Let me preface this by saying that I think that it is extremely dangerous to confuse religion with politics; mixing the two seems to always bring the former down more than it raises the latter up. Politics corrupts religion so easily that it is paramount that a person of faith zealously keep the inferior in submission to the superior (politics in submission to faith).
We all are well aware that in recent years the evangelical Christians have become a powerful force in American politics. They are now a base, if not THE base of the republican party. But why? How has this come to be? As I recall, several years back, the GOP began courting the evangelical Christians, presenting the party as a guardian of Christian values. A lot of American Christians accepted that idea and subsequently have become staunch republicans.
However, looking at the two major political parties from a Christian perspective, I'm a bit confused. When I compare Christian values to the values espoused by the GOP, the only compelling link that I see is abortion. As Christians, we believe in the sanctity of life . . . you know the rest. This is a very important issue for most Christians, and it is an issue that tends to split pretty cleanly along party lines.
But what about other moral and ethical issues? What about other Christian values? Taking good care of the earth is a very important Christian value. All life on this planet is holy, and all of creation is good. The GOP doesn't have the best track record on the environment.
What about the poor? There is some room for debate here, but not a lot -- the Democrats have been more consistent defenders of the poor. Taking care of the poor and needy is a central Christian value. Christ tells us that whatever we do for someone in need, it is as if we have done it for Him. This includes health care and the like.
There are other issues as well, far too much to get into all at once. It is enough to say here that the idea of the republican party as a defender of Christian values is a distortion and a deception. Abortion is the only thing that has been able to sell this idea. For many Christians, abortion trumps all other political issues; many view it as the slavery of our generation.
If the republicans didn't own the pro-life argument, they would soon lose their Christian base. If there was room in the democratic party for pro-life arguments, the republicans would lose their Christian base. Unless, and this is a big 'unless,' unless the Christians have been so fooled by the sale of the GOP as Christian that they are no longer able to tell the party from the faith.
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You might want to check out http://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/ for the discussion with author Randall Balmer about his book "God in the White House." It is a history of religion in presidential politics in the last 50 years. What I caught on the radio was pretty interesting, like for example, the fact that Jimmy Carter was our most "religious" president during this time and the religious right did not become actively involved in the Republican party until some of their churches and organizations (e.g. Bob Jones University) were investigated by the I.R.S. for abuse of their nonprofit tax status. This happened several years after Roe v. Wade.
Clearly, your point about religion and politics is well taken. The domination of abortion and anti-gay rights by politically active "religious" figures is way too narrow a view of morality and religion in public life. Unfortunately, it has proven effective as a way to turn out voters to vote Republican, and will probably be with us for some time to come. Perhaps, the Democrats can recapture the moral high ground by focusing on ending the Iraq war, reducing environmental pollution, and increasing foreign aid to poorer nations. I think the bumper sticker "What would Jesus drive?" pretty much proves the point that Jesus and Christianity is not just limited to protecting the unborn and persecuting homosexuals.
I just lost a big ol' comment. I'll re-type a shorter version:
I'll check out the program you suggest as soon as I get a computer working, with sound.
I think that the gay marriage issue is a red herring. It's an inconsequential issue (for the party) that the republicans use to secure Christian voters. Meanwhile, for Christians, gay marriage is an issue that is, if not inconsequential, certainly not in the same category as abortion. While gay marriage goes against our faith, it is still an issue that deals with consenting adults. It is questionable, to say the least, whether it is the place of a secular government to regulate such things.
On another note, I'm concerned that my original post may have come across as implying that the democratic party might in fact be more closely aligned with Christian values, which is not what I intended to say. For whatever reason, it seems that the democratic party has become a comfortable home for many folks who hold strong anti-religious sentiments. Strange bed fellows to say the least. My point, as I know you understand, is simply that neither party is remotely a close reflection of Christian values. On the contrary, Christian values appear to be reflected in inconsistent fragments by each party. At the same time, each party espouses values that are completely antithetical the Christianity.
I'm not sure where to verify this, BUT, it has been reported that Democrats and Republicans break down more clearly along these lines:
- Religiously committed (something like Regular attendance at Church/Synogogue)
- Married with Children
This cuts across race and income, with Republicans fitting these descriptions and Democrats fitting the opposite description.
I have also heard that "being religously committied" is a key predictor on whether one is married with children.
The point: I believe the association of religious affiliation with political party has more to do with practical family values than with a confusion of faith. (yes, the phrase "family values" has been butchered in politics).
I think that we who tend to contribute to our friend ishmael's blog value honesty in dialogue. It's one thing I value greatly about him. With that in mind, I'd like to highlight the current legal tender of party broadbrushing.
What the parties think of each other:
1. Republicans are mean, warmongering, compassionless, imoral, racist, greedy, fascists.
2. Democrats are immoral, anti religious, communist, totalitarian, theives who value equality at the expense of freedom.
I will admit my difficulty in portraying the opinions of Democrats - I am a Republican. BUT, I wanted to put these out there so that we can summarily dismiss them. I find that when discussing politics, it is helpful to set the above tag-lines aside. If my interlocuter earns the tag, so be it, but I make a point of seeing to it that I do not apply it unless he earns it. The majority of people do not earn the tag, I'm happy to report.
Now that I have stated my bias, I should also note that my political affiliation is secondary to what matters most to me. Thus, if what matters to me finds greater expression in the Democratic party, then I would change.
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