Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

Have you voted today?

I love Election Day. Anywhere. For me, it epitomizes the essence of democracy: citizens taking time from their busy lives to vote, to make a choice that at the end of the day, determines the future direction of their community, their country. Voting means taking a stand, making a difference.

As a Christian, I believe that voting is a way to put my Christian faith into action. As Bishop M. Thomas Shaw of the Diocese of Massachusetts says, “It is a way to speak up for what you believe in and to support leaders who will be about good governance for all God’s people and not politics alone.”

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life tells us: “The U.S. has a long tradition of separating church and state, yet a powerful inclination to mix religion and politics. Throughout the nation’s history, political and social movements—from abolition to women's suffrage to civil rights—have drawn upon religious institutions for moral authority, inspirational leadership, and organizational muscle. In recent years, religion has been woven more deeply into the fabric of partisan politics than ever before.”

In a November 2, 2008 bulletin insert, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori writes, “Voting and political participation are acts of Christian stewardship, in which citizens can engage in a common conversation about the future of our nation and the world. I urge you to exercise your right to vote, and to encourage and help others to do so as well.”

Have you voted today?