I have voted in every presidential election since I was old enough to vote. This year’s election will be, in my estimation, the most important presidential election in the history of our nation. And, this year will be the first time I will not be able to cast a vote.

Teresa and I moved to Tennessee one year ago. We did not go immediately to have our driver’s licenses changed, and, therefore, did not register to vote. Then, Covid-19 hit, and we were not able to go to the DMV due to the virus. When things began to reopen and we were finally able to go, we were asked if we wanted to register to vote at the same time we got our new driver’s licenses. Of course, we said yes. Thinking we had now done everything we needed to do to be ready to cast our ballots on election day, we eagerly awaited the arrival of our registration cards. Having not yet received them, and with time running out, we checked the status of our cards. We were sadly disappointed to learn that due to some clerical error our registration had not gone through and, thus, we would not be able to vote.

I have always believed that it is not only a right, but also a responsibility for each American citizen. I have also always believed it was the responsibility for everyone to vote intelligently. Throughout my adult life I have known quite a few persons who cast a straight party-line ballot simply because it was how they had always voted. I have prided myself in researching, as best I could, each of the candidates so that I could cast a knowledgeable ballot.

My guiding source of authority for determining the candidate(s) who would receive my vote is the Bible. Over the passing of years, it has become glaringly obvious to me that one of our major parties has remained somewhat aligned with the Bible’s teachings, while the other has consistently distanced itself from a Biblical base.

The present election season has shown a crevice of seismic proportion between the two parties. One of the most obvious and awful distinctions is that of abortion. One party embraces a culture of life, while the other embraces a culture of death. This, in my estimation, should be a red flag of enormous proportion. God is the creator of life. The Bible is amply clear on this subject. Each child conceived in the womb is a distinct creation of God. He gives life, and He sustains life until He sees fit to end that life. The wanton, reckless taking of these innocent human beings lives in the womb, right up to the moment of birth, is an abomination in the eyes of God, and should be in the eyes of each of God’s children.

Many will go to the polls and vote on the economy. Others will cast their ballot based on which candidate they feel will build the strongest economy. Still others may vote for the candidate who is stronger in foreign relations. These, and many other issues, are indeed important. But if we vote solely on the basis of these issues we disregard the more important issues relating to how we view life and death.

This year, for the very first time, I will not be able to cast a vote, but I will pray, and pray diligently, that God would once again have mercy on our nation by guiding in the hearts and minds of countless Americans who will go to the polls and vote for life. The alternative, in the estimation of this writer, would result in immeasurable damage to the very foundation upon which this nation was built.