Obama, Faith and Politics
Senator Barack Obama is making the papers again with his current emphasis on faith and politics. As a progressive and liberal I do not have a problem with the Democratic Party reaching out to people of faith. It has been too easy for the Republicans to characterize the Democrats as a group of godless heathens. Alienating a huge group of potential voters is not smart politics. An individual's religion is just one of the many characteristics that shape a person's world view and it should not be a disqualifying factor for being included in the national political debate. The problem these days is fundamentalism rather than faith is driving the political agenda. Religious fundamentalism is about dictation not debate. There is no reason why religious groups could not come up with constructive solutions to pressing issues such as health care, global warming, fair wages, energy and education. After all, isn't that the ultimate application of the Golden Rule shared by many religions? It would be a welcome replacement to the narrow-minded agenda of Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and others.
posted by dbf729 at 10:18 AM
2 Comments:
I, too, saw the article with Obama recently. I started reading it, came to the part about his "testifying" and was turned off. I know what the situation is with politics and fundamentalism in the United States. I'm just annoyed by it. I really don't want to hear about how G-d/Jesus is influencing politians. After all, one of our most important tenants in this democracy (supposedly) is the separation of church and state. But lately, there really doesn't seem to be so much of a separation. It's more like a tangle of threads between the two. I'm tired of faith-based politics. I'm tired of testifying. Instead of convincing everyone that your heart belongs to your chosen diety - how about proving to your fellow citizens that your loyalty, trust and service belongs to them (should they vote for you.) I hope in my lifetime that happens.
Sorry it took a while to respond. Our internet was down. I too am troubled by the overemphasis of religion in politics. Unfortunately, as long as the Democrats allow the Republicans to frame the debate, religion will be discussed. If the Democrats were bold, they would shift the debate to morality and ethics. While morality and ethics can be derived from religion, they are not religion's exclusive domain. The Greek philosophers were writing about these issues two thousand years ago. I maintain that you can be "religious" and still be immoral or unethical.
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