Comments by "Michael Wright" (@michaelwright2986) on "Would Jesus Vote Republican or Democrat?" video.

  1. In a reasonably functional world politics is a mixture of values, and of means of implementing those values; ultimate values obviously affect the values part, but normally don't control the question of implementation, which is largely technical. So, for a Christian, it is undoubted that active concern for the poor, widows, orphans, and the stranger within the community is a fundamental requirement. We know that Jesus, as a Jew would, held this value as important. But that doesn't necessarily decide between left and right in terms of normal politics. We think of the left as being especially concerned for the poor, but a particular left party might be too ideological, or just not competent enough, to effectively help those with a special call on us; while there are right-of-centre parties, and especially factions within right parties, that have a genuine concern for those who are down on their luck, and have policies to help them. The upshot is that, I think, religious values don't tell you how to vote, but they can tell you if there are parties that it is impossible to support in good conscience--such as an extreme neo-liberal party, or a left party that is more interested in ideology than people. That's in a normally functioning society, with a healthy religious environment.
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