Voting is NOT for Everyone

The idea that everyone should vote, that every voice matters, is patently false.

We all know this.

We do not allow certain groups of people to vote because we do not trust that they would make wise decisions. For instance, we do not allow thirteen-year-olds to vote because we know that they are generally not mature enough to weigh issues or evaluate candidates and make well-informed decisions. Certain criminals are barred from voting because they have demonstrated that they do not respect the rule of law and are not qualified to influence the political direction of our nation.

We are all fully aware and supportive of this principle--certain people should not vote.

So it should not be shocking to suggest that we should have some sort of objective standard, say, a basic civic literacy test that one passes before he can participate in the electoral system.

But it's my God-given right to vote! you declare. Okay. I'll grant that, but it also your right to drive a car, to pursue a trade, or to start a business, and all of those things require some sort of license or certification in essentially every part of this country. If we are going to require realtors, truck drivers, and plumbers to have special certifications to ply their trades, then it's not a huge stretch to say that those who are directly and indirectly affecting public policy should prove a basic level of fitness to perform that duty.

Voting campaigns themselves operate upon the presupposition that voting carries huge influence and significance. You must go out and do your civic duty, we are told. Your single, solitary vote could be the one that turns the tide, they preach to us from kindergarten. This would seem to argue in my favor. If this is true, if voting carries this sort of weight and power, then common sense would dictate that those who exercise it should be qualified. It seems fundamentally contradictory that we vet our political candidates (at least in theory), but we have no system in place to vet those who choose from among the proffered candidates.

That responsibility is the inescapable concomitant of right is a bedrock principle of our Republic. Every right we have presupposes a respective responsibility, both ethically and constitutionally. You want to drive a car? You must be able to do so safely. You want to own and carry a firearm? It is incumbent upon you to ensure that you are properly trained to do so.

It is difficult to deny that these voting campaigns seem engineered to recruit a particular kind of voter, but, in the interest of being gracious, I will state that I do understand the reservations about what I am (and many others) proposing. There are still those classic Liberals who possess genuine concern for the rights of all portions of society, especially women and those who don't own property. Nevertheless, using Universal Suffrage to excuse uneducated, uninformed voting will lead our nation nowhere but the annals of history.

Interestingly, immigrants seeking naturalization are required to pass a civics test. I wonder what percentage of natural-born citizens--of voters--could pass that test.

4 Reasons I Affirm Paedocommunion

If you have interacted with me on social media, you know that I have always been outspoken on the issue of Paedocommunion . It is a theological position and a liturgical practice about which I am passionate. Having been raised, and having raised my children, at the Table, I cannot imagine attending a church that didn't allow PC. I hope that when I am old and gray, I will still be an advocate for bringing little children to the Sacrament. Throughout the 12 years that I have had this blog, I have written scattered thoughts on the topic, but it appears that I have never written a concise summary of my reasons for affirming PC. I was thoroughly convinced that I had, but I can't seem to locate it, so I guess I never did. So, to rectify the omission, here are four reasons I hold to PC. 1) Paedocommunion is Biblical. Any discussion of the topic should start here, and I would hope that both sides of the debate would make this assertion. However, l...

1 Corinthians, the Covenant Hermeneutic, & Paedocommunion

As an adherent to Paedocommunion (hereafter PC), I have always found it painfully ironic that Credocommunionists use 1 Corinthians 11 to withhold children (among others) from the Table. One can imagine St. Paul shaking his head as he watches theologians using his discussion of unity at the Table to divide the body at the Table. You're missing the point! he would say in exasperation. Not only does 1 Corinthians 11 not forbid PC; I would go so far as to say that there is no better defense of PC in the New Testament than the epistle of 1 Corinthians. Credocommunionist logic is pretty straightforward. 1 Corinthians 11:28 says, "Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup." If, they argue, one is unable to fulfill the exhortation to examine himself, then he may not eat of the bread and drink of the cup. This is a pretty logical deduction, right? Credobaptists would adamantly agree. Acts 2:38 says, "Repe...

The Real Presence & Paedocommunion: A Deeper Rift Between Reformed Churches

You're going back to Rome! Theological disagreements within the Reformed world, especially those of the last half century, often devolve into these sorts of accusations. As controversialists like Doug Wilson and Peter Leithart began to break away from the larger conservative Presbyterian and Reformed denominations, it became clear that the rift was deeper than semantics and systematic minutiae. Much like the Reformation four centuries before, the Table was a primary point of conflict. What does it mean? Who may partake? What do we call it? These questions, along with a few more, divided Reformed brethren as the physical elements of our religion reflected deeper conflicts. Good men began to understand that the problem wasn't just in our logos, but in our pathos and ethos, as well. Paedocommunion (hereafter PC) has been one of the hottest points of contention. PC has always been normal to me as I grew up with it. I underst...

Always Reforming

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