The respect of the general public for politicians has probably never been lower since Guy Fawkes. And it’s probably true that neither this current government, nor the previous versions over the last 15 years, have done a particularly great job of governing the nation. And overseas doesn’t seem much different according to news reports.
And it’s not just national government. I saw an article where an entire parish council resigned because of the level of abuse which they were getting from the public – mostly by way of online abuse or trolling. Undoubtedly, the rise in social media and ease with which it is possible to make anonymous criticism (or even threats or malicious accusations), has contributed to this rise in complaints about the political system.
Powerful countries attack other countries in the name of defending democracy, or promoting democracy to “oppressed” people. Western democracies are held up as examples of how the rest of the world should live. This is, of course, an arrogant claim to make.
Jesus never said “Blessed are the democracies” nor “It is more blessed to vote than be in a dictatorship.” It would seem from the Bible, that God holds no particular viewpoint on dictatorship or democracy, only that people should be governed fairly and the poor, widows and orphans should be cared for.
But we do live in a democracy, and on the whole, we do quite like it. When it works well, it is to be celebrated and valued. When it doesn’t, we are grateful that we have the freedom to protest and say so. But as Christians, let us not align ourselves with those who make personal attacks on politicians, forgetting that such people are humans too, and that we can be just as fallible. We may disagree, and we may disagree strongly and robustly, but we must never allow for physical or emotional annihilation of another human being, simply because we disagree with them.
By and large, politicians, both national and local want to do the best for their community. We may disagree with their vision for what is best, but lets try not to doubt the sincerity of their well-placed desires. They have a difficult job to do and a difficult line to walk. Let’s pray for them. And disagree in an agreeable manner.
Mick