Posted by
Virginia Daddy on Monday, July 14, 2008 11:46:10 AM
This is a difficult topic to write about, as both are taboo at the dinner table, so to speak. And to speak about them together is often a recipe for disaster. However, I will attempt to write about them as one topic, as I view them as forever intertwined. Religion and politics are really different sides of the same topic: they both define who we are and why we do what we do. But that philosophical question is not the main topic of this post, rather, it is the practical application of that idea.
Faith and politics are issues many avoid because they cause so much division. Both are claims to truth, and both have very different and numerous ideas that are often in conflict. Because of this, coupled with our desire to be correct, so many avoid the topics altogether, especially when they are joined together. This is what it is, and will probably never really change much.
When we discuss religion, we discuss politics; and when we discuss politics, we discuss religion. In order to complete my point, I must expand a little: religion is what we value, and politics is what we wish to enact publically based on what we value. I know I am greatly simplifying these ideas, but bear with me. When we go to church, or wherever we worship (could be the mall), we say we espouse certain ideals. When we vote, we hope put into action what our values are based on the candidate that best represents these values.
This is all too often disconnected in todays society. It has become the norm for a person to talk about personal spiritual matters and standards and offer a different standard for others. How can this be? First, let me flush out some thoughts:
First, we are all people of faith. That is something we all should realize. Whether we are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Mormon, Buddhist, Atheist, Agnostic, or political, we are all people of faith. That is, we all put our faith into something. Whether it is on a personal God and savior or a political party or a market economy or a video game or an alcoholic drink, our faith is in something. Our faith is based on some hope that something will lead us to a better life. Whether we get that satisfaction from a worship service on Sunday morning or buying a new gadget or purse, we live for something. We are all people of faith.
Second, where we put our values should come out in how we act. If we are truly concerned with helping others, we will strive to do so in our everyday lives. We can do this in any number of ways, but we will mostly live this out by our activities. If we are driven by competition, everything we do will be a race or a game, trying to outdo the opponent. This to, is seen in what we do everyday. I can go down a list, and demonstrate this truth, but it should be fairly obvious: our values will dictate how we act.
How we act, then, should dictate how we think politically. And this is where we see what one truly believes, religiously. If one can excuse an abortion publically, then one cannot truly abhor it personally, or by faith. These two ideas are mutually exclusive. Now, one can say, "I would never have an abortion but would allow another to do so if they think it right" is really creating a cop out. This person doesn't like abortion, but doesn't hate it either. This person, I argue, does not really believe abortion to be evil but tolerable if undesirable. Their faith is that abortion is ultimately OK.
Not all issues are as cut and dry as abortion. Taxes, for instance, are quite another story. Christians are told to let what is unto Caesar go to him. Specifically, this means to pay your taxes, no matter what amount that is. Going further, it is a command to follow the state's law, whatever the law is. How far, though, is this to be taken, and in what capacity? There are those that argue that this leads to a complete separation, and we are to ignore matters of faith politically. Who we vote for should be a decision made solely without the influence of faith and rely on practical matters of organization and governance. A politician's faith should not matter, but rather what they can do to lead is what matters, they say.
However, I argue that what they believe on matters of faith should play a prime role on who to elect for office. And this is seen not by where they go to church or service, but what they actually do. If we take our faith seriously, this should be our driving force, or we will end up with politicians who think faith is of little value and act accordingly. Unless I am mistaken, the majority of Americans take faith seriously, yet seem to ignore faith come voting time. I think this is seen in how our politicians and judges act, and they are increasingly acting in a faithless manner.
One last thought. I am a Christian, unapologetically Christian. But I think that in terms of values, all faiths share so many ideas: family, strength of innocence, limited government, and a desire to positively affect society at large. We can focus on differences, or we can unite in our shared values. Unfortunately, we focus on the differences all too often, which is why we can't talk about faith at the dinner table, or in politics.