Over the last two General Election cycles, we have heard a lot about religion and the religious beliefs held by our current President and his new running mate. Is the President a “secret Muslim?” Is Mitt Romney’s religion of Mormonism considered a cult or is it even really a Christian religious belief? We have also heard a lot about God, particularly in the past couple of weeks, specifically in reference to political party platforms. So why does this matter? Why are people in politics pushing the God issue so hard these days? And correct me if I am wrong, but I believe there is a fundamental separation between Church and State stated in the First Amendment:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”
This means the government of the United States can make no law based upon religious beliefs, or prohibit anyone from practicing their religion. So it begs the question, why does religion become such a hot-button issue every four years?
I am a spiritual person. I believe in a higher power and try to practice a life built upon the Golden Rule. I do not pretend to know that what I believe is right and what others believe is wrong. I do not question the validity of other people’s belief system nor judge because of them. Part of what makes our country so unique is its mosaic of people, the ever-changing collage of our nations fabric.
However, one issue that really gets under my skin is when people bring God into politics.
A perfect example occurred in the first Presidential debate. Candidate Romney brought God into his discussion of what he sees as the role of the Federal Government:
“We’re all children of the same God…”
Does the Declaration of Independence use the word God? No, it does not. The opening sentence of the Declaration of Independence mentions a Creator, but in no way specifies that Creator to be the Christian God.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
According to the founding document of our country, religion has no role in the Federal Government. Mr. Romney’s running mate, Paul Ryan, has also enmeshed legislative issues with religion on multiple occasions. One example is this quote from Congressman Ryan:
“…our rights come from nature and God, not from government…”
If this were true the Constitution would not have had to be amended to allow people of color and/or women to vote.
During the two party’s conventions this summer, God was a plank in the Republican Party platform while the Democratic Party was ridiculed for leaving God out of theirs. But again, is there not a Constitutional separation of Church and State?
The omission of religion in the drafting of the Constitution was not an oversight or accident issue. On the contrary, while debating the drafting of the Constitution, James Madison clearly explained why he believed religion should be left out of the governing document, especially in the process of elections. Madison stated, “Religion itself may become a motive to persecution and oppression,” drawing on the occurrence of religious persecution in England. So with the creation of the Bill of Rights, and the First Amendment, the Framers were stating their collective objective that the First Amendment not only prevents the formation of a national religion, but prohibits government aid to any religion, even on an non-preferential basis, as well as protecting the right of the individual to choose to worship, or not, as he or she sees fit.
So to bring religion into political debate, or legislative working is both improper and un-American. The purpose of legislative and political debate is to exercise views and produce answers and solutions that serve the greater good, meaning the public as a whole, not just a select few that may share your views. Religion tends to serve as a prop when discussing issues that surround moral concerns, such as gay marriage and women’s reproductive rights. But when bringing this discussion to the public, and inserting religious bones in the debate, it forces an aspect of the debate upon people who may not share the same views, therefore alienating a portion of the voting population.
In recent years, more and more members of the conservative movement have outspokenly enveloped God into their political language. Discussions of “family values” and Christian beliefs have bled into political rhetoric and become commonplace in debate and discussion. There is no mention of politics in the Bible, nor is their discussion of the role of government, the right to free speech, the right to marry or to not carry a pregnancy to term, and driving these discussions on points of religious belief actually mars the progression of meaningful debate and stunts progress.
If we are going to move forward as a nation and achieve progress we need to embrace the long-standing wall between Church and State and keep religion and politics separate. Religious concerns are a private matter and should be shared with members of each person’s voluntary community of like-minded people. Politics and government are a public matter, effecting people across communities and touching people of numerous faiths and beliefs. If those who make the laws continue to alienate members of the communities they legislate, the democratic process fails and we open the door to oppression and disenfranchisement.
We are a nation of mixed views and belief systems. Our government is supposed to represent the people and work to legislate in our best interest. This cannot happen when issues are debated on points of a religious belief that many members of the populous may not ascribe to. What is moral may not always be legal. One may believe gay marriage is immoral, but that does not mean it should be illegal. For one person to be allowed to marry and not another simply based upon the sex of the person they love is discriminatory and goes against the nation’s founding principles of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Morality and legality are not one in the same; therefore when it comes to legislating and governing, morality doesn’t always fit for one simple reason, morality is subjective.