Notes From Day Seven: Would God vote?
Journalists in Nova Scotia have been asking
students if they plan to vote. That was
last week. Since then there has been an election,
and the leadership of the province has
changed hands.
As students and others responded to the question of whether or not they planned to vote, I listened. I heard the range of answers that anyone asking the same question of Fanshawe students would hear. Some students expressed disappointment with government in general. Too many exaggerated promises not kept. Too many political leaders taking advantage of their perks. Others expressed a lot of faith in the political process and in democracy — that they will allow us to find a way forward through the problems society faces. But most felt that, yes they would vote, even though they might do so without great enthusiasm. They had questions about the integrity of political parties and the effectiveness of government.
Probably most readers of this paper do engage the political process by voting. We greatly value our participation in democracy. But we vote with a wary eye. We vote because we have been taught either in public school, or through the process of becoming a Canadian citizen, that voting is key to the long-term success of the nation, our provinces, and our towns and cities. At the same time, we know very well that leaders, parties, and governments are flawed, and that they cannot give us everything we want.
I find it very interesting that the regions of the world where democracy has been most successful, Western Europe and North America, are also the regions where Protestant Christianity had been most successful. In regions where Catholic Christianity has had a great deal of influence, say in parts of Central and South America, democracy also has had a decent run and continues to be valued.
Is there a link between religious faith and democracy? Another way of asking this question is, Is there a link between democracy and a society's picture of God?
Consider that where Protestant and Catholic Christianity is influential, people think of God as a community, one community of three persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At the same time, Christianity finds that human beings are created in the likeness, or image, of God. Therefore, we should not be surprised if the individuality of each human being, each person, has great value. And we should not be surprised if human beings want to live in community.
The Christian picture of God is then a kind of parallel to the concept of democracy where the vote of each person has value, and where we strive to live in community.
If a different notion about what God is like prevails in a society, will that society take a different shape? I am not an expert on the relationships between religions and society. However some very interesting questions arise.
In societies such as those in the Middle East the dominant religions reject the idea of one God comprised of three persons. They embrace the radical, immaculate oneness of God. Does this concept of God make it harder for those societies to embrace democracy where both individuality and community are held in a balance?
In other societies the number of gods is very large and they do not all necessarily work together. Does that concept of the gods create a society where democracy can easily find a home?
In the Western world, atheism is enjoying popularity. This appears to leave us in a situation where the picture of a God who embodies both individuality and community is no longer accessible. It follows from that that the understanding that human beings are created to mirror both individuality and community also vanishes.Without those pictures informing our self-understanding, will democracy suffer? I believe it will. But with them democracy can continue as a foundational influence in this country and in the world.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
As students and others responded to the question of whether or not they planned to vote, I listened. I heard the range of answers that anyone asking the same question of Fanshawe students would hear. Some students expressed disappointment with government in general. Too many exaggerated promises not kept. Too many political leaders taking advantage of their perks. Others expressed a lot of faith in the political process and in democracy — that they will allow us to find a way forward through the problems society faces. But most felt that, yes they would vote, even though they might do so without great enthusiasm. They had questions about the integrity of political parties and the effectiveness of government.
Probably most readers of this paper do engage the political process by voting. We greatly value our participation in democracy. But we vote with a wary eye. We vote because we have been taught either in public school, or through the process of becoming a Canadian citizen, that voting is key to the long-term success of the nation, our provinces, and our towns and cities. At the same time, we know very well that leaders, parties, and governments are flawed, and that they cannot give us everything we want.
I find it very interesting that the regions of the world where democracy has been most successful, Western Europe and North America, are also the regions where Protestant Christianity had been most successful. In regions where Catholic Christianity has had a great deal of influence, say in parts of Central and South America, democracy also has had a decent run and continues to be valued.
Is there a link between religious faith and democracy? Another way of asking this question is, Is there a link between democracy and a society's picture of God?
Consider that where Protestant and Catholic Christianity is influential, people think of God as a community, one community of three persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At the same time, Christianity finds that human beings are created in the likeness, or image, of God. Therefore, we should not be surprised if the individuality of each human being, each person, has great value. And we should not be surprised if human beings want to live in community.
The Christian picture of God is then a kind of parallel to the concept of democracy where the vote of each person has value, and where we strive to live in community.
If a different notion about what God is like prevails in a society, will that society take a different shape? I am not an expert on the relationships between religions and society. However some very interesting questions arise.
In societies such as those in the Middle East the dominant religions reject the idea of one God comprised of three persons. They embrace the radical, immaculate oneness of God. Does this concept of God make it harder for those societies to embrace democracy where both individuality and community are held in a balance?
In other societies the number of gods is very large and they do not all necessarily work together. Does that concept of the gods create a society where democracy can easily find a home?
In the Western world, atheism is enjoying popularity. This appears to leave us in a situation where the picture of a God who embodies both individuality and community is no longer accessible. It follows from that that the understanding that human beings are created to mirror both individuality and community also vanishes.Without those pictures informing our self-understanding, will democracy suffer? I believe it will. But with them democracy can continue as a foundational influence in this country and in the world.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
