I was reading a Richard Allen Greene article on BBC.com the other day, and found myself exceedingly entertained by his opening paragraph: "The first bumper sticker I saw when I arrived in the United States said 'Got Jesus?' So did the second one. And the third." Really, it was quite humorous until I thought about it. Religion in America. Many U.S. policymakers, in addition to foreign observers, view the United States as a Christian nation, and even an evangelical one. In a 2002 ABC News poll, 83 percent of Americans identified themselves as Christian, and 37 percent of those considered themselves evangelical. It seems that while a small percentage of Americans seem to think that God is losing His American stronghold, the numbers illustrate that His reach is growing deeper and stronger. But should it reach into politics?
Pull out some money. A dollar bill, some loose change, it doesn't matter. You can see "In God We Trust" written somewhere on any piece of currency. Consider the words to the Pledge of Allegiance or the lyrics of "America the Beautiful." Do you notice a pattern yet? Indubitably, God and religion have a strong presence in America. The question is what, if any, effect should either have on politics. As Greene remarked later in his article, the current presidential election is religiously charged, and not a speech passes without both candidates calling upon God for blessing or endorsement. Unfortunately for them, but luckily for the rest of us, God does not endorse political candidates, nor should He.
The presidential race is not the only place where religion is popping up, either. The subject frequently rears its ugly head in debates on issues such as gay marriage, stem cell research and even education. Let's take a colon:
Gay marriage: The Catholic Church, as well as many other religious entities (Christian and non-Christian) have official positions against homosexuality and seek to preserve the "sanctity" of marriage by barring gay couples from it. For example, the Federal Marriage Amendment would have defined the institution as a contract solely between a man and a woman. But marriage is not only a spiritual construction. While many might personally believe that marriage is validated only by God in a religious ceremony, this is but one of the connotations surrounding the word. For the state, marriage is a civil institution and is defined as such: a legal, consensual and contractual union of two people sanctioned by and dissolvable only by law. It is for this reason that even those married in a church, synagogue or temple must obtain a marriage certificate and why lawyers are inevitably called in for divorce. So while religion can be a part of marriage, it is not a requirement. I'm sure atheists get married all the time.
Stem cell research: Many religious groups that espouse the pro-life ideology condemn the "harvesting" of stem cells because the cells have the potential to develop into fetuses, and they view this collection as preventing future life. As Ronald Reagan Jr. pointed out in his appeal for stem cell research at the Democratic National Convention, this is only medically the case. The cells only have the potential to grow into limbs and organs, and it is only in rare cases that the environment could create a complete fetus. The use of stem cells from aborted fetuses is a separate issue, and the stem cell research debate has always been much broader than that. This is why Reagan Jr. often takes the opportunity to educate through his speeches. Again, religion plays a strong role in the stem cell debate. Many people view the destruction of life, which is sacred to God, as a sin, and thus oppose stem cell research. However, the decision is a medical one, and it is up to policymakers to hear scientific explanations rather than religious beliefs.
Education: Every year, an incident pops up somewhere that reignites the dispute over school prayer. Is it acceptable to bring God into classrooms that receive federal or state funding? Of course, the religious argument is that God belongs everywhere, and perhaps most especially in school and among children. The political justification is that the separation of church and state, while it offers religious freedom, does not make religion a requirement. Some parents believe that requiring their children to participate in or be exposed to religion as a part of their public education is an overstepping of the church into the state's domain.
And really, don't the church and religion have their own domains? And does not the state have its own realm outside of it?
Religion has its place in culture and society. Spirituality can add great depth to the moral and spiritual fabric of every civilization. I consider myself a very devout person, and while faith influences a plethora of votes, including mine, no single religion should dictate policy. For religion, we can look to any god or any church. For public and foreign policy, we look to government and its institutions. Religion's role is, by definition, spiritual. I consider any church's dabbling in secular or political affairs overreaching and inappropriate.
So ... religion in politics? By themselves, they are respectable institutions, but when combined, they make for awkward dinner conversation. I say, "Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." (Matthew 22:21)
