God Says Vote!

Romans 13:1

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

To be “subject” to the governing authorities in a democratic republic like the United States does not mean simply knuckling under and doing as you are told without making your own views known.  It means actively participating in the governance of the community, state, and nation by both voting and participating as necessary in the political process.  The will of the “governing authorities”, in a democratic republic, is that the citizen help in the process of ordering our lives together.  This means that, for the Christian, there is a positive obligation to participate in the life of the state and to vote.  Mere apathy and sitting on one’s hands is nothing less than disobedience to today’s verse.   The Christian has no excuse for not voting.  That’s worth contemplating even when it’s not an election year.

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Mark P. Shea is a popular Catholic writer and speaker. The author of numerous books, his most recent work is The Work of Mercy (Servant) and The Heart of Catholic Prayer (Our Sunday Visitor). Mark contributes numerous articles to many magazines, including his popular column “Connecting the Dots” for the National Catholic Register. Mark is known nationally for his one minute “Words of Encouragement” on Catholic radio. He also maintains the Catholic and Enjoying It blog and regularly blogs for National Catholic Register. He lives in Washington state with his wife, Janet, and their four sons.

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