Copyright © 1998 Henrietta W. Hay
Politics and Religion
August 14, 1998
Politics used to be fun. Until it got religion.
I have a good friend who grew up in an entirely different religious
atmosphere than mine. We were raised in different parts of the country
in different denominations. It has never been a problem. We both speak
English. We both ended up democrats. We respect each other's
religious beliefs or lack thereof and realize that, wherever we got
them, they have led us to a very similar set of values.
BUT! If she were suddenly to say to me, "Mine is the only true
religion. Since you don't believe exactly as I do, you are not a
Christian," the friendship would suffer a fatal blow.
That is what is happening to us as a nation now. The Christian
Coalition was formed as a political entity to try to push a religious
agenda into law. Rather than accepting and learning from the religious
diversity that now exists, it would lead us into a single set of
beliefs. We read about Christian schools, Christian music, Christian
sports leagues, Christian radio stations. The impression is that the
millions of main line churchgoers are not Christian. And that makes a
lot of people very unhappy.
The mainstream churches in America have started to fight back. Church
leaders have, in Diane Carman's words in the Denver Post, " grown
uneasy as the line between the pulpit and the political stump has begun
to disappear. They had grown accustomed to a society in which all
religions were created equal under the eyes of the government, and they
were reluctant to see that basic right compromised."
Clergy from mainline Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths have joined
together to form The Interfaith Alliance to "challenge those who
manipulate religion to advance an extreme political agenda." Walter
Cronkite wrote, "TIA is a diverse group -- as diverse as America. And
its members have come together for the purpose of standing up to the
Christian Coalition and other radical right wing groups and individuals
who wrap themselves in the language and symbolism of religious faith."
Recently the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado asked primary candidates to
sign a "code of civility," in which they would promise not to use
religion as a "weapon to demonize those with different religious and
political beliefs." 25 of 55 primary election candidates signed the
code. Some of those who did not sign promptly denounced it and the
religious war goes on.
With a national election coming up, the Christian Coalition is asking
us to judge candidates for office, not for their opinions on taxes, the
national debt, welfare reform, election reform, what to do with Bosnia,
the mid-east crisis, the explosions in Africa and the other questions
of vital importance not only to the United States but to the entire
world. No, they first ask the candidate's stand on "social issues," by
which they mean today's buzz word, abortion.
Thomas Jefferson, my favorite founding father, was a very smart man.
He had a vision that went far beyond his time. He saw to it that the
Bill of Rights includes the phrase, "Congress shall make no law
respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof."
Later, in a letter to the Danbury, Connecticut Baptist Association, he
advocated, "a wall of separation between church and state." 200 years
later is more important than ever to keep that wall in place. I have
no quarrel with anyone's spiritual beliefs . He/she has every bit as
much right to them as I do to mine. I just think they are personal,
not political. I really would like to keep my friend.
Politics used to be fun. Until it got religion.