To Avoid Voting For A "Lesser of Two Evils"

How do we choose between flawed candidates?

I hear lots of concerned citizens, including many people of faith, who lean toward voting for a particular presidential candidate but who know that by doing so they are also supporting a lot of policies they find highly objectionable. 

For example, many of my fellow pro life friends believe they must vote Republican for the sake of supporting more restrictive laws limiting abortions. At the same time, they are appalled, among other things, at the prospect of millions of undocumented workers having their lives and their families disrupted through forced expulsions if Trump is elected.

Others strongly prefer the Democratic party's policies and candidates, but are equally appalled by how Harris favors the kinds of military aid that will result in thousands of even more people being brutally bombed in Gaza and in the escalating and dangerous Ukraine/Russian war.

Yet in spite of feeling highly conflicted, many see the privilege of voting as too important for them to simply refrain from taking part in an election, believing their vote might at least move the needle of justice in a slightly more positive direction. Yet they feel uneasy about having that same vote lend support to policies they strongly oppose.

One option, of course, is for individuals to simply avoid voting altogether and to exert their influence in other ways. 

But here's a third option I've been pondering:

What if every conflicted Democratic-leaning voter would find someone leaning Republican but with some similar misgivings about their party's candidate or platform, and then have the two pledge to abstain from casting a vote in the fall election? 

This could do several things:

1. It would engage caring citizens with opposing views in important conversations that may help them understand each other better in spite of their differences.

2. Neither could be accused of simply being passive and doing nothing about matters of national or local concern through not voting and thus simply accepting the will of the voting majority.

3. Since each person's unmarked ballot in this agreement would have the direct effect of canceling the vote of someone who would have voted differently, each will have exercised their civic responsibility in a significant way.

4. All of this could be worked out between any two individuals operating in good faith, and would require no special organizing or funding. 

5. Each agreement could be tailored to the two persons involved, as to whether it would involve every item on a ballot, for example, or just the persons at the top of the ticket. 

6. Followers of Jesus could use this as a way of demonstrating their commitment to policies they see as being accordance with the future and forever reign of God and at variance with short sighted politics of the present age. In other words, it would highlight choices involving above versus below rather than just left versus right.

Feel free to put your contact information and your voting preference in a comment below if you want to connect with an interested vote-trading partner. 

On The Revolutionary Reincarnation of God

God has no hands but our hands,

in which to feed them bread.

God has no feet but our feet,

to walk among the almost dead.

We say we are His and He is ours;

Deeds are the proof of this, not words;

And these are the proving hours.

- Author Uncertain

Have you ever wondered how God can offer personal attention to every one of the billions of human beings on earth, along with all of the other of earth's creatures? We are told that no sparrow falls without God's notice.

What if God's plan from the beginning was that each of us citizens of God's kingdom, blessed with two hands, two feet and a caring heart, would be a primary means by which God's care and compassion were to be shown? And what if we were to pray constantly as though everything depended on God, but live daily as though everything depended on us as bearers of God's image?

Note the following texts:

     God created humanity in God’s own image,

        in the divine image God created them,

        male and female God created them.

     God blessed them and said to them, “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and master it. Take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, and everything crawling on the ground.”

Genesis 1:27-28 (Common English Bible)

When I look up at your skies,

    at what your fingers made—

    the moon and the stars

    that you set firmly in place—

         what are human beings

            that you think about them;

        what are human beings

            that you pay attention to them?

You’ve made them only slightly less than divine,

    crowning them with glory and grandeur.

You’ve let them rule over your handiwork,

    putting everything under their feet—

         all sheep and all cattle,

        the wild animals too,

         the birds in the sky,

        the fish of the ocean,

        everything that travels the pathways of the sea.

Psalm 8:3-8 (CEB)

     Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.

     Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.

I Thessalonians 5:12-14 New Living translation)

     Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-13 (NLT)

     Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20 (CEB)

Guest Post: A Mennonite Voters Guide?

William Higgins is on the staff of LMC, a
fellowship of Anabaptist churches formerly
known as Lancaster Mennonite Conference.

