Do religion and politics mix?
Not really, but then neither does olive oil and vinegar … you give ‘em a good shake, and they intermingle for awhile, but ultimately, oil and vinegar go their separate ways. But what’s a salad with one of them missing? A good salad needs both!
Religion and politics are like neighbors with a a Tim Allen (“Home Improvement”) kind of fence between the two; yet Tim and Wilson talk most every day over the fence.
When Sarah Palin says our war in Iraq is a righteous cause given by God, I take a deep breath and pause.
I suppose it’s possible to say that … yet, it’s just as likely that one could say, “It’s not a righteous cause; it’s expansionist and driven by hubris.”
Religion says a lot of things about a lot of things, and it’s terribly important to know when to say what in any given moment. It’s a delicate conversation requiring wisdom and discretion.
Like good neighbors, neither tries to tear down the fence and move in. Rather, we speak to one another, maybe even shout and argue now and then, but the fence remains, and we stay in our own backyard.
Whenever religion and politics get too close, history reveals lots of problems.
When the crown and the crosier become indistinguishable, when the crown uses the crosier to further it’s pet projects by dressing them up in religious garb, and when the crosier enjoys the status and influence of state power, coercing folks into belief and parading around in the pomp of huge buildings and glorious processionals, it’s a formula from hell.
For centuries, the fence was torn down in the Western world, and it was virtually impossible to say who lived where. From time to time, a religious war would erupt; the pope would excommunicate the king, and the king would invade and send the pope packing, but most of the time, pope and king, crosier and crown, were hand-in-glove in controlling the empire and dominating the thoughts and values of its citizenry.
The Western world has paid an enormous price for this marriage – the crosier has lost its ability to challenge the crown, other than in irrelevant bedroom issues, and the crown has cravenly used the faith to cover its own immoral tracks. We see these issues anywhere in the world where the fence has been torn down. Whether it be some of the Islamic nations, the State of Israel as it is dominated by the Conservative wing of Judaism (they decide who’s a Jew and who isn’t when it comes to citizenship), or efforts by far right Christians to impose a theocratic model upon America through courts and congress.
Maybe another image will help.
Think of Dancing with the Stars – it takes two to tango, and when it’s done right, it’s powerful. Neither partner surrendering to the other; each engaged in a playful, if not serious, effort to prevail; yet if one prevails, the dance fails … the dance goes on as long as neither partner wins!
Religion and politics?
Good neighbors … great dance partners!
Mixing politics and religion is one thing but running a government is quite another. We were always told that some of the framers of our constitution believed in the separation of church (religion) and state (political governance). They probably did not mean that religion should not be part of politics or for that matter vice versa. However when it comes to the state of governance, that religion is an individuals choice and not a political one. Therefore the state should not interfere with that choice except possibly in cases of unlawful activities or gross negligence or harm upon its citizens.
ReplyDeleteIt does seem that many on the religious right in America want to change this. George Bush has ever so slightly and carefully tried to move us in that direction. Sara Palin from what I hear would do similar if she could. She has framed the war efforts, as is usually done, with 'God' on our side against the 'evil empire'. However those are not just droids being slaughtered out there. No their families will remember and some with a vengeful heart. The day may come that 'Gods PLan' turns into that mushroom cloud that we all fear spawned by the hate that we helped create.
Politics and religion do mix and in my mind fairly normal human behavior. But a religious domination of state government is never a good idea.