Vote — it matters
Barrett Duke writes for erlc.com:
Will Rogers once said, “Be thankful we’re not getting all the government we’re paying for.” How right he was. We all complain about government. Often for good reason. Government tends to restrict us, tax us, penalize us, and generally often makes a nuisance of itself. At times, governments have become so burdensome, overbearing and intrusive that men have risen up against them, overthrown them and established new ones.
That, in fact, is our nation’s story. Our founders and many of our nation’s church leaders argued that the King of England had lost his right to govern them because he was abusing his power. This was a crucial issue to our forefathers. They accepted the teaching of the Apostle Paul that government is a “minister of God … for good.” Its purpose is to punish evil and to reward good. So they created a new government to fulfill this God-given purpose, but they dispensed with the idea of divine right to rule and invested in the governed the right to choose their government.
Their idea was radical for its day. They even wondered if it would actually work. But they trusted God to guide in the affairs of men, and they trusted the people to choose well. Today our nation is a testament to their trust in God and the people. The United States of America has become the envy of most of the world, and the democratic form of government is now the most popular form of government in the world.
But democracies are only as good as the people who are chosen to govern. If the wrong people gain the power of the civil authority, great damage can be done. What happens when the governing authority begins to reward evil and to punish good? It subjects itself to the judgment of God. History is filled with the evidence of God’s judgment on nations for their failure to honor Him with their laws. When nations begin to reward evil and punish good, watch out.
But who ultimately is responsible when the governing authorities no longer honor God through their administration? In a democracy, the people are responsible. After all, the governing authorities serve by their permission. This is why it is so important for everyone to make sure to vote on Nov. 6. I know there are no perfect candidates. There never have been and never will be. You know that, too. But we don’t have the luxury to sit it out. We have a responsibility to help our government fulfill its God-given task. Whether or not it achieves that task is ultimately not the responsibility of those who are chosen, but of those who do the choosing.
Do you want God’s favor on our nation? Does the future of our nation matter to you? What do you want this nation to be like for your children and grandchildren? I think these questions all matter to you. Then, do something about it. Vote. And don’t vote for personalities, parties or even personal benefit. Vote to help our government fulfill its God-ordained function — to reward good and to punish evil. Vote your biblical values. It’s not all you can do, but surely it’s the least you can do. I’ll see you at the voting booth. May God continue to bless the United States of America.
Barrett Duke is vice president for public policy and research of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.
Multiply Justice 
Reblogged this on yasniger and commented:
Don’t vote a government that only says it knows what to do, but didn’t do it.
I agree since the Congress printed the first Bibles and wanted them in every school, and this country was built on the premise of this being God’s country. I would say, which I’m sure you know already, but a lot of people don’t understand the difference… The United States is a Republic, not a Democracy. The two words were purposefully encouraged to be synonymous back in the 50’s I believe it was. Just for anyone who wishes to know… Info. from Wiki answers. (thought it might explain it better than I could)******
“Democracy” and “republic” are not mutually exclusive, but not identical either. Democracy means “rule by the people” while republic means “rule by elected officials” (as opposed to hereditary rulers). A representative democracy is a type of republic. A direct democracy is not.
In a “pure democracy” or “direct democracy”, the people vote directly on every issue. In a “representative democracy”, or “republic”, they instead elect representatives to study and vote on the issues for them.
Direct democracy is a bit unwieldy for anything much larger than, say, a small town, and so primarily exists only on the local level. Examples of direct democracy include New England town halls or the Athenian government in ancient Greece. Most national governments that are called “democracies” are representative democracies or republics, not direct democracies.
Some people are confused by the names of the two major political parties in the US: the Democrats and the Republicans. In fact, the names of the parties are purely historical (formed from the split of the Democratic-Republican Party in the 1820s), and both parties support the current system of constitutional representative democracy.
A constitution is what prevents tyrannical majorities from taking away the rights of minorities. This is unrelated to the distinction between “republic” and “democracy”. The United States, for instance, is a “constitutional representative democracy”, or a “constitutional republic”. Both are equivalent. It’s the word “constitution” that prevents abuse of individual rights, not the word “republic”.
Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_a_republic_and_a_democracy#ixzz2B7CNR5LH
Oh, and thanks for visiting my blog today. I appreciate you taking the time to read my rant.. LOL 😀