I post the following with the kind permission of William Higgins, a staff member at LMC who works in the area of theological education and Anabaptist Christian identity formation:

Some things to consider during an election season

1. We already have a Messiah. Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9). Because Jesus is the one, true Messiah, “the King of kings  and the Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16) there can be no other. This is why we must firmly reject political false messiahs who come and say they will save us and make our problems go away. Our King is more than able to take care of us.

2. We already have a political party. God’s kingdom has come, and we are submitted to God’s rule. As such we are a holy nation, citizens of heaven and God’s ambassadors (1 Peter 2:9; Philippians 3:20; 2 Corinthians 5:20). God has chosen to use us to change the world (1 Corinthians 1:26-30); to bring about the new creation. It is true that God uses governments to keep order. But it is the church that is a light to the nations of God’s better way of being and living (Matthew 5:14).

3. We already have a political platform. This is found in the Scriptures, for instance, Jesus’s inaugural sermon (Luke 4:16-21), the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), the two greatest commands (Mark  12:28-34), the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) and Paul’s reflections on God’s purpose of joining together Jews and Gentiles in the Messiah (Ephesians 3:1-13). These and more guide us as we work for the spread of God’s kingdom on earth by inviting people to be a part of our alternative community ruled by Jesus.

4. We already have all the power we need. Jesus has all authority (Matthew 28:18). We have the power of the good news of Jesus (Romans 1:16) and the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). It is this power that transforms people’s lives. It also creates new communities that embody the way of Jesus. And these communities are to be a force for good in the nations where we live as exiles (Hebrews 11:13). Remember, the early church did not have worldly political power, and Greco-Roman culture was in a worse condition than ours. But God used them to change the world.

5. We already have a firm basis of faith and hope as we live in this world. God is sovereign and oversees all. We do not need to heed the voices that call us to fear; that say, “if our candidate isn’t elected civilization will collapse.” Scripture tells us, “Do not put your trust in princes, in a son (or daughter) of man, in whom there is no salvation” (Psalm 146:3). God is the one who raises up and brings down nations and rulers (Daniel 5:21b). And this regardless of how we might vote. And even if the worst happens, Jesus still reigns and watches over us.

As we engage with the world as representatives of God’s kingdom to address its problems and seek its well-being in love for our neighbors (Jeremiah 29:7), we should not be governed by fear. Rather we can have great faith and hope in God and the power God has given us, in our party and platform, and in our King, Jesus.

For those who choose to go beyond these Christian political commitments and actions to participate in the election, here are some further things to consider:

A. Are you factoring a candidate’s character into your political choices? Policies matter, but character also matters. The various parties may debate about whose candidates have been or are worse. Yet they have both put forward character-deficient contenders. And in all of these situations, Christians have voted for them. What does this communicate to the world when Christians give their support to people who lack basic decency? “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (1 Corinthians 5:6). The morals of society are eroded by such candidates. And they are eroded as well by the seeming lack of concern by voters who empower these candidates.

B. Are you working to make sure the church is not torn apart by your political choices? Political participation can bring division into the church. Yet we are called to “be at peace with one another” (Mark 9:50; Ephesians 4:1-6). To oversimplify things, one party says we must support their candidate because they will lower the number of abortions. The other party says we must support their candidate because they will stand up for the weak and powerless. Both concerns are dear to God’s heart. When we are simply acting as Christians to engage the world in Jesus’s name, we can pursue these things together as fellow believers. When we are forced by the world to choose between our various convictions, it pulls us apart.

C. Are you considering those who feel deep pain because of your political choices? Political participation can wound fellow believers. When someone, out of deep conviction, votes for a candidate because of a concern for the widow, the orphan, the immigrant and the racial-ethnic minority, others will be distressed by this. “Where is the concern for the unborn child?” When someone, out of deep conviction, votes for a candidate because of a concern for unborn children, others will be distressed by this. “Where is the concern for the weak and vulnerable who are already born?” Both sides can say to each other, “How can you vote for . . .? That person is evil and offensive to me!”

D. Are you acting on behalf of the whole counsel of God? Paul says he declared “the whole counsel of God” to the Ephesian believers (Acts 20:27). If you are voting for one party, how are you addressing the other Christian concerns that are not addressed by your party? If we seek to represent Christian convictions through the American political process, how can we address the issues our candidate will not address or even opposes?

