YOUNG VOICES ON THE ELECTION SCENE

It goes without saying that there is widespread interest in the upcoming US presidential election on November 4. And this election year, young voters from various political parties are registering in large numbers, showing support through online social networking communities, and generally getting involved through initiatives like Rock the Vote (www.rockthevote.com).

While there have been mentions of apathy and fears that a glut of information will cause young people to tune out, by all estimates, it looks like a groundswell of enthusiasm is poised to knock apathy out of the ballpark. From a Sentinel perspective, we were curious to know how young people who care deeply about spiritual issues were thinking about the upcoming election.

In that spirit, I talked with three young Christian Scientists, all enthusiastic voters from across the political spectrum, about the role prayer plays in countering the partisan nature of politics.

Court Fleming's interest in politics extends back to his college studies in political science. He recently moved to Denver, Colorado, where he's working in e-commerce for the athletic footwear industry. Melanie D'Evelyn works in Washington, DC, for the Center for the Study of the Presidency, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization. She serves as the Center's project director of the National Consortium for Character-Based Leadership. Laura Ann Johnson is a recent college graduate from the Chicago area. She's currently involved in an internship with "Expedition: Yellowstone!" the outdoor educational program at Yellowstone National Park.

YOUNG VOICES AND VISION

This time around, young people are feeling more empowered than ever. Just by sheer numbers, it's been suggested that their participation can tip the balance in one candidate's favor. And this makes for a demographic with lots of say in the future.

"We realize we've been a largely untapped resource in the political realm," Court says. "We can potentially sway the direction of an election, when polls often suggest it's 'anyone's game'."

Melanie echoes this sentiment with some thoughts about the ideals young people are concerned about. Among them? She points out honor, service, and compassion. "Those ideals really are resonating," she says. "It reminds me of that passage by Mary Baker Eddy, 'Beloved children, the world has need of you ...' (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 110 ). Maybe what young people are responding to is that feeling of being needed."

Sometimes exploring different cultural viewpoints through travel can expand a young person's worldview. And Laura Ann can relate. After traveling abroad she says, "All of a sudden I started to figure out my belief system and take an independent stand." With this expanded view, her desire to "respect and cherish" the right to be able to make a difference in the world through voting grew.

CHALLENGES TO BIPARTISANSHIP

The idea that "salvation" from our troubles can come through leaning too much on one person, ideology, or party is all too easy to buy into. So how are young people praying about this issue that can cloud judgment or add heat and friction rather than light to the political scene?

To Melanie, the key to countering this idea that rescue lies with a certain candidate is to realize that, "cause and effect belong to divine Principle, not to a person." She emphasizes, "The government actually rests on God's shoulders. One party, or the media, or a large bureaucracy, can't block or inhibit progress or forward motion."

Laura Ann points out that "human will and ego are big obstacles." She explains that people can become frustrated and get "stuck in one train of thought." But now, when she thinks about politics, she tries to have a "God-filter" on, making efforts to see everything through the lens of spirituality. Sometimes, what she's hearing or seeing in the news doesn't sync up with this spiritual view. And that's when she follows the Bible's lead to, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Prov. 3:5 ).

Divine Truth, a synonym for God mentioned in Science and Health, is something Court counts on. And through his study of Christian Science, he's learned that, "nothing can impede universal truth. Nothing can prevent truth from surfacing in every case—regardless of the mudslinging or any kind of media bias people talk about, from all angles."

He says a big thing that's helped him is that, if the candidate he likes best doesn't win, he can still lean on God. "I'm still 'electing' God to govern me," he says. "God's care is really the source of my protection and how my needs will be met. From a human standpoint, it's nice to have the person who buys into what I buy into in the Oval Office. But at the end of the day, it's not really personality and human will that does good deeds or makes things happen."

WHERE LOYALTIES LIE

With a young electorate that's increasingly passionate about their views, it raises the question, is voting about valuing spirituality over loyalty to a party, candidate, or ideology?

Court believes it's tough to be flexible and open to inspiration if you're set on a specific ideology. He says, "If you're saying, 'I'm a spiritual person, so this candidate is obviously my candidate,' you become close-minded." He doesn't necessarily agree with one party on every issue, but feels it's important to have spiritual sense to be able to discern what's right. He says, "You can agree on certain elements and disagree on others."

Melanie brings up an example from her own life. When she was younger, (and she admits that sometimes she slips into this now) she loved to stir political debate and incite arguments. But she's learned, "there are times when you have to swallow a sense of self-righteousness and self-will. The challenge is to have no other aim than being obedient to God."

A friend recently e-mailed her a quote from when Mary Baker Eddy was discussing how to pray during a lawsuit brought against her. "Things were very contentious at the time," Melanie remarked, "Mrs. Eddy told one supporter of hers not to outline what the verdict might be. Instead, she said he could pray to know that 'Truth would prevail and that divine Mind would direct the verdict' " (see We Knew Mary Baker Eddy, p. 182).

Similarly, Melanie mentioned that praying for one specific candidate to win, or lose, isn't helpful, or very effective. "But we can pray for righteous government," she says. "And this conviction is backed by the idea that God is supreme and that we can love our neighbors as ourselves."

Laura Ann feels it is possible to openly have political convictions, as long as you remove what Christian Science calls "personal sense" from your thinking. That means kicking pride and ego to the curb.

To her, Christian Science is, "a foundation. It's the way I live my life." She says, "It's not just something I do on Sundays. For me, trusting in a good outcome goes back to knowing that the election is really in God's hands." And she's quick to point out that she doesn't mean God wants a certain candidate to win! "I actually don't appreciate it when people debate about which candidate is 'Christian enough' or 'religious enough,' " she says.

