Why Christians Can Vote For Trump OR Biden

I grow nauseous when I hear anyone demand adherence to their preferred political candidate on religious grounds. Such manipulative assertions are made by propagandists on both sides of the aisle, representing the tragic urge to use faith to force political conformity. This dangerous practice has been at the root of wars, totalitarian movements, persecutions, torture, and execution for millennia, and it has no place in a civilized society.

Let me be clear: it is perfectly appropriate for a person of faith to vote for either Presidential candidate.

Anyone who asserts the opposite is lying and trying to control you. Such people are not caring friends with heartfelt concern for your welfare; they're insecure activists who worship at the altar of politics and are terrified to live among people don’t think like them.

Below, I share why a reasonable person may be concerned with each candidate, and why one may in good conscience vote for either one.

Donald Trump

Concerns:

Many were shocked by Trump’s demeanor in 2016 as he began using nicknames to disparage his political opponents. Not only did he brag about the size of his genitals in a primary debate, he was long before recorded boasting that his celebrity status enabled him to grab the private parts of adoring women. His brash, confrontational style can appear ungracious and unpresidential, shirking the responsibility of the Chief Executive to serve as the nation’s moral leader. His use of hyperbole, embellishment and exaggeration may fit well for a real estate developer trying to gather enthusiastic investors, but as President, it’s given him a reputation for exaggeration and distorting the truth. While he can inspire an auditorium full of supporters, his style tends to alienate people of any political background who just can’t stomach his undisciplined, inflammatory approach to conflict and communication. After minimizing the seriousness of COVID-19, Trump hasn’t shared a clear plan for eliminating it, but rather has claimed that we must learn to live with it while placing our hopes in a future vaccine. After years of questions about his tax returns, Trump continues to promise that he will "soon" release them. Finally, Trump ran against the rampant spending of the Obama era, but has only expanded deficit spending and the national debt, a huge concern for those who don’t wish to force our grandchildren to pay our irresponsible debts.

Why Christians can vote for Trump:

Before COVID-19 hit, Donald Trump presided over one of the best economies on record, with record low unemployment for Blacks and Hispanics. He was able to eradicate whole terrorist networks and eliminate terrorist leaders while bringing troops home from what he calls “endless wars.” Americans in the lowest income quartile had a 4.9% income boost by November, 2019, while he adopted Opportunity Zones and criminal justice reform to help inner city minorities. He promoted the US to energy independence, while receiving Nobel Peace Prize nominations for his historical peace deals in the Middle East. Trump has advocated for religious protections and liberties for people of every faith, and he has spoken against abortion as the slaughter of the most vulnerable. He has also stood up to China in a way that no President has, demanding fair trade policies and an end to both currency manipulation and intellectual property theft, while holding China responsible for allowing the COVID-19 to infect the globe. He rejected the Iran nuclear deal, including cash payments made to the terrorist state and the enabling of Iran’s nuclear program. Finally, he’s unveiled the Platinum Plan to further advance the cause of African Americans, while guaranteeing funding for Historically Black colleges and universities.

Not everyone believes that these accomplishments outweigh Trump’s liabilities, but it is perfectly reasonable to vote for Trump if you value his policies and achievements.

Joseph Biden

Concerns:

The growing scandal surrounding Biden’s family business dealings could mean that a President Biden may be blackmailed by the nations from which his family profited while he was Vice President. The fact that social media and news outlets immediately suppressed this story (before they had evidence) indicates that the press may be unwilling to hold Biden accountable as President. Biden confirmed that he will eliminate America’s oil and gas industry, which would force us to rely upon foreign nations for fossil fuels and destroy a vital industry in states like Texas, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, Ohio, and others. Biden and his party appear desperate to expand their power. He has refused to answer whether he will pack the Supreme Court with additional left-leaning justices, which would destroy the independent judiciary. Biden’s party hopes to add two states to the union in order to increase the number of Democratic Senators (DC and Puerto Rico), while planning to eliminate the filibuster in order to enable a simple majority to dominate the Upper House. In addition to these massive power-grabs, he also stated plans to naturalize 11 million non-legal immigrants and provide them with citizenship, voting rights, and government entitlements. Biden’s green energy and tax plans may cripple the economy, and his mental acuity and fitness have been called into question. For months Biden seemed sympathetic towards violent protesters, and he has been accused of sexual assault by a former staffer after declaring that we should “believe all women.”

Why Christians can vote for Biden:

Biden will prioritize Green energy initiatives that many believe will literally save the planet. He promises to provide health care benefits to every American, which many see as a fundamental human right. He will act to remove assault-style weapons in hopes of minimizing gun violence, and he pledges to ensure that drug offenders go to rehab rather than prison. Many Biden supporters believe strongly in the policies of the Obama administration and hope that Biden will renew those initiatives. Biden also has advocated for specific COVID-19 policies such as a national mask mandate and lockdowns in order to curb the virus and hopefully enable the country to open up without excess hospitalizations and deaths. Biden has declared that America struggles with systemic racism, and that we must take action to deal with institutions and structures that perpetuate inequality or marginalize people of color. This resonates with those who believe that America has been and continues to be a racist nation in need of reform. Finally, many value Biden’s commitment to a national minimum wage as a way to lift unskilled workers out of poverty, and they celebrate his policies of universal pre-school education and the expansion of free college, which aim to help lower-class Americans have access to education from an early age.

Not everyone agrees that these policies will have their intended impact, but it is perfectly reasonable to vote for Joe Biden if one believes that they will.

Conclusion:

People of faith have a wide spectrum of ideals and values that inform how they evaluate a candidate. I’ve made the case for and against each individual to show how fair-minded people can look at the same issues and come to different conclusions. No religious affiliation should require one to advocate for or reject either candidate. Rather, your faith should motivate you to seek truth and aspire to high principles that will inform your voting. If one candidate or party seems more aligned with those ideals—despite their inadequacies—then check that box with confidence, knowing that there is no such thing as a perfect politician.