With the election a scant 19 months away, candidates from both parties are trying to win over prospective voters in a variety of ways. However, judging by the amount of time spent on this issue, the most pressing issue of the upcoming election is religion. Candidates from both sides are trying to prove their religious muster to the American people. For the Democrats, Hillary Clinton has hired an Evangelical Christian as a campaign aide, Barack Obama has added an aide who has experience with religious outreach and John Edwards has framed "poverty relief as a moral issue that's helping to drive his campaign."
On the Republican side, the biggest issue of the 2008 race is whether Mitt Romney can be elected, despite his religious affiliation (he's Mormon, for those of you who have been living under a rock). So when did politicians dictate the discourse by which politics can be discussed? How did we get to the point where the Democrats (and Republicans) need to prove their faith to the American people?
I'd like to start out by saying that I only really point to Christianity in this column, because it's what I know, and because it's the religion most utilized by politicians, not to devalue other religions, or the lack of religion. 'Christian,' in the sense of the political world, has been perverted into a rigid definition of Right vs. Left. "Christian Conservatives" have usurped religion and invoked God in order to justify a wide range of policy decisions, ranging from abortion, to gay marriage, and even to the federal budget. On the other hand, many liberals scoff at those who call themselves Christian, buying into the strict definition of Christianity that is espoused by Conservatives. These are not definitions that I, nor many others, subscribe to.
I consider myself a pretty devout Christian. I've gone to church since I was a little kid and remained active in my church until I left for college. I very firmly believe in the basic tenants of my religion and find myself thinking about God more often than I realize. I also consider myself a pretty devout Democrat, as I have been arguing against my more conservative friends since I was in middle school. I strongly believe that everyone is created equal and that everyone deserves equal rights. I believe that the job of government is to help its citizens, and not to increase the wealth of a select few. How can I justify my religious beliefs with my political beliefs in the context of the current battle taking place between religion and politics?
Honestly, I don't believe it's my job to try and justify my faith with my politics. Moreover, I don't think it's the job of politicians to set the terms and conditions for this battle. The versions of God and Jesus Christ that are held up as examples by politicians are not ones which I recognize. However, that is not to say that their beliefs are any less true or matter any less than mine do, and this is the problem with religious discourse in terms of politics. The two don't belong together and it's the reason why a separation between church and state exists.
Religion is one of the most controversial and contentious subjects that exists in the world today. I wrote seven different versions of this column because I couldn't figure out what I wanted to say and because I didn't want to offend anyone in the process. After starting draft number seven, I realized that religion is so touchy because it's probably the most personal aspect of our lives. It is really one of the only major things you are allowed to choose in your life. Gender, race, sexual preference, although somewhat debatable, are concrete aspects of person hood which are chosen by random chance. Choice of religion (or for that matter, the choice not to have a religion) is monumental. Religion, whether we like it or not, is a defining force in this country and our ability to choose it helps to give us the power to define how we are seen by others, and how we are able to visualize the world. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to this choice because of its extremely personal nature. When people are allowed to usurp the meaning of religion and dictate what is right and what is wrong, as has happened in the current political climate, this monumental choice given to us is taken out of our hands.
The definition of Christianity needs to be taken away from those in government. While our nation is built on religious tradition, we are not a theocracy. By forcing the religious subject into the political world, politicians risk increasing religious intolerance everywhere. Christian does not just mean Southern Baptist, or Born Again, but it also means Mormon or Unitarian, just in the same
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