I am very ready for this election period to be over. Eleven weeks is far too long for a federal campaign, and as one who went into this election period determined to be aware and informed, I am exhausted of all the political hoopla that has filled my social media feeds and in-person conversations. I attempted to be as non-partisan as possible in my conversations, determined to make the best vote in an unbiased manner.
In my personal opinion, one party has emerged above the others as the clear winner for my vote; a party who has already received my vote as a result of the advanced polls. I have been sitting on a blog post for about a week on why I believe them to be the best choice to vote for, but I have been hesitant to post it.
Now, my hesitancy has not been because I am unsure about whether my vote was the quote-on-quote "right decision"--I firmly believe it is. However, my delay in posting is because I am not sure if it would actually have the intended effect I would want it to have, and that it would arise more as white noise than a call to cast the "best" vote.
The problem with politics is not that people do not want the best for their country--I believe that every person who casts a ballot on Monday (or during the advanced polls) truly believes that the person/party they are voting for will do the best to make Canada the country they believe it should be. Rather, the problem comes in what we believe Canada actually should be. For some, Canada is a nation that is progressive and inclusive, leaders on the world stage. For others, Canada is international peacemakers, quick to aid and always ready to lend a helping hand. For another, Canada is tough on crime, a nation in which it is safe to live and raise a family.
Recently, our small group at church has begin going through Dietrich Bonhoeffer's work Life Together. While this book was not written for such a purpose, as we have begun to go through it, I believe that it can speak to our political actions as Christians in a secular nation. Bonhoeffer, who would eventually face death for his actions, does not seem to be overly concerned with creating a "Christian" nation. Rather, his concern seems to be primarily how can we be Christians inside this nation? Bonhoeffer argues that we cannot be Christians in isolation, but rather that all of our faith is determined by how we interact within community. For Bonhoeffer, "we should seek and find His living Word in the witness of a brother [or sister], in the mouth of man [or woman]" (23).
Bonhoeffer takes very seriously the influence of the Christian in the secular world. He does so not in an effort to make all conform to his beliefs, but rather acted in a way that emphasized the needs of the other. In his words, "Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this" (21). In community, we are to take the commands of Christ seriously. These find their pinnacle in the call to the aid of one's neighbour, to put emphasis on the needs of the other before that of ourselves.
It is this understanding of the Gospel as good news for all people that I simply cannot get away from as I have been wading through the waters of politics over these last eleven weeks. Which parties take seriously the needs of those without proper housing, those who are in prison, those who are sick, those who are disabled. And that is only within our nation's borders. Then there is the crisis involving Syrian refugees, the global climate crisis, and international humanitarian aid for the poor and marginalized.
This is my final plea to Canadian voters who would identify themselves as Christians: take seriously the needs of the other as you vote. If you are a male, take seriously the needs of females. If you are young, take seriously the needs of seniors. If you are white, take seriously the needs of Aboriginals. If you are a Christian, take seriously the needs of Muslims.
Earlier this week, one of my undergraduate professors, Dr. Randall Holm, posted an open letter to Christian voters on his Facebook page, and I would like to end this post in the same way he did, by quoting the late Jewish scholar Emanuel Levinas. It was Levinas who stated that "the portal to the holy is in the face of the other." I believe Bonhoeffer would agree with this statement, that our only path to Jesus Christ is in the community of others, and that is my desire as we cast our votes on Saturday, that in looking around for the needs of the other perhaps we would catch a glimpse of the Holy.
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