by Judy Joyce

Created on: September 27, 2008

ONE'S FAITH MUST INFLUENCE HOW TO VOTE: Animal Farm in the Voting Booth, Are We a Nation of Pigs?

As citizen's of the United States we cut our civic teeth on the concepts embodied in the Constitution often focusing on the Bill of Rights. After all, in addition to our preamble of civic faith embodied in the Declaration of Independence where "we hold these truths to be self-evident", we are actually expected to conduct our civic duties authentically.

WE ARE WHAT WE BELIEVE

The word "authenticity" can be applied to many things. We can be authentic citizens, and we can be authentic people of faith all at the same time. What does that mean?
That answer is best addressed when we also acknowledge we are what we believe.

While many would like to interpret life in only the most comfortable ways, it is a fact of civic life that we are part of a social compact that propounds many things. While we hold that the equality of all mankind is a part of that compact with which we can agree, there are times when we have preferences summed up by George Orwell's "Animal Farm". Orwell reminds us of the tendency to create inequality within a social structure that goes accepted as principles to live by. In Animal Farm "all (animals) are equal but some are more equal than others".

In civic life, we must strive to eliminate the belief that all voters are equal but faith-based voters are not as equal as those of a secular stripe.

AUTHENTICITY IN CIVIC LIFE TRANSLATES TO VOTING OUR BELIEFS

In civic life there remains a tension that is healthy. A little stress can be a good thing. A child jumping on a parent's bed in the morning can inspire a loving start to yet another day. A little kitty doing the very same thing, can arouse from sleep those who might otherwise be lazy. A barking dog can be annoying until assisting a homeowner to believe something is amiss...come see. These are secular examples of the positive sides of stress that are also necessary in everyday life.

Faith-based voters can be annoyed by New Age spirituality. Yet both the faith-based and new age adherents have views on authenticity. Faith-based Christians declare that the only real thing in life that makes any sense is to live the life that Jesus Christ designates. New age believers in spirituality are gurus of self-actualization. In this way, once new age identity is achieved, living authentically in tune with what has been found within is the only way to conduct one's life.

When entering the voting both, the secular, the faith-based, and the new age citizen have a social compact that coincides. The secularist agrees that not just all votes are equal but all voters are equal. The faith-based citizen agrees and adds with it the conviction that it makes no sense but to live the life that Jesus Christ designates. The new age adherent accepts an understanding of life that demands authenticity with what flows from within.

THE ANIMAL FARM VOTING BOOTH

When understanding the demands of the social compact with which U.S. citizens agree, to vote requires that we vote what we believe. To do less, lacks authenticity. To do less, is to live a lie or ask that others live a lie for you.

In such a case, you have given rise to an Animal Farm mentality. You have made the choice that what you believe demands equal respect from all elements of society. You have made the choice that you are entitled to equal rights to vote your mind because all rights are equal except for those of someone else, especially if they have faith.

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