29 April 2010
Christians urged to vote on 6 May
Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed Church leaders have
united to urge all Christians to vote on 6 May.
The leaders of the three Churches have encouraged Christians to
read the parties' manifestos, question their local candidates on
key policies, and vote on the issues which matter to them.
The Revd Roberta Rominger, General Secretary of the United Reformed
Church says: "As Christians we're committed to principles of
justice, peace and equality for all, regardless of race, gender or
background. The General Election on 6 May gives all who are
registered and ready to vote an importance and influence that we
only enjoy every four or five years. We urge you to use your vote
responsibly. Think mindfully about the issues that are important to
you, take time to consider and discover which parties will best
provide solutions you're comfortable with, and vote
accordingly."
The Revd David Gamble, President of the Methodist Church in
Britain, stresses the importance of the vote, saying: "The
Churches' agenda is to promote justice, equality and freedom for
all. By staying away from the polling booth we let people with an
agenda of fear and discrimination elect our representatives. We
must never forget it was only a few generations ago that women were
not permitted to vote in this country, and many Christians overseas
live in countries without regular free and fair elections. We do a
disservice to those who fought for the vote if we don't use this
opportunity to make our voices heard."
The Revd Jonathan Edwards, General Secretary of the Baptist Union,
adds: "The Faith in Politics booklet has enabled people to explore
key campaign issues. From support for those seeking sanctuary to
creating a more equitable tax system, we have challenged our
members to tackle policy not personalities. In the days leading up
to polling day I would encourage all Christians to pray and reflect
on what we want the next local and national governments to achieve,
and to vote to make it happen on 6 May."