents the Church, and the beast the old Roman civil government. This being true, it would appear far more natural for her to be riding the beast, than for him to have his locomotion promoted by the help of the woman! When the State comes forward and proffers its assistance, and the Church voluntarily accepts of such help, it might be a question, which would be the most to blame; the Church for accepting, or the State for offering such assistance. But when the Church gives, unasked, her power to the beast, no excuse can reasonably be pleaded. If the State supporting the Church, is called an adulterous union, I am unable to see, why the union is not equally intimate, and criminal, when the Church supports the State, by participating in all its responsibilities. When the Church offers her fellowship, and co-operation in framing all the laws of the land, and in choosing its judicial and executive officers - when even her members refuse not to become legislators, and are even forward to fill all the offices of human governments, I cannot see, but the relation between church and State, is as intimate as ever, and just as illegal. Ezekiel chided the ancient Hebrews for seeking such union with the nations; and he compares Israel to a woman of the lowest infamy. It is exceedingly painful to me, to see how aptly these symbols of John and Ezekiel apply to modern professors. But how greatly would I rejoice, if the reformation of the 19th century would arise and put on her beautiful garments, and show herself to be the true spouse of Christ. May the good Lord grant that this noble brotherhood, that I so dearly love, may soon see the whole truth! But here, I am met with the objection, that these institutions are ordained of God. And he who resists them resists an ordinance of God, and shall receive punishment. Let me here pause, and remark, that I would sooner be understood as taking the popular view of this passage, rather than appear to countenance any kind of war. Nothing is further from my intention. But the fact of civil government being ordained of God, is no proof of Divine approbation. So long as it can be clearly shown that he has ordained that one sinner should punish another, so long as we read in Isaiah, that Cyrus was sent against Babylon, although he knew not God, so long as we find it not difficult to admit the application of the above passage, to civil government, whether such be its meaning or not. To make the admission saves much time, and leaves the argument much more compact. Something is gained and nothing lost by granting all we can to our opponents. That God can overrule sin, without being responsible for its commission, and without having any complicity with it, is a thing so plain, that to turn aside to explain it would almost be an insult to those for whom these columns are written. Let a hint suffice. Pharaoh was raised up by God for a certain purpose, although his behavior was far from being approved of God. With a few axioms I will close this article. Axiom 1st, No man has the right of making laws for his own government. For such a right would include the double absurdity of making him independent of God, and responsible only to himself! Axiom 2nd. A republican government is one in which power is thought to be delegated by the people to their rulers, in their act of voting. Axiom 3rd. But a man cannot delegate a power he himself does not possess. Hence, INFERENCE 1st. As man has no inherent legislative power, he cannot transfer it to another. Hence, INFERENCE 2nd. Voting is therefore a deception, and a sham, making a deceiver of him, who votes, and a dupe of him who fancies himself the recipient of delegated power.”

 

I am enjoying reading the comments and the perspectives being offered.

 

From what I have learned about the partisan media in the 19th century in the United States, the Republican and Democratic media nowadays is tame in comparison.

Interesting, brief article on the subject:

"For those of you despairing about the nasty tenor of elections today, the ugly partisanship of politics, the polarity of the press: Be happy you weren’t around in the 19th century.
...
Jefferson v. Adams, 1800: Attack of the Personal Attacks!

Remember those founding fathers, so brilliant, so inspirational? They were also mean. Jefferson was accused of being pro-French and running a “Congo harem” out of Monticello. Adams was accused of conspiring to marry his daughter off to the British king’s family, in order to establish a royal bloodline. Also, foes said he had smuggled British prostitutes across the Atlantic to serve his needs."

- rest of article with some more examples at Partisan politics? Take a look at the 19th century - The Boston Globe

 

Lots of voters no longer vote based on the qualifications of the candidates. Nowadays, they treat elections like the parties in a parliamentary system. Thus, they vote for a Democrat to keep a Republican from winning or they vote for a Republican to keep a Republican from winning. So we end up with different parties - divided up by ideologies - controlling different branches of the government based on the boundaries of congressional districts and the 2 senators per state Senate, unlike a true parliamentary system where one party at a time controls the entire government.

When I was growing up each of the major parties had a mixture of conservatives, moderates, and liberals - with the Democratic Party leaning liberal and the Republican Party leaning conservative. And if something was to be passed the moderates in both parties could unite with the liberals in both parties to pass a bill they agreed on, or the moderates in both parties could unite with the conservatives in both parties to pass a bill they agreed on. Now with so many congressional districts being non-competitive, there is way more emphasis on toeing the party line to avoid being primaried instead of trying to persuade a wide swath of voters that you are the best person, regardless of party, for the office. Elections have little to do with persuasion nowadays but more about just ginning up the base to turn out.

In practical terms, we now have a parliamentary party system being imposed on our constitutional system that was not designed to even have parties and the framers warned against having parties.

Frankly, I miss Ronald Reagan. Seems like the political system has been degrading after he left office in all of the branches.