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For decades now, religion has been used to solicit votes from
believers in Christ. Presidential
aspirants fall all over themselves to proclaim their deep belief
in their religion even though some of
their policies are in stark contrast to Christ's teachings.
I was raised in the Church of Christ, a mild and very benevolent
ministry and heard nothing of
politics in sermons at that time. I do not now attend church
because I do not believe in any
organized religion. However, I do believe in God and the
teachings of Christ. His message was one
of love, love your neighbor, and forgiveness.
I do not believe that God would be very pleased with the
religious right and how it has managed to
embed religion into the mud bath of politics sullying both
religion and politics. Jesus made clear that
being "holier than thou" was not going to be rewarded in heaven
and that a person would be judged
according to his/her acts and what was in a person's heart and
most of all, how a person treated
others, especially the least amongst us.
From even the beginnings of the 2008 campaign, Obamas opponents
have been attempting to otherize him, to
paint him as fundamentally different from real Americans. His
education, international upbringing, organizing
background, race, celebrity, etc. have all been incorporated
into attacks at some point. His faith just serves as
another opportunity to sow confusion and mistrust. While
focusing on elected officials religions isnt a new political
tactic, this time it feels like a more extreme version. After
all, right-wing media have embarked on a sustainedcampaignto
convince their audience that the President is a Muslim,
andtwo-thirds of Republicans and Tea
Partiersthink Islam is incompatible with American values.
Egyptians are, for the most part, confused about what role
religion should have in
their everyday life. One of my Professors (a Christian) recently
explained her fears
of a Cairo ruled by "the Islamists" meaning the Muslim
Brotherhood. Students are
caught between wanting to be a secular Western-leaning nation,
and a Muslim
nation. No one I have met believes the two can exist
simultaneously. Many of the
students I have spoken to about religion associate religion with
backwardness and
dismiss the role of religion in politics. A recent trip to
Jerusalem gave me analternate perspective on the role of religion
in politics. I learned that religion is
often utilized as a political tool by the political elite in
both Israel and Egypt.
but it became apparent that the turning point was Ronald Reagan.
Thats when we began seeing a distinctly religious
approach to the White House that benefited the president
politically and often in a partisan way. Across all of the
different kinds of text we studied, it was an amazing pattern.
All the evidence just kept pointing to Reagan.
The religious conservatives werent happy with Carter, says
Domke. In the next election, it was clear that their vote
was up for grabs. Both Republicans and Democrats realized that
fundamentalists and conservative evangelicals were
going to be a sizable voting block, now engaged in a way that
they hadnt been for decades.
The vast majority of Americans are people of religious faith,
says Domke, but I am concerned that this is a verydangerous pattern
for democracy. If political candidates can frame their messages in
terms of religion and then stamp
their policies with Gods will, there can be dangerous
consequences. Weve seen it repeatedly throughout history.
Kevin and I see politics and religion as distinct tapestries in
the American story. They are woven together, but they
should not be fused.
This is a common argument from religious figures, as though the
separation were
a massive gulf. In fact, it is not. No one argues that voters of
whatever faith
should not be allowed to vote along whatever lines they wish.
Moreover, the
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separation of church and state has been narrowing for decades.
The reason it is
there is to protect churches, not just atheists or liberal
elites. Were a particular
faith become the established church of this nation, it would be
only detrimental to
religion in the United States. Chaput even acknowledges this
fact.
My objection to his line of reasoning is based on the use of
Catholic law tointimidate and punish voters. No oneno person, no
body, no authority, no oneis allowed under our system to force a
citizen to vote one way or the other,nor to punish that citizen for
their vote. This is one of the most importantfeatures of our
democratic process, embodied in the secret ballot that
allowscitizens to freely vote their minds without fear of
persecution. Abortion is acentral issue to the Catholic Church, but
Chaput would have us believe that theChurch is some collective
mind, unified and sure of its position. The fact thatfew bishops
have unequivocally supported his call is clear evidence
otherwise.
