The 2024 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PRESIDENTIAL RACE - MY PREMISE

Today, November 5, 2024, is election day in America. I want the Democrats to win the presidency.

I disagree with key progressive ideals that elements of the democratic party push. For example, the excessive policing of language, cancel culture, “wokism”, the argument that fossil fuel must be removed entirely from the energy mix etc.

However, a person’s value system and character are more fundamental to my beliefs than their policy positions or the policy positions of the political party with which they associate. Between Donald J. Trump and Kamala D. Harris, Miss Harris has shown the fundamental character traits of integrity, honesty, respect, empathy, commitment to equality and equity for all persons, mindfulness about communication, etc. Hence, my support of her.

One of the issues that has frankly irked me about the presidential race in America and, anecdotally, the preference of most christians in Africa for the Republican candidate is religion, precisely, christianity.

These three things shall abide forever—faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is LOVE (1 Corinthians 13:13). To love one’s neighbour entails looking out for them, respecting their choices even if we would not make those choices for ourselves and respecting their faith and values, even if they do not share our faith or values.

On one hand, I believe in the right to reproductive health. On the other hand, as a Christian, I believe that abortion is not an acceptable conduct. So then, how do I square these seemingly opposing beliefs? I believe God has given us the freedom to choose and make decisions. Even salvation is not forced upon anyone – it is a choice. If the omnipotent God, with the power to do all things, can grant us the freedom of choice, then who am I, the state or the government, to take away the right to choose and decide for ourselves? As such, I believe that I do not have to abandon my faith to support the right to reproductive health.

If I am concerned about the choices others make or wish they make different choices. If I wish they choose to keep a pregnancy instead of going through an abortion, as a Christian, one of the pillars of my faith is to evangelize. To love my neighbour also means sharing the word of God with them in wisdom, through my conduct and expressly. Then, leave it to God to do the rest. My duty as a Christian is to share the word, not to convert. Only God can convert or bestow the grace to be converted. As a Christian, it is not my duty to call for the government (a secular institution) to take away anyone’s secular rights, which may coincide with but are not necessarily recommended and acceptable christian conduct.

I can use my vote to support the values I cherish and hope most of my fellow country men and women agree. I can pray to God to move things in favour of the values that I uphold. But that is all I can do. If most of the country supports values different from mine, then so be it, and I must respect that. Be kind to those people whose values are different from mine, love them and treat them like my neighbours.

Let us remember, the United States is not like Mauritania or Iran, which are explicitly described as the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States, like Ghana, my home country is a pluralistic and secular democracy - a big tent for everyone even though, the United States is described as being founded on christian values with “In God We Trust” inscribed on the dollar.

While writing this blog, I was reminded of the good Samaritan. The story is told in Luke 10:29–37: a man going from Jerusalem to Jericho is attacked by robbers who strip him and beat him. A priest and a Levite pass by without helping him. But a Samaritan stops and cares for him, taking him to an inn where the Samaritan pays for his care. In those times, the Samaritans were enemies of the Jews. Yet Jesus chose a Samaritan to be the hero of his story. The parable teaches us that enemies (read in members of a different political leaning) can prove to be neighbours, that compassion has no boundaries, and that judging people based on their religion or ethnicity will leave us dying in a ditch.

So, to otherize political “opponents,” scrap that; I don’t like the term “opponents.” So, to otherize members of a different political affiliation, to call them trash, to say that they do not belong in our society, our country, to say that they are taking the country away from “us” (and who is “us”?) is diametrically contrary to what Jesus taught us as Christians.

I am afraid. I am skeptical. Deep down I think Mr. Trump is going to win. But I’m keeping faith that it will be a different outcome. I hope Kamala D. Harris wins the 2024 election to underscore the point that “these three shall abide forever - hope, faith and love but the greatest of them is LOVE,” not the economy.