Back in March, I wrote a long article about religion and politics. I thought that with the U.S. elections coming up soon, I should restate a point from that article, which is that, despite some things I said about politics and spirituality, I am NOT opposed to voting. In fact, I myself intend to vote in this election.

In general, I favor a pragmatic approach to voting. I do not vote strictly based on a candidate’s stated position or party platform on any select issues. The reason is that, I think virtually all political organization (whether conservative or progressive) have some anti-Biblical associations if you look deep enough. Groups with progressive values are trying to modify Biblical morality to fit 21st-Century philosophy. On the other hand, political organizations promoting conservative Christian values are often supported and influenced by religious systems that, I believe, misapply Biblical principles in a way that creates guilt or fear in people who are seeking to follow God.

This is why, when deciding how to vote, I do not start with the assumption that any ideology is inherently good or bad. My methodology is to look at the candidates and then consider whose approach to government would yield better results given current circumstances in the country and around the world. I consider results including economics, national security, morality, and the relationship of the U.S. to other nations.

Even though I have a personal tendency to gravitate toward philosophy and abstraction, I try to moderate that tendency when it comes to voting, and keep in mind that election outcomes affect the lives of many people. Thus, I seek to reason on practical terms and avoid getting fixated on far-reaching theoretical implications.