Democracy is not the goal: Rethinking elections through a biblical lens
07
Jan
WE have once again exercised what many call the ultimate expression of our democratic system. Every three years, Filipinos line up to vote, cast their ballots and await the results. The verdict is out: some old leaders are retained, some new ones are ushered in. Yet every election cycle ends the same way: the winners cheer, the losers weep, and the rest of us just shrug and say, "Tanggapin mo na kasi — ganyan talaga ang demokrasya."
Is democracy really the highest ideal?
Democracy is often defined as a governance idea where supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation, usually involving periodically held free elections. It sounds noble. But what if democracy is not the ultimate virtue we think it is?
This question is difficult for many of us to process because we have placed democracy on a pedestal. We have not only tried — but at times pretended — to embed it deeply into our governance system. However, the hard truth is that the mere act of voting, or even holding an ideal "clean election," does not automatically result in a just government or righteous leaders. God never commanded democracy as the goal for nations. What He commands, and expects, is righteousness.
Let me go a step further: the voice of the people is not always the voice of God....more