Seeking the Religious Center

Do we say "one nation under God" or "one nation indivisible" in the pledge of allegiance? Do we allow gay marriage?

These questions and others of social significance have taken a huge chunk of Congress' time this session and are definitely fueling the culture war in this country. One might wish Congress had been more concerned with issues of government, such as the war in Iraq, growing unemployment, a budget deficit of $7 trillion , 44 million Americans without health insurance. But no. President Bush is campaigning for re-election seven months down the road, and he needs the social issues of the Christian Coalition.

I generally stay off religious subjects, because I firmly believe each American is entitled to his/her personal spiritual beliefs. We are not, however, entitled by law to try to force those beliefs on anyone else.

But more and more religious issues are working their way into government and the constitutional separation of church and state is being threatened.The question of whether "under God" should be kept in the pledge of allegiance has reached the Supreme Court. What is the place of religion in government?

In practical terms, maybe the words don't matter all that much. Reciting the pledge becomes routine for children, and for most adults who are required to say it regularly. But philosophically it matters a great deal. It is at the heart of the state/church issue. And the conservatives take it very seriously. So seriously that the campaign of hate is spreading. To be in favor of removing the phrase is to be a traitor to our country, as one writer told me. And after a similar letter, Anna Quindlen, a devout Catholic and a Liberal, writes, "When did it first become gospel that only the Conservatives knew God?" Author Susan Jacoby, in discussing what has happened in America since 9/11, writes "there has been a melding of religion and patriotism. The insistence is that patriotism must be religious, and that to be religious is to be patriotic." Are we pledging allegiance to the flag or to God? My allegiance is to my country.

We have in this country a strong Religious Right. What we need is a religious center, and that we have. To call it a Religious Left might suggest intolerance, so I call it the Center. One organization which represents that center is The Interfaith Alliance, an organization of over 150,000 leaders and members of 70 denominations and other faith traditions. Its purpose states: "The Interfaith Alliance promotes the positive, healing role of faith in civic life and challenges intolerance and extremism. . . .We stand for the participation in the political process by people of faith, and against the view of the Religious Right that one's political beliefs are the measure of one's faith. . . . . We stand for inclusion and diversity in American society and oppose efforts to sow discord and hate, especially under the guise of religion."

The Interfaith Alliance held a forum in March. Dr. Weldon Gaddy, its president, said, "As the presidential campaign unfolds, we must keep in mind that the oval office is the fulcrum point for American democracy, not the chancel, not the pulpit for American religion

And Dr. Diana Eck spoke to Mr. Bush and Mr. Kerry -- "We should say 'As candidate for public office, I am running on our Constitution to be a president for all the people, not just for the people of my religious community. The word God is not in the Constitution and was not just a mindless omission of our Founding Fathers.'"

Religion is often virtuous. Government is often competent. But Religion and Government joined is almost always a total disaster. If in doubt, look at the Near East.