Just think about it: a federal election is a privileged time to live out your faith!
Members of the ecumenical group Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ) believe that faithful citizenship demands that we design, debate and promote policies and practices which reflect God’s call for love, justice and the flourishing of Creation. After all, Christian values are not only meant to inform how we live our private lives – they must also be reflected in how we act in our communities.
And promoting democracy entails more than a quick trip to the polls, just as much as living one’s faith includes more than one hour of Sunday observance. Make no mistake about it – there is a link between being a person of faith and getting involved in political activities, all year round!
Election periods can offer enhanced opportunities to reflect on the values we want to see expressed by our government leaders, to engage in respectful dialogue with our neighbours on important issues, to evaluate the commitments of prospective office-holders and to hold them to their promises.
The real question becomes not “if” people of faith should get involved in elections, but “how” best to do so.
CPJ has prepared an Election Bulletin designed to assist us to answer this question. You can access this resource at http://cpj.ca/election2015 There are three main issues that CPJ is mandated to work on throughout the year: poverty in Canada, ecological justice (especially climate change) and refugee rights. Each section of the bulletin explains what guidance faith-based values offer on these issues, and presents three or four questions that we might ask of candidates for election. Many CPJ members make sure that a couple of copies of this resource are placed in a handy spot near their door – quickly available if a candidate comes knocking! Some congregations are holding study sessions with the guide.
The fourth issue CPJ addresses might be the most important theme: democracy. While we all have certain political views, people of faith should be able to disagree gracefully, and be able to listen to and learn from others. Now wouldn’t THAT be a useful lesson for Canadian politicians!
Guest Blogger: Joe Gunn
Joe has served for 7 years as Executive Director at Citizens for Public Justice, www.cpj.ca , a member-driven, faith-based public policy organization in Ottawa focused on ecological justice, refugee rights and poverty elimination. Previously, he was Director of the Office of Social Affairs for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in Ottawa.