Why you don't have to be afraid of the election (and not because "God's in control")

I’m accustomed to black-and-white thinking. I was heavily influenced in high school and college by my involvement with FOCUS (the Fellowship of Catholic University Students) and absorbed the oft-preached contrast between The Church versus The World, Truth versus Relativism, and a Culture of Death versus a Culture of Life. As the election season has unfolded, I’ve felt this worldview creep up in my mind again as fear of what “they” would do if they were elected divides the country into a simplistic couplet of democrats versus republicans. But this dualistic approach often does more harm than good. 

There are real, serious matters on the line for this election with profound implications for society. There are people on the ballot with real agendas that must be taken seriously. But do we need to fear our neighbors? Left unchecked, these concerns can create an amorphous conglomeration of our greatest fears of what a Republican or Democratic ideology will do to this country. Then, our neighbor puts out a presidential yard sign or a friend posts about their political affiliation, and all those fears are projected onto the individual. In an instant, we’ve dehumanized them and reduced them to that set of beliefs we think they have—they become our enemy. But as Catholics, we’re called to love our enemy, and we can’t start loving our enemy until we can see their humanity. 

This ability to love well and form a relationship with someone entirely depends on foundational assumptions we have about the human person. For years I held a negative, pessimistic view of humanity grounded in an overemphasis on concupiscence (the tendency to sin), the notion of a fallen world, and the persistent influence of evil forces. All that church versus the world preaching made me view my journey through life as one continuous battle of preaching and defending the truth, and it was my task to share the good news with people who had yet to be enlightened. Can you hear the whispers of Gnosticism? 

None of those things I listed are false, but overemphasizing them is harmful. We believe in an Aristotelian middle. Because just as there are forces that nudge us toward unhelpful things, there’s also an infinitely more powerful God that is lovingly drawing all people to himself. God’s truth is written on every human heart, which is why the church claims that hearing about Jesus is not a prerequisite for eternal life since the evidence of God and God’s will are etched into the world’s order. God is incarnate in this life whether we speak of God or not. But it is easy to overlook this reality when we focus solely on us versus them. 

I remember years ago, fearfully leaving my predominately Catholic friend circles and wondering if I’d ever find a group of friends where our evenings would be spent sitting around talking, laughing, and singing songs. I genuinely believed that the Catholic circles I moved into held a monopoly on this type of friendship. For the record, it does not. And while the order of moral magnitude is different, when we enter political conversations I can’t help but notice a similar pessimism. There is a profound disbelief that the other side genuinely wants what’s best for the individual and society. And as someone who wanders through all kinds of conversation and traverses divides, let me say that the vast majority are good and seeking the good. But don’t take my word for it. 

A quick way to dehumanize someone you disagree with is to reduce them to a set of beliefs you think they have. But it has only been on rare occasions that I’ve met an individual who couldn’t approach difficult conversations with some element of nuance and humanity. But to constructively engage in those types of conversations (especially with those I most disagreed with), I have to first remind myself that the person in front of me is an amazing child of God I’m called to love. Second, believe that this individual is genuinely pursuing what they think is best precisely because I believe God is working in the heart of every person. Third, I always have something to learn from them if I am curious and open because this person is a unique facet of the image of God. We love our enemies when we re-humanize them. We love, we listen, and we learn.

We don’t have to be as afraid of this election if we stop and recognize who we view as our enemy. It’s not some political ideology; it’s people—neighbors, friends, co-workers. And these aren’t stupid, brain-washed psychopaths, but humans who are loved by God, drawn toward the good, and (in most instances) genuinely seeking what they think is best. We actually need those views we disagree with to get the full picture of the world-the good and the bad. So, I challenge you to get to know your enemy. Is it someone of a political party, “the gays,” “liberals,” “conservatives”? Invite someone to coffee with the sole purpose of learning and asking questions. What’s their story? Why do they believe what they believe? Find videos or articles about people with that viewpoint and learn not just what they believe but what motivates them. I think you’ll find there is more in common with what motivates your beliefs than divides. Get to know your “enemy” because we’re called to love them, and how can you love a community you’ve never met? 

Edit 2/14/25: Maybe I was wrong. Maybe the only thing we can trust moving forward is that God is in control and that all things move toward the good in the arc of salvation history. May we remain faithful and fight as peacemakers as we move toward a world that more clearly embodies God's humble, incarnate love.

Photo by Liu JiaWei on Unsplash