After what has really been a year-long election campaign, we will soon cast our vote in the Federal election. So how shall we vote? In a society where we are told that we are the most important person in the world, we are encouraged to vote accordingly. But what would Jesus say about this? Although we cannot be so arrogant as to claim exactly how Jesus would vote, there are certain Biblical principles to follow when casting our vote.

In 2004, in the lead-up to the US presidential election, Sojourners released a series of statements under the heading, God is not a Republican. Or a Democrat. While intended specifically for the US election, they apply equally to our own upcoming election in Australia. They are a very useful guide for when we are considering who to vote for.

. We believe that sincere Christians can choose to vote for any party for reasons deeply rooted in their faith;

. We believe that poverty - caring for the poor and vulnerable - is a Biblical issue. Do the parties' budget and tax policies reward the rich or show compassion for poor families? Do their foreign policies include fair trade and debt cancellation for the poorest countries? (Matthew 25:25-40, Isaiah 10:1-2);

. We believe that the environment - caring for God's earth - is a Biblical issue. Do the parties' policies protect the creation or serve corporate interests that damage it? (Genesis 2:15, Psalm 24:1);

. We believe that war - and our call to be peacemakers - is a Biblical issue. Do the parties' policies pursue 'wars of choice' or respect international law and cooperation in responding to real global threats? (Matthew 5:9);

. We believe that truth-telling is a Biblical issue. Do the parties tell the truth in justifying war and in other foreign and domestic policies? (John 8:32);

. We believe that human rights - respecting the image of God in every person - is a Biblical issue. How do the parties propose to change attitudes and policies that lead to the abuse and torture of prisoners, especially those in Iraq? (Genesis 1:27);

. We believe that our response to terrorism is a Biblical issue. Do the parties see evil only in our enemies but never in our own policies? (Matthew 6:33, Proverbs 8:12-13);

. We believe that a consistent ethic of human life is a Biblical issue. Do the parties' positions on abortion, capital punishment, euthanasia, weapons of mass destruction, HIV and AIDS - and other pandemics - and genocide around the world obey the biblical injunction to choose life? (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Over recent years, study after study has shown that increased material wealth does not lead to happiness. We are not just an economy; we are a society. Catherine Deveny recently wrote a brilliant article in The Age decrying the spending frenzy, now known as "affluenza", that has infected our Western way of life. Deveny wrote "Here's a tip to increase your happiness. Just stop trying to fill that gaping hole inside yourself with more stuff...It doesn't work. It just makes the hole bigger." Truer words have never been spoken. After all, it was Jesus Himself who said that life does not consist in the abundance of one's possessions.

The proof that a strong economy does not make everything alright in our lives is shown in the fact that since the Second World War, according to research by respected American psychologist Martin Seligman, the rate of depression in Western industrialised countries has risen tenfold. We have 10 times the rate of depression today than we did 60 years ago. And we have never been richer.

When we vote on 24th November, let us have the mind of Christ and take up the challenge to put the interests of others ahead of our own. The old saying is true that the measure of a society is in the way it treats its most vulnerable citizens. At the last election, the Brotherhood of St Laurence had a brilliant slogan which simply said 'vote for somebody else'. Doesn't that say it all? When we walk toward the ballot box on election day, let us keep in mind God's preferential option for the poor and marginalised in our society. Let us ask ourselves which party will do the most for the poor. Life is immeasurably richer when we consider others above ourselves and at voting time, challenge our leaders to do the same.

Nils von Kalm http://www.soulthoughts.com