The free market may have started out fair(ish) but the starting line is now so uneven as a result of accumulated/inherited wealth that even the best runners can barely get off the starting blocks while those starting from a privileged position simply stroll across the finish line.
Self-interest, consumerism, materialism and the desire to acquire more wealth seem to be the self-perpetuating ingredients necessary for capitalism to work and one only needs a basic understanding of Christianity to know that right-wing economics do not reflect its values.
Jesus said the love of money is the root of all evils, and it's easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. We're told in Luke to give someone our shirt if they take our coat, and in Matthew to give our coat if they take our shirt. James says that religion, which is holy and free from evil in the eyes of God, is taking care of the orphans and widows.
In essence, we're told to rise above our carnal human nature of greed and selfishness and to love our neighbour as ourselves. The Christian communities described in the book of Acts had communal ownership of goods and none of them lacked anything.
So why, I ask myself, do the majority of Christians vote right-wing/conservative? The answer lies in the assumption that right-wing economics and conservatism are synonymous when, in fact, they are not.
Conservatism has to do with morals and values. It's defined as "traditional, cautiously moderate, having the power or tendency to preserve or conserve; characteristic of conservative Judaism".
Right-wing economic principles of privatisation, free trade, deregulation and open markets, however, are liberal economics.
It was only as a result of Western conservative political parties adopting free market principles in the 19th century that the two have become perceived as being mutually inclusive, and conservatism is now aligned with an economic system that is anything but "cautiously moderate".
Therefore, while it makes some sense for Christians to vote for a party with conservative values and right-wing economics, it makes more sense that Christians would vote for a party that is both conservative and left-wing: preserving traditional values and sharing wealth more equally.
My right-wing Christian friends tell me they agree that society should be more equal but this shouldn't be forced on people through taxes. Rather, individuals and organisations should be left to give of their own volition.
This faith in people is commendable, however it seems naive to expect the general population to act in a way contradictory to the values of the system to which they are accustomed. It also seems a convenient excuse, as supporting a system doing the opposite of what you're aiming to achieve seems like flawed logic.
In deciding who to vote for this election, I've figured out where I stand from an economic point of view and also from a social one. I've weighed up each in terms of importance and I've then used a political chart to find which party comes closest to reflecting these choices.
It's not a right-wing one.
John Watson is a freelance journalist and writer who lives in Grey Lynn, Auckland.