E. Are you thinking about how your political choices will affect your witness as a representative of Jesus? If you vote in ways that some communities see as clearly disadvantaging them, will they be able to hear you when you speak about your faith? If you have used worldly political power to force something on them, will they be alienated from Jesus?

F. Are your political statements consistent with your Christian faith and practice? If you spread gossip and slander about a candidate on social media, it is still gossip and slander. If you cheer on your candidate as they lie, you are approving of sin (James 3:6). Scripture calls us to “honor the emperor” (1 Peter 2:17). This, even if the person is not honorable. We are to show respect to all people because they are loved by God and made in God’s image. We can disagree with them, dislike them and even be disgusted by their behavior. But this does not justify expressions of hatred, ridicule or scorn. If you count the person as an enemy, love them and pray for them (Luke 6:27-28).

G. Are you protecting yourself against idolatry? Political ideologies seek our complete allegiance. And sadly, for many, politics becomes their true religion, including some Christians. This is evidenced by how they believe that only their candidate and platform can make a difference in the world. They put their faith and hope in these and thus also their efforts, energy and finances. Yet we can’t serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). And we must beware of all worldly ideologies that seek to take us “captive” (Colossians 2:8). We need to keep political involvement in proper perspective. This is not how God is going to fix the world. Jesus is working through his people to bring true and lasting change.

Here's an election related piece I wrote in 2016 

https://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2016/09/how-handful-of-florida-mennonites.html

HARDTIME VIRGINIA, Vol. 9, No. 2 Summer 2024

This is a little news sheet I send to some of the prisoners I've heard from over the years:

How Can Communities Help Returning Prisoners Succeed?

     According the US Bureau of Justice statistics, at least 95% of all state prisoners will eventually be released, ready or not. Due to Virginia's Earned Sentence Credit (ESC) bill that went into effect in July, the Commonwealth will see up to 2000 prisoners released early over the next two years, with 870 already having been granted their freedom on July 1.

     Some people, including Virginia's Attorney General, fear this will make communities less safe, given the fact that 82% of those currently being released from prisons are rearrested at least once within 10 years, and 43% within their first year of freedom. 

     There is reason to believe, however, that those released through the ESC bill will prove to be an exception to those numbers. All will have completed certain required reentry programs, have proven to be dependable workers at their prison jobs, and have been infraction free for an extended period of time. In other words, they will all have demonstrated hard work and responsibility in meeting goals that contribute to their success. 

     The other vital factor affecting their success will be the support of caring and engaged communities. In the state of Washington congregations have offered mentoring and support to returning prisoners through a One Prisoner, One Parish program, in which communities of faith adopt someone with whom they correspond and visit while in prison, then offer care, friendship and practical help as needed when they return to their communities. 

     According to the Harvard University Criminal Justice Policy Group, seven factors are critical for successful outcomes, adequate healthcare, gainful employment, affordable housing, necessary skill development, one on one mentoring, and supportive social networks. Caring communities can be a vital part of helping individuals access all of these.                       

- Harvey Yoder, editor

Is The Virginia Parole Board In Violation Of SB 1361?

     What follows is from the text of a bill enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia May 12, 2023 that gives specific directions about how they are to make and report their decisions, as in “An Act to amend and reenact Section(s) 2.2-3703, 53.1-136, 53.1-154, and 53.1-154, and 53.1-155 of the Code of Virginia…”

     In addition to the other powers and duties imposed upon the Board by this article, the Board shall:

     9. Ensure that each person eligible for parole receives a timely and through review of his/her suitability for release on parole, including a review of any relevant post-sentencing information. If parole is denied, the basis for the denial of parole shall be in writing and shall give specific individualized reasons for such denial to such inmate, and

     10. Convene a public meeting, either in person or via video conference, when conducting the final deliberation and vote regarding whether the Board will grant parole to a prisoner. The prisoner being considered for parole or his attorney shall be permitted to attend such meeting either, in the Board's discretion, in person or via video conference. The victim shall be permitted to attend and participate in such meeting either, in the Board's discretion, in person or via video or phone conference or to provide written or recorded testimony. No decision to grant discretionary parole shall be made by the Board unless such decision was discussed and debated at a meeting at which a majority of the Board members were present. Whether the Board grants or denies discretionary parole to an inmate, each Board member shall identify his/her reasoning for such decision at the time such member's vote is cast.

