Jul 17 2008
Church and State
I am disturbed.
This week, the cover of The New Yorker depicts Barack and Michelle Obama as American-Flag burning, militant Muslims who have captured the oval office and fooled us all. As a fan of Obamadamus, free speech, and satire, it is not the publication of this image that disturbs me, but the facetious mythology at the source of it. The most recent issue of Newsweek features a photo of Obama praying, with the title — “What he believes.” Both Obama and McCain have been assailed for their church and ministerial associations. McCain is not Christian enough to be Republican, Obama is not American enough to Christian. To this I say that the Founding Fathers would be tremendously disappointed were they here to witness this clash of Church and State they so desperately wished to avoid.
Opening a treaty with Tripoli drafted in 1797, George Washington wrote, “As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded as a Christian Nation….” Thomas Jefferson, revered by all for his role in declaring our independence and framing our constitution, is widely believed to have been an atheist. Madison, Franklin, and Adams are all on record as having been vehemently opposed to any relationship between religion and government, save for the protected toleration of all forms of the former. Now, in 2008, amidst war, climate change, recession, high fuel prices, humanitarian crises, and the need for education reform (among many other problems), all we seem to care about is which Church these men attend, and the manner in which they pray. They both pander to religious folks trying to prove how Godly they are, and I’m sick of it. Focus on the issues, please.
I am not opposed to religion by any stretch, so long as it doesn’t proffer hate and impinge on the rights of others. But, this country was founded on the secular separation of Church and State, and therefore, religious discussion should remain in the churches and not on the stump. When Barry Goldwater ran for President, he railed against the religious pressures placed on him as a candidate, and vowed to keep them separate from his campaign and to not let them effect his policy decisions. And he lost. George Bush, who won (sort of), is on record as a Christian, having said that God lead him to invade Iraq, and that atheists should not be considered American citizens. Huh? Is this Iran? Who is to say that it was God that spoke to Bush, and how can a country founded on religious freedom deny those very freedoms to people who choose not to believe?
I fear that we are headed toward a theocracy, where a man or woman need not only be brilliant, experienced, and a strong leader to become our President, but must also be an ordained minister and Biblical scholar. We may as well elect an American Pope or Supreme Reverend instead of a Vice President. It seems one phrase in our “Pledge to the Flag,” and another on our dollar bills, along with divisive issues such as abortion, stem cell research, and gay marriage, have allowed faith to take a seat beside reason in the governance of our nation. And that leaves me disturbed.
preach on, brother, preach on…
and, as a fan of The New Yorker and an even bigger fan & visitor of the city where it’s published, their cover bothered me… i know it was done in a satirical tone, but i wonder how many people will just see that image and say, “Ah HA! I knew it!”…
National Motto=In God We Trust.
Actually, the motto approved by the Founders was “E Pluribus Unum,” or, “One From Many.” It was until McCarthyism in the 1950s when “In God We Trust” came about, as an affront to communism.
Dear Nephew Brad,
The founding fathers of this country and the formation of goverment was, for the most part, based on the the belief that faith in God would get them through tough times, war and the many crises which would befall this nation. Of Course,there were non-believers then as well as today.
Today, the majority this nation still believes in some diety through many religions, with all of these religions comes faith, which is the belief that God, or some diety by another name, is there to help and guide and strengthen the people who govern this nation through the continuing tough times, no matter what they are.
With respect to those who choose not to believe, respect must be given to those who do believe, since the majority of the US does believe in God, or a diety refered by another name, respect must be given to those people as well.
The candidates running for the highest office in this land and virtually in the world, know that faith plays an important part in the decision making of the average voter, so it is an issue in an election regardless of the separation of church and state.
Personally, I do not believe that our president should be decided by his religious, or non religious, affiliation, but on his intelligence and leadership. I know whomever wins the highest office in the land will have his very competent advisers whom he will seek out, but perhaps the average, believing citizen would have a greater sense of connectivness to a candidate who seeks out a supreme being for guidance as he goes about the task of running this country with the enormous problems he is presented with. I would not base my vote entirely, by any means, but the candidate’s need to seek guidance from above would have some bearing on my decision. I understand those without a faith find it utterly ridiculous that any political decision be based on faith , but they in turn must respect those who do turn to God for supreme guidance.
