None of the Above: When There is No Candidate You Want to Support
“What do you do when you cannot support either candidate in an election?”
This question came after a lecture I gave on the history of freedom of religion in Europe and the United States. It’s a question I’ve been asked many times in recent months. Of course, I’m sure the questioner was thinking of the presidential election, but his question also applies to other political races where we might be tempted to simply sit out the election and say, “No thanks. None of the above.”
Months ago on television, when I saw the body of a two-year-old boy washed up on a shore, the victim of a capsized boat filled with refugees fleeing the horrors of ISIS, I wanted compassion to win. This precious child represented tens of thousands of refugees who are dying of hunger, lack protection from the weather, and are just plain exhausted. With incredulity and sorrow, we watch the hordes of weary immigrants march across rugged terrain, and pray that they can find a new life. In response to the crisis, several European countries have welcomed these …
