Who is my Neighbour? - On the Bishops' Pastoral Letter on the 2015 General Election

The House of Bishops has written a Pastoral Letter to members of the church about how Christians should approach the General Election to be held on 7 May 2015. 

The privileges of living in a democracy mean that we should use our votes thoughtfully, prayerfully and with the good of others in mind, not just our own interests. Pursuing the common good is a Christian obligation and is expressed in how we approach our role as voters as much as in our personal priorities. We belong together in a creation which should be cherished and not simply used and consumed.

This Pastoral Letter does not tell people how to vote and it is not a shopping list of policies the Bishops would like to see. My hope is that it will be widely read and that it will assist Christians and churches to think and act prayerfully about the issues that face us as a Society. Media reports of documents such as this can present a series of shortened ‘soundbites’ which give an incomplete, and sometimes rather slanted, picture. I urge you to read the letter for yourself and form your own view. I believe it would be a good resource for the hustings that will be held by churches and others. 

I warmly commend it to you.

Bishop Nicholas

Note - the pastoral letter is available online at https://www.churchofengland.org/media/2170230/whoismyneighbour-pages.pdf

The national church media release on the pastoral letter is available here.