Religion and politics

Many years ago there was a lightweight comedy starring James Woods and....Michael Fox? I don't recall the name of the movie or really much of the plot...essentially, Woods was a cop and a good one. Fox was an actor who was going on ride-alongs with the cop in order to research his upcoming movie role.

At one point there is a dangerous scene after which Fox strolls up to where Woods is and Woods goes off on one of his earnest but over the top emotional explosions. The following is not an exact quote but I imagine it is pretty close: the entire quote probably ran a minute, but the relevant detail, the climax, went something like this:

Woods (quivering with pent-up fear, resentment, and anger): "You don't get it, do you? When I walk up to a car I never know if this is some whack job who is going to pull a pistol and try to shoot me. Being a cop isn't you do, it is something you are!"
brief pause
Fox: ", that was great! Could you do it again?"

It was a brilliant scene in a pedestrian movie. And it really illustrated the disconnect between the Hollywood world of acting and the world real people live in...the way Wood's character pours out his heart and soul and Fox's character perceives it not as something real but rather as an act.

Which brings us to politics and the religion of candidates.

I hear over and over how politicians need to keep their religious lives and their political lives separate. I have argued against that concept before, although at times the words are not as sharp as I would wish. Certain concepts exist in my mind that I struggle to put down on paper...well, okay, on electronic paper...

But Michael Kinsley touched on a lot of what I have tried to express in this Time magazine article.

He hits especially close to the point I am striving for with this quote: "Catholic liberal politicians since Mario Cuomo have said they personally accept the doctrine of their church but nevertheless believe in a woman's right to choose. This is silly. There is no right to choose murder. Either these politicians are lying to their church, or they are lying to us."

Exactly. Religion, among other things, is the foundation of the believer's morality. "God said it, I believe it, that settles it" goes one jingle. And it is...or should be...an accurate one. Contrast that with the average politicians' morality..."The public will vote for me if I say this, it doesn't matter what I believe, the votes settle it." Political expediency is a byword for compromise, change, and, if not immorality, then certainly amorality.

How does a person determine their morality? For many people, such as Kinsley, public opinion of the loudest voices does. He says, "To what extent has the candidate's church moved with the times, and what has the candidate done to push his or her church in the right direction?" However, for many of us, morality does not change with the times. For the person who believes there is a God, He has spoken to us and we have those teachings, then when we see Hebrews 13:8 saying, "God is the same yesterday, today, yes and forever" we understand that if Jesus said not to make His house a house of merchandise, that is just as true today in the day of mega churches having bake sales as it was in that day. It is always a bit disturbing walking into a church service and hearing the mis-labeled "Pastor" hawking camping trips, books, concerts, and other events. Are you there to learn about God or to finance an overblown monument to the lack of humility so many churches engage in today? If God is about steeples and stain glass windows and magnificent edifices, so be it...but if God is about showing you how to live your life then make it so. I do remember passages saying, "The Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control" (Galatians 5:22) but I missed the passage saying, "The true church can be identified by its magnificent building which reflects the suns rays with its glittering gold ornaments, dazzles the eyes with its incredible architecture, and could feed some small countries for the next decade if they were sold and the proceeds donated to charity. I do recall the passage which says, "This is true religion, to visit the widows and orphans in their affliction" but I don't recall the (non-existent) passage which states, "This is true religion, to hold wealth-building seminars".

But that cuts right to the heart of the whole religion in politics argument, doesn't it? True, Biblical religion is about learning what God would have us to do, DOING IT, and yes, as unpopular as this is in today's society, sharing what God has said. Modern, aBiblical religion is about making social contacts, networking, feeling good about ourselves, and pretty much ignoring anything that is unpopular in society at large.

Well, if you genuinely believe your God, "Being a Christian is something you are, not something you do." It is something you are never without. When you are at home with the spouse, at work, at the mall, at dinner, wherever you are, if you actually read, understand, and follow the Bible you are first and foremost a Christian. Your priorities are God, family, neighbors. And everyone, whether they live next door or in Iran, everyone is your neighbor. You cannot separate your religion from your politics if you have any integrity whatsoever.

The reason people with an awareness of history objected to Catholic Presidents was and is reasonable. The history of the Catholic church when and where they have power is a history of intolerance, persecution, murder, and war. The Crusades were not an anomaly, they were policy. The Inquisition was not an aberration, it was the natural outgrowth of Catholic policies.

The reason we still fear Islamic politicians is similar. From the founding of Islam right up through the fall of "The Sick Old Man of Europe" in World War I, the story of nations where Islam is in power is one of repression, persecution, murder and war. I say "is" because you see the same thing today wherever Islam is in power.

Wise people remember ""those who fail to remember history are doomed to repeat it". We fear a return to times when people who actually study the corrupted version of religion represented by the hybrid Catholicism or the murderous version represented by Islam or yes, even the violent form of Mormonism...if you actually study the history of Peepstone Joe (one of the cons Joseph Smith ran earned him that derogatory name) and his people you quickly realize the Hayfield Massacre was not an isolated or even unexpected event.

Do I think being Mormon alone is enough reason to accept or reject Romney? Nope. But I do think that his religion should...and is...a factor, just as the lack of religion for others is.