Politics and Religion
When the updates about the Iowa Caucus came on the evening news came on television the other night my boyfriend and I were sitting, relaxing on the couch. We never discuss politics, not because we’re not both interested, but because we’ve both, independently, come to the conclusion that very little that we do makes a difference. Most of the country doesn’t hold the same values and beliefs that we do, putting us in the minority. Unfortunately we’ve become quite apathetic about the whole thing. Which is why I was so surprised when an argument ensued after I started up a conversation about the results.
I said I would be quite concerned about a President who wore his religion on his sleeve and based decisions of state on those beliefs. My boyfriend asked why I cared about that at all, simply assuming that my lack of religion which sometimes shows itself as animosity towards religion, was rearing it’s ugly head and the only reason I cared was so I could take the opposite side. I am not religious. I do not believe in religion for me, but I believe in the right to be religious and support everyone’s own, individual path. I just don’t think I should have to follow that path if I am not inclined to do so. My fear is that if we elect a President who continuously turns to religion for guidance, then we will all be forced to live with those same beliefs. My boyfriend is not religious either, but does believe in it to some degree. He was raised Catholic and although he has not attended church since I’ve know him, besides a couple of midnight masses for Christmas, it appears that he has a strong connection to it that I upset by voicing my concerns.
It’s interesting how you can live with someone for six years and not really understand the details of their belief system.
Christopher said,
January 14, 2008 at 2:26 am
George Bush has said that God spoke to him, and told him to invade Iraq.
Therefore, since the Iraq invasion was divinely inspired, what more is there to say.
Christians believe that 2,000 years ago a baby boy, Jesus, was born in an obscure middle eastern country to a virgin woman, and who, when grown-up, performed miracles like changing water into wine, feeding 5,000 people from a single loaf of bread, walking on water, making dead people alive again, becoming himself alive again after being killed, then returning to his father, God, up there in the sky, amid a cloud of fire and dust.
If only one person believed this, he would be considered mad, and locked up. But when countless millions believe this, they are called religious and given respect.
This is as good an example as any of safety in numbers.
His sinfulness said,
January 14, 2008 at 2:34 pm
The problem with looking to religion for political guidance is that most historical religious leaders/founders were notoriously bad politicians themselves. Jesus, for example, was a terrible secular leader, by any measure of political acumen. Had he been successful he wouldn’t have ended up on the cross, and his followers wouldn’t have been persecuted for hundreds of years.