Laura Ann thinks it's all about listening for good ideas with open-mindedness. "It's figuring out what your highest sense of right is when you cast a ballot," she says. "It doesn't have to be about Democrats or Republicans winning. The question is, What policies are actually fair and just? Not buying into the drama of the situation is all about knowing that God knows no hierarchy or preference when it comes to His children."

She also doesn't think we need to be praying for the candidates to have "big spiritual enlightenments," but instead we just need to address our own thinking.

A line from Science and Health helps Melanie stay on track, "Mind, supreme over all its formations and governing them all, is the central sun of its own systems of ideas, the life and light of all its own vast creation; and man is tributary to divine Mind" (p. 209 ). "Even if we're campaigning or knocking door to door," she says, "it's possible to have that sense of spiritual stability. Being on the front lines politically is actually the perfect place for a metaphysician!" She adds that her practice of Christian Science is "wherever my work is. And it's good for Christian Scientists in both parties to be working and praying actively for good, not for a certain agenda."

A spiritual view of government allows Melanie to "know that we're not part of a government body that's being pulled to and fro. God is at the center, bringing stability and certainty of good."

RESISTING THE LURE OF LABELS

Thinking about healing the various political rifts and labels that are thrown around can seem overwhelming. Melanie points out that wedge issues and stereotypes that divide are often viewed as "a political tool." She believes that there is an "us versus them" that characterizes a lot of politics today. "It's all about where you start," she says. Rather than looking at all the divisions, Melanie likes to "take it up to the next level in prayer and identify what we all have in common spiritually." She also adds that unity is important, "not in the sense that we gather up a bunch of people and get them to think the same thing, but more that we have an understanding of our neighbor's—and our own—inseparability from God, instead of thinking of them as being opposed to our well-being and happiness."

When Melanie was interning on Capitol Hill several years ago, the congressman for whom she worked took a principled, but unpopular, stand during a time of national crisis. Her job was to field the angry calls her congressman's office received. The phone would ring, she'd pick up, and all this anger poured out at her. But she realized it was "the classic example of how mortal mind, or fear-based thinking, works. In the Bible, when David was facing Goliath, Goliath shouted out and taunted, 'Choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me' (I Sam 17:8 ). This idea—in essence, 'choose a human personality' to be at odds with, and fight it out on that line—doesn't lead to peace."

She remembers praying not to be swept up in the mentality that says, "How dare these people call!" The demand was not to get stirred up, but to express spiritual equanimity and the clarity to see clearly her link to her fellow man through God.

Emotional extremes in the elections are something Court has observed as well. "Extremes get attention," he notes. "Getting caught up in all the emotions can be tricky." He's noticed many people, like commentators on TV, overreact in order to get an audience reaction. "But that's not based on principle," he says. "Separating the candidates from the ugly attacks is key—knowing that the picture commercials or TV shows are painting is not really who they are."

And then there's the fear that citizens aren't going to vote intelligently, possibly basing their vote on misinformation they've heard. Court often prays with the idea that, "there is only one Mind and we all reflect the intelligence of God." He emphasizes that we shouldn't limit or stereotype people into groups, "but instead realize that everyone is capable of making good decisions."

Court thinks that this kind of "impersonal attack" against good (believing that people are susceptible to gullibility) goes back to the beginnings of democracy. He comments, "Originally, people didn't think democracy would work, because they thought potential voters weren't intelligent enough to handle it." And that just doesn't match up with how we reflect the intelligence of divine Mind.

A firm mental stance that the candidates really are children of God, just like we all are, can be a humbling thing to practice. Laura Ann returns again and again to the idea of "trusting in the Lord." She admits it's really hard, "especially with all the news coverage," not to idolize or demonize a candidate. So she tries to "strip away all those labels and think about their true spiritual being." She likes the idea that the outcome of the election doesn't need to "make or break [my] experience as an American."

AFTER THE POLLS CLOSE

All this buildup to Election Day results, and then, what next? Our prayers don't have to come to a screeching halt. Especially when the common concern is that young people, a huge block of voters, could possibly feel disenfranchised if their chosen candidate doesn't win.

Melanie points out concerns that "potential backlash and disillusionment" deserve to be addressed spiritually. Referring to some pundits who are perpetuating a gloomy view, she says, "maybe they're underestimating the historic nature of this election. This commitment to political involvement isn't just a fleeting thing for young people. They'll still want to continue to be part of a higher vision of what government should be."

She also mentioned that it's relevant to prayerfully address the concept of change or accidents. She says, "The false notion that there is a 50/50 chance our government is going to be in the right hands after voting ends doesn't stand a chance when we know that God is always in control."

Also at the top of the agenda for young spiritual thinkers is the challenge to be alert to the fear that, as Court says, November 5 could feel like "the end of the world" to some. But he says, "I like to pray to see harmony between both parties, because harmony is a law of God. If your candidate doesn't win, it doesn't mean you have to wait it out for four years, until your preferred party gets another opportunity to succeed. The law of Love suggests that it doesn't have to be a struggle. You can pray to know it's natural for things to get done."

Laura Ann spoke about the need to catch herself when tempted to jump into heated debate. She thinks that conquering fear or strong feelings about the "other" candidate, can prepare us to live our lives with "open-mindedness, freedom, and individuality," no matter what the front page of the paper says in those early hours of the morning on November 5.

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