There is a verse in Romans that actually lays a foundation of principle for voting behavior. Perhaps you haven’t looked at it that way, but nonetheless it is there. Paul wrote to the Romans concerning those who had the law and those who didn’t. The Jews had the Law, but the Gentiles recognized the benefit of following God’s way of life prior to Jesus proclaiming that his way was the only way to salvation and a life pleasing to God. Paul wrote Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another; (Romans 2:15) The word that is of the utmost importance is conscience. Paul told the Roman brethren that the conscience would be either the accuser or the excuser. In other words, is the conscience of the individual in line with right standards and values? That orientation will always determine the behavior everyone.

Several popular refrains are heard near election time. “Exercise your right to vote” and “Vote your conscience.” Yes, voting is a right and everyone eligible to vote should vote, but there is something that is even more important than voting which will be seen a few lines later. The line, “Vote your conscience” is fine as far as it goes, but in that instruction is a peril.

 In 2008, the man in the White House was elected and it was historic, but not for the reason that is so often stated which is that he is the first black occupant of the Oval Office. That is false that he is black. He isn’t black since he is half white. He isn’t white since he is half black. That the black people voted for a man that isn’t fully black is the historic aspect of his election. Historically, blacks would not associate with a person who was half and half. The man himself refused to associate himself with the white half and that is no small feat to disassociate with part of self.

Black people voted overwhelmingly for the nut job while ignoring the white half; white people apparently voted for him to avoid being called racist, so they ignored the white half also. Democrats voted for him because he is a Democrat with skin color not seeming to be an issue. Sadly, many liberal Democrats would vote for a dead skunk if a sign said the skunk was a Democrat.  (Somehow skunk and liberal Democrat seem to go together with all due apologies to the skunk for the suggested association.)

The foregoing is where the conscience joins the scene. A healthy conscience will have a standard that tells the individual what is right and what is wrong. It will tell what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. When a conscience not oriented to a standard controls voting behavior, horrible results will be the consequence. It is reasonable to say that when one is driven to vote for any candidate because of the party or skin color, irrespective of the good values or lack thereof held by the candidate, the conscience so attuned is leading the individual to vote for people who do not hold the values that keep the republic stable.

Excuses of all kinds are used to justify voting behavior. A very popular one is that the Republicans have not cooperated with the nut job. Republicans have been against everything he has tried to do is another. One more is that he is for the poor people and the Republicans are not. Have you guessed by now the standard for the conscience that gives those answers? If you haven’t, it is a human devised standard based on a party and a man.

When the line “Vote your conscience” is stated there is no mention of an objective standard which is found in the Bible and in the Constitution; those are the missing parts that cause the peril when voting your conscience. The conscience can be and is, as seen by the last election, firmly attached to the wrong standards. And that wrong standard is the basis for all the excuses in the paragraph above, plus many more. That wrong standard is filled with such ignorant beliefs as tax the rich; the wealthy don’t need tax breaks; the people need more government help; the rich have all the breaks with others too numerous to mention.

When the conscience is guided by an ignorance fueled by human standards it is best to say, “Don’t vote. The survival of the republic depends on you not voting.” And remember, not voting is a right too and it should be exercised on the Wednesday, November 6, 2012, by those who hold the wrong standard of conscience.

© 10-8-2012 DEC