Okay here’s a question. recently i have seen a couple of christian articles and one catholic video that say or imply that if you vote for Obama or not vote at all you will end up in hell. Is this true? Isn’t voting just a civil right and not a salvation issue?
Any mortal sin, if not repented of and absolved sacramentally, can lead a person to hell.
For something to be a mortal sin, there are three criteria to be fulfilled: grave matter, full knowledge, and full consent.
Let’s examine “voting for Obama” under these heads:
Grave matter: This one is the easiest. Obama has infringed on the religious liberty of Catholics, condones and enables abortions, and is also an advocate of “gay rights”. His opponent, whatever his flaws, is opposed to these moral evils; and he does not advocate any “proportionately greater evil” (say, compulsory infanticide of all male children aged 2 or below, as King Herod did.) To collaborate in the propagation of murder and sexual perversion,
when you had a choice not to*, is certainly grave matter.
Full knowledge: This one is a little trickier. The facts about both candidates are out there. But there can be many reasons - a poorly formed conscience, past traumata, media hype, party loyalty, family beliefs, psychological immaturity - that may prevent knowledge from being “full” in this case. However, it can always be argued that every voter has the right to inform himself, and not blindly subscribe to what he is told by others. So this point doesn’t hold good in
all those who vote for Obama.
Full consent: I doubt very much that anyone is being threatened at gunpoint and told “vote for Obama”. Similarly, while it
is conceivable that a patient with paranoid schizophrenia might hear voices telling him “Vote for Obama!”, that would be extremely unlikely. The vast majority of those who vote for Obama (or Romney) do so with full consent, not under duress or coercion. So this criterion is fulfilled as well.
Summing up: a vote for Obama certainly fulfills
two of the three criteria for a mortal sin; and if a voter does have full knowledge, then it
is a mortal sin. But one can always repent (which does
not mean going to Confession and then voting for him again; it means turning away from the sin), have a change of heart, and make reparation in other ways.
- I add this point because both major political parties in my country support abortion and contraception; therefore, a Catholic Indian voter would either have to refrain from voting, vote for an independent candidate, or choose the party which is less immoral (say, choosing a Catholic-neutral party over one that will persecute Catholics; or choosing one that is stronger on other social justice issues, such as child health or stronger rape legislation). This is, of course, not the case in America.
