The Archbishops of Canterbury and York, prior to the general election in the United Kingdom, issued a statement identifying the six values on which they encouraged people to base their votes. Those values are equality, stability, global responsibility, law and justice, children’s welfare, and the needs of older people. They contrast voting based on those values with voting based on supporting a celebrity, i.e., substance over form. (Rowan Williams and John Sentamu, “These are the values to vote for,” Church Times, April 30, 2010)
Values to guide Americans going to the polls may well differ from those in Great Britain. For example, unlike the UK, the US has no national healthcare system so providing access for all to healthcare should be a value that guides electoral choice. The US also has a far larger nuclear arsenal and conventional military establishment than does the UK. Peacemaking should therefore be more of a priority in this country, the basic value that should guide the US of armed force. Other important values – equality, stability, and care for the most vulnerable (children and the elderly, as well as those in need of healthcare) –will be the same in both countries.
What might happen if people voted according to Christian values?
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