Some evangelicals, fundamentalists, religious conservatives, and political conservatives either will vote or have already voted for Hillary Clinton, a third party candidate, a write-in candidate, or skipped the presidential race altogether.  Trump announced on June 16, 2015.  Others were already running.  We’ve been at this over a year.  509 days.  Some will say 509 wasted days.

I’ve had plenty of time to read arguments for following the path of the anti-Trump crowd.  It’s not that hard not to vote for Trump.  You just don’t vote for Trump.  There, you did it, or didn’t do it.  Made your point.  Way to go.  I’m going to take their reasons why and deal with them in this post, not necessarily in any order, just as they come to mind.  I’m not going to assign representatives to these points of view.  Some of them are theological and some political.  I’ll separate these into the two categories of arguments.

THEOLOGICAL

Conscience.  I’ve already written about this.  I want to be helpful here.  Let’s argue that you are a spiritually mature person who can recalibrate his conscience.  The conscience operates according to the highest perceived standard.  If you are a Moslem, it accuses you of not praying your five times a day, even if that isn’t in the Bible.  If you converted from Islam, your conscience might tell you to keep praying five times a day.  You can take whatever energy and discipline that went into fulfilling that demand of Islam, and recalibrate it.  The same can be done with your standard for voting.

The “conscience argument,” as I’ve read it, is something like the following.  Trump is too bad or immoral a person, and when I vote for him, I’m compromising standards.  My conscience won’t allow me to do that.  It might even relate to conservatism.  I believe in conservative principles.  Trump violates those principles with his trade stance as an example.  My conscience won’t allow me to support his transgression of those principles.

I think it is possible to violate a conscience with a vote.  However, recalibrate your conscience by looking at voting standards at the most as non-biblical.  You are not supporting Donald Trump by voting for him.  Scripture doesn’t say who to vote for.  1 Timothy 2:1-2 does say the following:

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

I ask, “How can I vote in a way that will allow for my family and me to lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty”?  If you are praying in faith for that, then you should vote for that too.  Trump is the best opportunity for that, so I vote for that.  Recalibrate your conscience to obey that standard, a biblical one.  Based on objective criteria, I believe that the anti-Trump voter, violates scripture.  He should recalibrate his conscience to scripture, which should be his highest perceived standard.

Hillary says, it takes a village.  Her village says same-sex marriage, no spanking your children, no preaching against homosexuality, and the end of home and church schools.  Not doing what she wants is akin to a hate crime.  That will not allow for a quiet and peaceable life.

Acceptance of God’s Judgment.  As I understand this anti-Trump argument, if you vote for Trump, then you are attempting to find a way out of God’s judgment, and you need to repent of that. Repenting of that is some form of anti-Trump vote, because it embraces judgment.  In this case, it can’t be voting for Hillary, but it must be one of the three other options.  That will still only help Hillary, but that’s OK, because that will still result in the judgment we deserve.  If you’re repentant, then you are receptive of God’s judgment, and a Hillary presidency is a full acceptance of God’s judgment.  This all seems very complicated way as a protest to what people don’t like about Trump.

It seems also with the complicated acceptance of God’s judgment, that only the Trump vote isn’t an acceptance of God’s judgment.  You are voting with him for less severe judgment, slower and less in your face.  You want things to be better, and you are relying on Trump, which is to be relying on something that gives a false sense of security.  Instead, you need to rely on God and that means judgment for America.  Judgment for America is someone besides Trump, because that will bring Hillary, which is to accept judgment.

My evaluation is that God’s judgment will come when it comes.  I agree it’s already here in the way of God turning America over to our own lusts.  That’s here already with same sex marriage and transgenderism and abortion as the solution of an unwanted pregnancy.  We can admit that we’re under God’s judgment and in a deserved way.  Participating in a bad vote is doing something to be judged.  It isn’t asking for judgment in a legitimate way.  I pray for God’s kingdom to come.  God’s judgment will come.  In the mean time, I want my days on earth to be the best they can be.  You should too. Trump is that way.

POLITICAL

Conservative Purity.  Trump isn’t my conservative party.  I have to have my conservative party.  I vote against until I get it.  I’d rather suffer defeats until the Republican Party learns to be more like me.  If we have to start completely over, it will be worth it.

There will never be conservative purity again.  It’s like the abortion issue.  If you want to do away with abortion, you have to vote for doing away with some abortion at least.  You can be happy about third trimester abortion ending.  You might not get what you want, but you can take the best you can get.  Some call this incrementalism.

Conservative purists seem to think that the acceptance of Trump means moving the Republican party the wrong direction.  Politics don’t work that way.  I understand not compromising theological convictions.  In the realm of politics, you work at getting the most you can get.  Trump represents that.  You only have to accept what you accept.  There is more to accept with Trump than there is Hillary, unless I’m missing something, which I think I am.

Here’s what I am missing, but since I’m writing it, I don’t think I am missing it.  The establishment Republicans like illegal immigration for cheaper labor.  They like some type of globalism in the way of removing the impediments to trade even with corrupt foreign nations, who also might rip us off in trade deals.  They like heavy overseas intervention, almost to an imperialistic level, what people call nation building.  They believe we can export conservative political principles, based on a wrong view of man’s nature.  Their view of a strong military means these types of activities.  This has become a brand of political purity that coops with conservative purity for a large confluence of anti-Trumpism. Even though they might not vote for Hillary, they see her as holding more of these values than Trump does.

Notice that our last two Republican presidents, George H.W. and George W. are voting for Hillary. Colin Powell is voting for Hillary.  Conservative purists, you join them, when they aren’t conservative purists.  Please don’t.

Trump Is a Liar.  Whatever Trump says he’s going to do, he’s lying about.  What he says is better, but you can’t trust him, so you can’t trust he’ll do what he says he will do.  He donated to Democrats.  He contributed to Hillary herself.  Once he uses Republicans to become president, he’ll shift left, and it won’t make any difference anyway.

The best argument against this, and I don’t quite believe the argument, because I don’t think he is going to lie to that extent, is that we know what Hillary will do but we don’t know what Trump will do.  Do you choose what you know is bad over what could be good or at least better?  Trump has published his Supreme Court candidates.  Trump will say he’s against abortion.  Hillary will never say that.  Trump is much more accountable for whatever lies he’s telling.  Hillary isn’t accountable for anything except to be worse than she is already.

Cynicism.  I hate it all.  I’m going to show I hate it all by not voting for either of the main candidates.

Can you for a moment consider whether some self-righteousness exists in portraying how much you hate Trump?  Hating Trump can make one look good.  Calling him a dumpster fire means that we’re what?  There could be spiritual or moral pride in saying or showing that you are “above the fray.”  It’s all beneath you.  You live in a different moral or spiritual dimension and you can’t enter to dirty yourself.  You don’t have to become tainted by voting for Trump.  You don’t like Trump.  You have a more severe dislike for Hillary.  It will work.  Put away the cynicism.

If you are a Christian, you can never love it all.  Love not the world.  His kingdom is not of this world.  While you live in this world, you are to be a wise steward, however, who uses his vote the best way possible.  Allowing Hillary to win isn’t a good use of the vote.  If you are in anything close to a battleground state, you’ve got to vote for Trump at least to defeat her and them.  You don’t even have to hold your nose.  Enjoy defeating her.  Breathe that in with both nostrils.

Part Two Will Be My Argument For My Vote