I grew up in a home strongly rooted in a generational Christian faith and utterly apolitical. My Mennonite grandparents lived a life separate from many worldly influences and purposefully, blissfully uninvolved in politics.
The first presidential election I was eligible to vote in was Ronald Reagan's second term. In those days, Rev. Jerry Fallwell's Moral Majority was influential in how evangelical Christians voted. In college, I majored in Political Science. The small college I attended had a Catholic sounding name, but my St. Mary's College was decidedly secular. (Thirty years later, I still refer to it as "St. Mary's in Southern Maryland" to differentiate it from The Mount!)
Reconciling faith and politics is impossible. I take some comfort in the fact that this has been an issue that has been dealt with for centuries. Philosophers and theologians have devoted themselves to finding their way in this juxtaposition. The oft-quoted phrase, "Power corrupts," is generally attributed to Baron Acton who, in 1887, wrote "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." Even then, this concept was not new as others had made similar statements years before Baron Acton.
How does one reconcile their personal moral standards (whether they be faith-based or simply instilled in them by their parents or culture) with the political climate of the 2016 elections? Do we throw up our hands and agree with Baron Acton? Do we pick and choose which "type" of moral corruption is acceptable? I have always struggled with Christian leaders publicly putting their support behind one candidate and stating or implying that this selection has divine inspiration. How you vote needs to be informed by your personal conscience. People of great faith that have landed on both sides of this Presidential election and I am interested in how they arrived at their decision.
Ultimately, the conclusion I have come to is that I can only trust in humans to a point. Often people make excuses for their candidate, attempting to explain why the misdeed of the side they support is less egregious than the misdeed of the side they are against. Hogwash. Undoubtedly, we are frail human beings with strengths and weaknesses. I am not well versed in the tenants of faith other than my Christian faith, but I can rarely find a candidate — particularly on the national level — that meets a Biblical standard of a moral uprightness. The Book of Psalms teaches, "Do not put your trust in princes" (146:3a) and "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans." (118:8)
I am disappointed that my daughter's first election cycle is 2016. Debating has been more about potty talk than policy. Jabs, barbs and name-calling make up the bulk of the conversation. The only bright spot in the last debate was the final question. An audience member asked both candidates to identify something they admired about their opponent. Secretary Clinton graciously congratulated Mr. Trump on his children and Mr. Trump recognized her passion as an admirable trait.
Neither the Democrat nor the Republican candidate for President can be considered morally upright and sound; even if only a portion of the accusations lobbed against the two are true. In this election, I believe many will vote for the party and the platform but likely not for the person at the top of the ticket.
In 2016, the election is not about which candidate holds the moral high ground. Only the most devoted admirers could ignore the facts that call into question the character of their preferred candidate. This election quickly becomes a question of which candidate will surround themselves with people that can lead us in the right direction. Are we happy with the Clinton/Obama course or do we want to try a different path? Which candidate do we trust to appoint Supreme Court Justices?
This election cycle, I have often thought about the simplicity of the Old Order Mennonite approach. They live their life in a community that is not encumbered by the worries of politics. There is something to be said for working hard and sleeping well and putting faith in your God rather than the rulers chosen by man.
Karen Leatherwood writes from Eldersburg. Reach her at leatherwoodkarenm@gmail.com.
