There IS a candidate for whom Mr. Ford can vote, though he will have to write him in. As far as I am concerned, in fact, this is the one candidate that every Christian can—and should—support: http://voteforjoe.com .

hollytc,
for me voting is a participation in an evil world where perfection is impossible. We will always be faced with the lesser of two evils, becuase none of us are truly good. We are all evil and so even if a government was made of the best of us it would still be corruptable, if not already corrupt. I see a Christian’s roile in this to be trying to work as best as possible to make the world a little less evil. It is essentially a bailing operation on a sinking ship. This makes it a pragmatic matter where perfectionism must take a back seat to practicality. If a more perfect candidate cannot win in a particular situation involving a worse candidate and a MUCH worse candidate then it needs to be seen what voting for him can achieve that would offset the negative result of the worst candidate winning.

Thus, as much as I might hate it, I will probably be voting AGAINST Obama and FOR his opponent who acn most likely win, i.e. McCain. I don’t see how a “protest vote” would be much more than a action of my own pride, and one that wouldn’t do much to help defend the unborn. If I have to soil my voting card to move the ball down the field an inch, or to keep it from being moved back a foot, I will swallow my pride and do what needs to be done.

I will be voting for Obama

I agree with #2.  I have to vote against abortion in this election because the next president will appoint multiple Supreme Court justices - and the Roe v. Wade travesty will either be overturned or cemented forever.  There will not be another opportunity to influence the makeup of the court in regards to this issue in a time frame during which there is any opportunity to change course on abomination.  Thus, while I see good points and bad points with each candidate - and fully understand why some would be drawn to Sen. Obama or to a write-in candidate who is more cut-and-dried, I cannot fail to vote in this election, voting for justice for those millions of innocents sacrificed to our modernist idols of independence, freedom, lack of being ‘chained’ by children, etc.  To vote for anyone other than McCain or to fail to vote is to place one’s vote for carving Roe v. Wade in stone.  Would that this were not true - but it is.

I don’t like thinking of myself as a “single issue voter” - however, NARAL has thousands of “single issue voters”, and they have no problem with that.  Additionally, I think there is a theological reason to argue it should take priority over all other issues.  God first gives us a life and a soul.  He then endows us with His love, His grace, all sorts of other things, including our free will.  However, these many wonderful gifts come only after He creates us.  Therefore, the abomination of abortion has become my Single Issue in voting (in elections where the position has any significant influence on whether that awful law will continue) because it seems clear to me creation/life is the first great gift after which all God’s other gifts come - and without creation/life, the others do not make any sense.

My concern, #2, is that, at its root, your argument is a form of pragmatism, rather than Christian discipleship. I am afraid, in other words, that you are not swallowing your pride, but your conscience. When it appears to us that faithfulness and effectiveness are at odds, we must choose faithfulness—and leave “results” to God.

Hollytc, your comment reflects what I see to be a serious problem: the equating of politics with faith. There is nothing in the Christian faith that tells us how to achieve desired goals in worldly politics or that commands us to participate at all in worldly politics, so one cannot be unfaithful by being pragmatic. Politics is all about pragmatism. It has nothing to do with discipleship. You do that outside the voting booth. You can’t disciple anyone through a vote. By voting you are using the world’s tools to achieve, I presume, godly ends. But since these are the world’s tools one must be pragmatic and wise in how they are most effectively used.

VERY well said, Christ Hathaway (#6)!  Amen!