A Survivor of Childhood Abuse Shares His Story

     

     My name is Richard “Rick” Webb, and I am serving a life sentence without parole in Virginia. I am a survivor of childhood sex abuse and of being bullied when I was a child. I know that I am not alone and that most never take things to the extreme that I did. I understand, and for anyone hearing my story for the first time, I own my crimes, acknowledge the terrible harm I caused, and I am truly sorry for what I did.

     For years I didn't know how to talk about what I went through nor did I know how to handle hearing that the reason I went through some of what I did was because my aunt and my mom were also both victimized as children by the people I shot, their parents (my grand parents).

     These were among the very people who didn't try to help me when the one and only time as a five year old I tried to let them know I was being molested, nothing was done but to tell me to be quiet. Over the next several years I would deal with other sexual traumas from outside of the family, and all of these went unreported and were left unchecked. They finally boiled over after over 12 years of pain and depression.

     I committed my crimes when I was 18 years old, still young and immature in so many ways. Emotionally I was still a little boy with no clue as to the longterm ramifications of my actions.

     I hit rock bottom in prison. But without any hope for freedom I set out to help people who have been, or still are, dealing with trauma. I became a mentor to my peers, creating and teaching my own version of a conflict resolution class as well as a communication class. I've completed just about all classes offered to prisoners over the years.

     I've remained institutional infraction free for the better part of the past 23 straight years. I've been in honor pods at multiple institutions, I've had the sensitive area jobs in prison that are normally reserved for those of us who are not trouble makers.

     There is so much more. but I'm trying to keep this as short as possible. Should people be willing to help me and others like me in our fight for freedom, it would be deeply appreciated.

Richard "Ric" Webb 1174188, Buckingham Correctional Center

The Virginia Parole Board Released No One In July

     In light of the Virginia Parole Board’s mission “to grant parole or conditional release to those inmates whose release is compatible with public safety,” one wonders what the current members of the Board are being paid for. They approved two persons being continued on parole, but no one was granted either a discretionary or a geriatric release in July. 

     Here are the total numbers so far for 2024: Continued on Parole: 11, Discharged Sentence: 1, Geriatric Release: 4. Discretionary Release: 2, Dual Discretionary and Geriatric Release: 2, Terminally ill: 3, Total Grants Released on Parole: 11.

     This is unbelievable.

****************************************

"Remember those who are in prison, as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as though you yourselves were suffering." Hebrews 13:3

Harvey Yoder, editor, Valley Justice Coalition, P.O. Box 434, Harrisonburg, VA 22803

I may not always be able to respond promptly to every correspondent but I do value hearing from readers.

Which Reaction To The Hamas Attack On Israel?

Over 40,000 Gazans have been killed, and
many more injured, among the over 800,000
who live in an area much smaller than
Rockingham County.

I see four Torah-based responses Israel could have considered in its response to the October 7 terrorist attack:

1. Choosing to simply show love for their fellow Semitic neighbors, treating them and other sojourners among them the way they would want to be treated.

You shall not hate your brother or sister in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbors, lest you incur sin because of them. You shall not take vengeance or bear grudges against the offspring of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:17-18

God ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.   Deuteronomy 10:18-19 

2. Letting God take revenge on evildoers. 

It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them. The LORD will vindicate his people and relent concerning his servants when he sees their strength is gone and no one is left, slave or free.   Deuteronomy 32:35-36

3. If meting out justice, never exacting more than an eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth, whether an offense involving an alien or a citizen.

Anyone who injures their neighbor is to be injured in the same manner: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury. Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a human being is to be put to death. You are to have the same law for the foreigner and the native-born. I am the Lord your God.  Leviticus 24:19-22

4. Taking vengeance in their own hands, as in the story of the ancient Midianites. 

So Moses said to the people, “Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites so that they may carry out the Lord's vengeance on them." Numbers 31:1-3

******************************

Here's the perspective of one Jewish writer Naomi Klein: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/24/zionism-seder-protest-new-york-gaza-israel

Is The High Cost Of Living Our Main Problem Or The Cost Of High Living?

