The Philippine Online Chronicles

Author's note: This post is intended for Catholics and Christians because the discussion will center heavily on politics and bible scripture.

This post will attempt to answer two major questions. First, does our faith have anything to do with our vote or politics in general? Secondly, who do we think God will vote for in the 2010 Presidential elections here in the Philippines?

Each time I bring up the bible or anything related to our faith in the context of the elections, the number one answer I get from people is that it doesn't matter and that politics should not be influenced by our faith. A lot of the responses I get cite the separation of church and state which is in our constitution.

The Separation of Church and State was based on a letter written by US President Thomas Jefferson in 1802 to the church saying that the government lacked authority in the realm of individual conscience and that they can't interfere with the matters of the church. It does not say that the church shouldn't get involved in the affairs of the state - in fact the bible says otherwise. The good book even expounds on what kind of leader we should elect into office.

14 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” 15 be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. 18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees 20 and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel. (Deuteronomy 17:14-20)

The verses above reveal God's criteria in picking a leader. To summarize:

1. Not a foreigner

2. Not corrupt/greedy

3. Only has one wife

4. Follows the law of the land and the laws of the bible

5. Someone that God has chosen to lead over us

Does God have anything to do with elections? YES. Why? Because according to the bible, this is what will happen if we don't make the correct decision:

When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. (Proverbs 29:2)

As Catholics and Christians, we believe in God. If this is the case, then we must all have faith in him and in his word (the bible). It's easy to check the first 4 items listed in the criteria, but how do we seek God's will and find out who he's chosen?

Simple - we pray and read the bible.

Voting is not just a political act. It's a spiritual choice as well in which we hold our leaders accountable to higher standards. We don't just rely on surveys, commercials, or stories from our friends to make decisions. We should really study the candidates and seek God's guidance through prayer and His word so that we make the right choice.

So back to the second question - who will God vote for? There's only one way to find out. We seek Him out and ask Him.

Author's note: This is a spin-off from my original post in my blog - God's Will in the 2010 Elections

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