Prioritizing Political Voting

I've been thinking for weeks about how to prioritize the importance of issues when voting. I mentioned some earlier posts on Denver Seminary's Lectures a few weeks ago. They weren't all that helpful because all they did was introduce the audience to the idea that poverty, social issues, and the environment matter too. Okay, so they told a conservative crowd that certain other issues (championed by the left) matter too. But, it wasn't helpful at all to me. I was left asking, "Well how do I vote exactly?" "Has the left cornered the market on perfecting how to overcome social issues?" "Are some of these issues more important than the others?" The conference didn't answer these questions at all, and thus didn't tell me anything I already didn't know. I began the quest of prioritizing my political voting for myself then.

The issue of life, the issue of the "least of these," and therefore the issue of the unborn is the most important issue from a Christian worldview. Humans were and are made in the image of God, and therefore we should not sacrifice other things to this reality. For instance, a society or worldview that sees the environment as the most important issue would/might sacrifice basic human needs to achieve this end. Americans do eat too much, but the unborn and their unfortunate deaths matter more than the environment. A Christian is supposed to steward the environment and still care for it, but it is prioritized polititically below the life issue.

The blog, philosophical pastor, does a good job of showing that the left's political worldview bears on the issue of life, and thus prioritizes it below other things. The left isn't necessarily socialistic, but the socialistic scheme does de-value human life ultimately. I used to think it was a vain political philosophy, but now I see its opposition to a worldview that values life.

And even though I've prioritized the life issue, I shouldn't neglect my responsibilities to hold conservative leaning candidates accountable to other issues. Personally, I'd like to see conservative and pragmatic solutions to healthcare, homelessness, and social security. I don't think the left has cornered the right answer on these issues.