To vote or not to vote: Is that the question?
Voting is seen as the sine qua non of moral citizenship for most Christians: not voting is unthinkable. But some believers, drawing from countercultural traditions within Christianity such as Christian pacifism, argue that abstaining from voting is necessary to provide a faithful witness to God’s ki...
| Auteur principal: | |
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| Type de support: | Électronique Article |
| Langue: | Anglais |
| Vérifier la disponibilité: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | En cours de chargement...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Publié: |
2015
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| Dans: |
Review and expositor
Année: 2015, Volume: 112, Numéro: 3, Pages: 375-389 |
| Sujets non-standardisés: | B
Voting
B Neighbor B Citizenship B Political Action |
| Accès en ligne: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Édition parallèle: | Non-électronique
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| Résumé: | Voting is seen as the sine qua non of moral citizenship for most Christians: not voting is unthinkable. But some believers, drawing from countercultural traditions within Christianity such as Christian pacifism, argue that abstaining from voting is necessary to provide a faithful witness to God’s kingdom. The result is a reductionist approach to voting that resolves in either a simple yes or no. Seeking to broaden this discussion, this article will analyze voting as a moral action. Attention will be given to how voting or not voting shapes the moral actor through analysis of the work of John Rawls, arguments for proportional representation and compulsory voting, and arguments for voting abstinence. Despite their differences, these arguments revolve around the question of moral imagination and community formation. Taylor will argue that voting or not voting are misunderstood morally if portrayed in terms of a relationship to political authorities. Voting and not voting are better understood as acts of neighbor love. Any ethic of voting must focus on how voting or not voting advances the good of the neighbor. Consequently, absolutist claims regarding voting or voting abstinence risk losing sight of the complex and changing needs of neighbors. A more flexible ethic of voting that allows us to vote or not vote depending on what our neighbors need should be the focus of ethical reflection on voting. |
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| ISSN: | 2052-9449 |
| Contient: | Enthalten in: Review and expositor
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0034637315598133 |