Voting as a Catholic

The Lesser of Two Evils: Voting in a Secular Age

    Democracy is one of the hallmarks of the modern world. Developed nations of East and West raise it as a banner of modernity and progressivism, while developing nations look to it either with longing or hatred. Whatever the perspective, democracy is the most popular political format in the 21st century. Nations which once held to imperialism, communism, fascism, and even tribal or theocratic governments now flock to democracy in some form. Although it differs among nations, with some using a parliament, some a president, etc., all hold it as the ideal of a "humanistic" government, whether that is said as praise or deprecation.

    As Catholic citizens of democratic nations, we are all mandated to participate in the community by voting. But we're also expected to have a conscience. As we review the list of voting candidates, we see party representatives. Immediately we view them with some bias - this one looks too old to be prime minister doesn't he? I would love to have a president from the South this time. Wouldn't a Quebec prime minister have a French accent? Could we even understand him? Mm, a woman candidate: ignore her politics, she's fighting for the cause of feminism!

    Catholicism is already highly marginalized, misinterpreted, misrepresented, or all three and more throughout the world, adding onto the bias and confusion we have in voting for a particular candidate. We're told not to let our beliefs influence our actions in the "secular" sphere: but isn't being a Christian a part of everything we do? Does God not care how we run our countries, treat our neighbors, dispense justice and defend ourselves? Yet, the Church also teaches that theocracy - a society ruled by direct Church authority - is not a good thing, and probably isn't good for either side.

    Ultimately, every part of a Catholic's life should be influenced by their Catholicism. While this doesn't mean electing the Pope as US President, it does mean electing officials who will - hopefully - make policies that create a just, peaceful, dignified and free nation which promotes charity, liberty, human rights and the inherent value of life from conception to natural death. Aren't these things the "self-evident truths" the United States Declaration of Independence spoke of? Does it really require being Catholic to uphold such things? Unfortunately, it often does.

    Essentially, talking about politics is not the same as discussing morality, even though they often mix. Politics is pragmatic, functional, meant for the betterment of the common good. Morality is spiritual; it's about how individuals not only treat one another, but think and feel within themselves about life, people and God. Morality is love; politics is practicality. However, Western politics is based on Christian - particularly Catholic - ideas of culpability, concupiscence, justice, human rights and freedom. But didn't these ideas come from Enlightenment humanism and democratic theory? Wasn't the medieval Church only an impediment to the progression of these practices which form the basis of modern secular society?

    That is what most of us are taught in school, even in university. Because our appointed teachers say it, and we're more interested in the close present or distant future - as children should be - we prefer to let them handle it rather than investigate it for ourselves. We should be able to trust our teachers, but unfortunately they often follow a "secularist" agenda. This is a term thrown around a lot nowadays, both by proponents and opponents, but what does it mean?

    Secularism is the desire for a purely secular state, where religion plays absolutely no part in political affairs. It isn't exactly fascist, though fascism was indeed secularist: secularism itself doesn't prohibit the existence of religion in the nation. It only believes religious sentiment has no place in the political sphere. But as was said earlier, Catholics cannot accept this. As Christians, we are called to do what is best for our neighbors, both immediately and the greater common good. If we are nice to our friend, but vote in favor of abortion for a child we never knew, for a mother we couldn't care less about, how hard must our hearts be?

    The proponents of secularism, often posing as teachers in our schools at all grades, would have us believe medieval society was a primitive, anti-scientific feudal totalitarianism, where the Church used psychological tyranny, political corruption and decadence to hypnotize the masses into a Santa Claus-like fantasy world, where the distant God would satisfy all their desires if they would simply give the Church money for a new crown. In this fantasy from secularist history, the Church also burned all books and especially fought against the progress of science and democracy. To them, in the Renaissance, brave scientists and political theorists courageously battled the wealthy ignorance of the Papacy to create humanism, democracy, modern science and the free market, all of which it strictly opposed. As with most conspiracy theories, this is incredibly skewed by bias and ignorance of history.