I firmly recognize and fully support the right of individuals to
make choicesbetween candidates based on the morality of certain
stands those candidates
might make. If you do not support abortion rights, then a vote
for John Kerrymight not be a good idea. What makes me object is the
sense that this is not atrue moral stand, but instead a convenient
political ploy. Are we really tobelieve that, though silent for
more than 30 years since Roe vs. Wade, thesudden attempt to exclude
politicians from the Catholic Church is simply amoral stand? Are we
to believe that the Catholic Church only just realized thatJohn
Kerry and Senator Kennedy have supported abortion rights? And
whatabout Republicans who support abortion rights, like Governor
Schwarzenegger?
Let us hope that our politicians and out citizens stand firm
against theseattempts to intimidate them and to influence the
election process. It is not the
moral objections that are repugnant here, far from it; rather,
it is the idea ofusing religious censure to punish people for
voting their own conscience, or forholding their own beliefs, that
goes against the ideals of American politics.
As with any strong belief system, misguided leaders from various
religious, political, and cult-based backgrounds haveutilized
religion as the crux to infiltrate minds, brain-wash, and control
those who are deprived of positive influences.Probably the most
well-known example in recent years of this misuse of people's trust
on false grounds of greatlymisinterpreted religious ideology is
that of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. This is religious extremism
at its worst. Bin Ladenwas able to take his twisted views of a
religion widely known to its followers to be peaceful, and force
his perceptions downthe throats of the less fortunate who were
looking for a leader.By having strong convictions and offering a
home, a place of belonging, to the lost souls that Osama bin Laden
came tomisguide, he was able to perpetuate his vision and convince
people to do horrendous things that were unimaginable up to
that point. Instead of him carrying out the so called Gods plan,
he sent young men to their deaths to prove a twisted politicaland
religious point. It's nearly unfathomable to think that he had so
much control, so much power over those men that theyhonestly
believed that they were doing something right in the eyes of God by
hijacking 4 airplanes on 9/11/2001 that were fullof hundreds of
innocent passengers and taking them to their final destinations
that is now a part of permanent memory forthe rest of the
world.
They say politics and religion are inseparable. I say politics
and theocracy are inseparable. Religionhas no connection to
politics and its a shame to use religion in politics. Religion is
absolute; politicsis changing,there is no relation between politics
and religion in Islam, and the idea of the Islamic theocratic
statewas only established to use religion in a domain where
religion has no natural place.
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Modern states should determine what shape its relation with
religion takes. This is a very thornyquestion but we have to face
it. The modern state is always entitled to create a parallel frame
toorganise the private life of the people aside from religion, and
it deepens this dualism. We shouldresolve this challenge
I thought about what religion and faith mean to me. I believe
that both religion and faith are designed toenrich peoples souls
and give them the strength to overcome whatever obstacles life
throws at them. Faith
is meant to keep peoples hope alive and is what allows people to
push forward, even in the face ofimpossible feats.
This problem is not limited to just the Catholic religion, but
rather, spans across all religions. It is now easier than ever
forreligious leaders to use religion as a tool to mold peoples
views and opinions. By guilting congregations into believing
thatthey are not true members of a certain religion unless they
hold specific views, it causes religion to harm people instead
ofmake them stronger, thus defeating the purpose of being
religious.
While religion is thought to feed the human spirit, we now live
in a different time. It is terribleto think that something as
powerful as faith is being used as a manipulative political
weaponthat knows no boundaries. As the line between Church and
State disappears, religion willcontinue to be used as a tool to
manipulate unsuspecting people for political purposes.
While there are many positive aspects to religion from both the
social and personal perspective, those who twist andcontort any
religion's core principles have a means to prey upon those who are
poor, weak, misguided, uneducated, orthat in one way or another
suffer from feelings of being lost or lonely in a demanding world.
These so-called leaders usereligion as a mode of control and having
power over others.
By having strong convictions and offering a home, a place of
belonging, to the lost souls that Osama bin Laden came tomisguide,
he was able to perpetuate his vision and convince people to do
horrendous things that were unimaginable up tothat point. Instead
of him carrying out the so called Gods plan, he sent young men to
their deaths to prove a twisted politicaland religious point. It's
nearly unfathomable to think that he had so much control, so much
power over those men that theyhonestly believed that they were
doing something right in the eyes of God by hijacking 4 airplanes
on 9/11/2001 that were fullof hundreds of innocent passengers and
taking them to their final destinations that is now a part of
permanent memory forthe rest of the world.