Costs of housing, child care, health
care and college are indeed rising.

We hear a lot of lament these days by those who say they are "living from paycheck to paycheck" in spite of having incomes that are far above the poverty level, and multiple times higher than billions of their fellow human beings around the world.

But is the problem only one of rising costs or is it also a result of our ever rising expectations for the kind of lifestyles to which we feel entitled?

Here are some examples:

1. Most of us assume the right to own at least one expensive, state-of-the-art vehicle, and often one for every licensed driver in the household. Fewer than one in five people around the world ever enjoy kind of convenience. 

2. In contrast to earlier generations, few households grow and preserve any significant amount of their own food. They eat out regularly (and recreationally), and rely on local supermarkets for overpackaged, overpriced and over processed food products that are convenient and tasty, but often unhealthy.

3. Most middle class Americans benefit from exceptional dental and medical care, but as a art of a healthcare system that is far more expensive than in most parts of the world.

4. According to Global Apparel Industrial Statistics,  the average American buys an article of clothing every five days, adding to their already overstocked wardrobes.

5. In my lifetime rentable storage units have popped up everywhere for our excess possessions, in spite of the average square footage of space per person in our homes having quadrupled over the past century. 

Your comments?

What On Earth To Wear--Catching Up To Slow Fashion

Jane Milburn is one of numerous authors advocating
for fair, just and environmentally sustainable apparel.

"Why worry so about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they flourish: they neither toil nor spin; yet even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."

- Jesus (Matthew 6:28-9, paraphrased)

According to an article in Forbes magazine by Christopher Marquis, the average American buys a new article of clothing every five days. And the writer cites a McKinsey study finding that 90% of what is in our closets is discarded well before being worn out.

Marquis further notes , "The rise of this fast fashion has created large-scale environmental and social side-effects...  In China, India and Bangladesh, once prosperous rivers have been destroyed by factory wastewater discharges; they have now become biological dead zones full of carcinogenic chemicals. Additionally, the tiny plastic microfibers that fall from synthetic clothing during the laundry process are flooding our water supply and food chain.”

According to current Global Apparel Industrial Statistics the US ranks the highest in the world when it comes to money spent on apparel, $351.35 billion annually. China, with over four times as many people, is second with $313.82 billion, and India is third at $101.39 billion. It is estimated that the total amount spent in the global apparel industry in 2024 will reach $1.79 trillion. 

A counter Slow Fashion movement, a takeoff from the slow food movement, recognizes the environmental and human costs involved in the manufacture of cheap, mass produced clothing, and has been advocating for an alternative mindset and lifestyle. They urge consumers to focus on timeworn values like creativity, durability, sustainability and justice when it comes to their clothing choices.

More and more voices are urging us to take an inventory of what's in our wardrobes, noting both the excessive number of garments we own and all of the impoverished countries identified on our clothing labels. And then to begin practicing more repair, refurbishing and reusing of our clothing, along with buying more sparingly and only from sources that reflect our values.

Some may argue that having clothing manufactured in far off places like Bangladesh and Pakistan and in nearby impoverished countries like Guatemala and Honduras, at least provides employment for people in poverty, in spite of it often being produced in unsafe factories and under sweatshop conditions. But wouldn’t additional investments in the production of goods needed by their own citizens be far better? And ironically, huge quantities of our castoffs end up being baled and shipped for resale in some of these same countries, further devastating their economies.

A related issue that merits attention is the jewelry industry, which according to Jewelry Market statistics is valued at $69 billion in the United States, around 20% of the total global jewelry market. As someone who grew up in a faith community that avoided this kind of ornamentation, and supprted values like simplicity, modesty and economy, I can appreciate this expression of a simpler "slow fashion" life choice, and find myself asking, “What would a 21st century Jesus wear?"

In a 1927 rally for independence in India, Gandhi raised over 90,000 rupees from a gathering of poor citizens of that country who contributed some of the few treasures they had, their prized jewelry, for a cause they believed in, the liberation of their people from colonial rule. 

This kind of generosity could be liberating for us all, an example we should all pay attention to.