Voting (2) Illegitimate Authority

I did not participate in the charade of voting in government elections, because it legitimises false authority. I do not recognise the authority of human governments as legitimate.

The people elected to parliament will say that the other people who voted gave them the authority to govern me. That is absurd. Another person cannot give someone else authority over me. God made me a free person, so I am the only one who can give someone else authority over me. Anyone who imposes their authority over my life without my permission is a bully and a thug, whatever they pretend to be.

I only recognise the authority of one person. That is Jesus. He earned his authority by dying on the cross, rising from the dead and ascending into heaven. God has made him king of heaven and earth. Any other person or group who claims authority over me is a usurper or rebel against Jesus. I do not acknowledge their authority.

I can see that the power of the parliament is real. They have the power to take a significant share of the money I earn, and spend it how they like. They can make me do things that I do not want to do, and they can impose serious penalties, if I refuse to do them. I unwillingly recognise their power, and give in to their power, but I do not acknowledge their authority as legitimate.

I am not going to freely submit to them, or give their power system credibility, by voting for any of them. I am not going give them authority by voting for them.

Voting is a lie. The politicians pretend it is a process for the people to have their say, but voters do not get to say anything. Voting is actually a process for giving authority away. The voter is saying to the candidates, “you can have authority over me”. When we vote, we are agreeing to submit to the people who win the election, regardless of who they are. By submitting to them we are giving them authority over our lives. For someone who has given allegiance to Jesus that is an unwise move.

We are told that voting is a way for me to choose my government, but that is not true. I do not get to choose my government. When I vote, I am actually giving other people, whom I don't know, and whom I am unlikely to agree with, the power to choose the govenrment that will control me. That is a foolish thing for a follower of Jesus to do.