That is another reason why we live in the greatest country in the world, we all have a choice to be a part of religion or not, we have the right and privilege to vote for whomever we wish and for whatever reasons we choose. We have the right to speak our thoughts as we are doing now in this forum or any other. We have the right of “Freedom of Religion”, “Freedom of Speech” and the freedom to be who we are, The presidential candidates are judged and voted for by how they present themselves to those people who will make the decision, those voters can decide by whatever iossues are important to them, and we have the right to agree or disagree.
I’m off my soap box now…
Good points, Sherry, but I disagree with your first. I think the Founders were fleeing a state where religion and government had essentially become one, and were adamant about keeping them separate to avoid a repeat of that ideological and theological tyranny. Ironically, England is now a far more secular nation than we are.
I don’t deny my Christian upbringing and that I still harbor spiritual beliefs. I simply think it’s smarter, and safer, and more in line with the foundation of our country to be a Nation of Christians, and not a Christian Nation.
Statistics say America is 83% Christian. If 83% of us strived to live like Christ, we would be A WHOLE LOT better off as a nation. If 83% of us are Christian then why was prayer removed from school? Why are 10 Commandment displays being romved left and right? The more we remove God from our country the more He will remove himself from our country.
I don’t know about you but I would rather not become a “far more secular nation” like England.
So how involved should religion be in the governance of our nation? I’m not trying to be inflammatory when I suggest that if we go just a little bit further and instate religion formally into our government — with prayer in schools and commandments in our public buildings — we’d be a lot more like Iran than most of us would want to admit. If Huckabee had won, we’d have had our President and our Supreme Reverend all in one.
I do agree with your first sentence Brad, in your reply to me, however even though the Founding Fathers were fleeing theological tyranny, they certainly did not remove God from their lives or their statements (as history books prove). They were men who knew to include God in their new world would bring the wisdom needed to succeed.
I don’t know Senior, but he sounds like a very wise man! God will never be removed from the USA, he is here ’til the end, it is the the unwise man who will attempt to remove him from family, society and government. In the end that same unwise man will face of his lack of wisdom, poor bloak! Even if one removed the word “God”, from the words of theTen Commandments, we would still have the insight as to how we should live to be to be decent, honorarble human beings, in other words, follow the rules! Without rules there would be chaos in society, without God there is emptiness, a lack of wisdom, and general malaise in society, both candidates know this and believe this. I honestly do not believe that their confessions of faith are not merely vote getting, people pleasing empty words to get the most votes, I think Obama and Cain each have a profound faith and rely on that for wisdom. A man who would go into the presidency without believing that there is a supreme being (God) to rely on for guidance would be a man of foolhardiness!
It honestly does not bother me what religion either man is and I will not base my vote on it, but to know that they are men of faith is a plus in my column. Now if they will get down to business and start talking about how to solve all the problems we have in this world I could form a more substantial decision of who I will vote for!
Sorry to ramble on, and I apologize to the MCCAIN camp for misspelling his name! Sometimes I just get to typing and forget to proof read my words and correct the typos…but they are heartfelt!
My nickel is U.S. currency and it says In God We Trust. McCarthy or not.
Thanks for the kind words, Aunt Sherry!
Brad, are you saying America was like Iran just 50 short years ago? Because we had Christian school prayer and public 10 Commandment displays 50 years ago in America. Is there an obvious link between our detachment from God and our lawlessness (more than even over the last 25 years!)? I believe so. We, as a society, have become so numb!!! Is it because right and wrong have all been blended into one big area of grey? I beleive so. We, as a nation, are blinded and slowly dying in our sin.
I’ll leave you with this. It’s from II Timothy 3. Let it sink in and think about how it relates to our society in 2008…
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good. Traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness but denying its power…”
Sounds like headlines we see on CNN and Foxnews every day, doesn’t it.