Results so far:
| Yes | 60% | 2183 votes | Total: 3637 votes | |
| No | 40% | 1454 votes |
Yes, if the tenets of people's faith do not influence their actions, then they are not truly faithful and the question is moot. However, people must be cautious about what they blindly accept. It has been demonstrated that some "faiths" have overt political agendas, and it is unwise for people to vote in a particular fashion simply because the individual leaders at their place of worship say they ought to. People should examine if the law is truly in line with their moral and ideological stance. Some laws advocated by religious organizations have catastrophic side effects that overtly harm people, or groups of people. Before voting for such measures, a person of faith should examine these issues and decide whether they are truly benefiting society in the way their leaders claim. Sometimes the leaders are mistaken.
Something else to consider: it is extremely immoral for a religious institution to leverage the community's faith in order to influence politics. Religion should not concern itself with politics, it should concern itself with educating the community to tread a faithful path, and to make strong, well reasoned moral choices. If people detect that their religious leaders are trying to influence them to vote for a particular political candidate or pass a particular measure, they should take note! It may be a sign of corruption in the leadership, or a flaw in the attitude of their church (mosque/synagogue/etc), and they may do well to seek an alternate venue of worship.
Learn more about this author, Alexia Schulz.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:
by Sarah Dohl
I am not a particularly religious person. Like most twenty-somethings who grew up in a time of the internet, wars, terrorism,
by CG Media
If you are truly a person of faith, faith becomes the most important part of your identity. Faith should be woven into the
by Mike Hanson
The founding fathers of the United States of America were very adamant regarding their position for the separation of church
by Jess Howe
No, but dammit it does! How many times have we seen the classic "family values" platform? People going to the "Bible Belt",
Add your voice
Know something about Should one's faith influence a citizen's vote??
We want to hear your view.
Write now!
Featured Partner
Appleseed, a nonprofit network of 16 public interest justice centers in the United States and Mexico, uncovers and co...more
hide