Friday, March 08, 2019

The Voice of the People is God's(?)

Once again, my friend Rory Cortel, who is the Philosophy teacher in the school I worked for, has ignited an interest in me when he quoted Bishop Villegas when the latter said, "Are you going to betray your God by your  vote?" as having to mean that there is a "God vote" He further asks what if the God vote turns out corrupt?

I don't think I would agree that the two terms are one and the same.  While the former states freedom of choice, the latter categorically says there is a vote that is inspired by God.

In his fb post, I replied "Vox Populi, vox Dei" Or Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's  and to God the things that are God's" sort of asking which is more appropriate. These are concepts as old as time often used to argue during the time of elections.
"Vox populi, vox Dei"  simply means that the voice of the people (majority) is the voice of God meaning to say that the winning vote, as being the majority is tantamount to God having spoken on the notion that God will not will evil to win.  I do not agree with this concept. In his letter to Charlemagne, Alcuin said,   

Nec audiendi qui solent dicere, Vox populi, vox Dei, quum tumultuositas vulgi semper insaniae proxima sit.[

loosely translated, it says:

And those people should not be listened to who keep saying the voice of the people is the voice of God, since the riotousness of the crowd is always very close to madness

Jesus Christ caannot be any clearer when he said" Render unto Caesar..." and that is what I believe in.  I believe that God, in his own infinte  wisdom, will not interfere with the politics of man as one of His greatest gifts to mankind is free will.  I believe that He will let man decide his fate by letting him free to choose who shall lead him and where such leader shall take him.  God shall watch and wait how we shall act and react given the situation we are in and from there render judgment if we chose good over evil.