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Eye on the World: as elections draw near
When Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney picked Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan as his running mate last week, many agreed that the United States presidential election season entered full swing.
Veteran political journalists say that this has been an unprecedentedly nasty campaign, with both political parties airing vicious attack ads. And many surveys suggest that the ideological gap between the two parties, and Americans in general, is wider than it has ever been. How can we, no matter our political persuasion, support civil campaigns and help reduce partisan polarization?
Prayer to one God unites us in the desire to witness honesty, sincerity, and inclusion in elected leaders and in political campaigns. It moves us away from the narrow-minded pursuit of partisan goals in favor of an outlook that is respectful and embracing. Approaching politics from a prayerful perspective doesn’t mean that we have to be wishy-washy – but it does mean that we can reject as illegitimate the kind of thinking that would dismiss those who feel differently as “enemies.”
When Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Christian Science Sentinel magazine, was asked about her politics, she answered: “I have none, in reality, other than to help support a righteous government; to love God supremely, and my neighbor as myself” (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 276 ). Regardless of our political views, that statement contains much to admire – and it serves as a reminder that a prayerful perspective can contribute to civil campaigns, a thoughtful electorate, common political ground, good-faith disagreements, and effective governance.
“Prayer, civility, and political discourse,” written just before the 2010 US midterm elections, explains how prayer can guide us from a mindset that would pit citizens against each other, preparing for ideological “war.” The author writes, “We can let Truth [God] shape our presentation of our ideas so that they exhibit more balance and less hyperbole. We can strive to see wisdom, even in ideologies with which we disagree.” And our prayers along these lines bless not only ourselves, but others, by helping to moderate political self-interest and encourage integrity.
“A spiritual answer to partisanship” describes how our prayers for greater political concord can have a healing effect on government itself, too. The author adds that “the specter of civil strife and paralysis in human affairs” disappears as we recognize more clearly our common heritage as children of God. In a similar vein, “Prayer for our government” explains how prayer helps us to “turn swords into ploughshares” by easing up on reflexive criticism of another’s political stances. Instead, we can humbly seek to realize God’s care for all humanity. Now that’s a healthy way to think about government.