Jim Taylor’s Weblog

Sunday December 27, 2009

Religion and politics — both private and public

By Jim Taylor

Levels of tolerance
        This has not been a problem in Canada yet. We cheerfully alternate between Roman Catholic and Protestant prime ministers, from Francophone or Anglophone traditions.
        In the U.S., however, presidents have typically come from a limited spectrum of religious possibilities – almost always white, Protestant, and moderately evangelical.
        I’m old enough to remember that when John F. Kennedy ran for president, large numbers feared he would take his marching orders from the Vatican, not from the American people.
        A particular brand of religion is so taken for granted in U.S. politics that hardly anyone expressed fears that George W. Bush might take his marching orders from Oral Roberts, Billy Sunday, or John of Patmos.
        Although the U.S. broke dramatically with past practice by electing a black president, I am quite sure that Americans are not yet ready to elect a Muslim president. Or a self-confessed atheist, for that matter.
        Religion, it would seem, remains a private matter only as long as it can be taken for granted.
        In fact, people prefer to keep many activities private. Especially those that could harm their political careers. Such as addiction to alcohol or recreational drugs, pedophilia, fraud….
         Should voters ignore such matters, because they’re considered private?
        In our society, most of us guard the privacy of our sex lives even more rigorously than we avoid discussing religion or income. But private improprieties can have public consequences. Just ask Jim Bakker, Gary Hart, or Bill Clinton – or, more recently, Tiger Woods.

Assumptions about stereotypes
        Whenever someone’s private life has the possibility of affecting public policies, voters have a right – indeed, a responsibility — to ask questions.
        Unfortunately, most questions about religion assume that candidates will simply reflect their church’s policies. That a Roman Catholic candidate, for example, will automatically oppose licensing an abortion clinic. That an evangelical will argue against hosting an international convention of gays and lesbians – even if the convention could generate income for hard-pressed hotels.
        On the liberal side, that a United Church member will necessarily vote against a new gambling casino but support housing for the homeless.
        Or that a Muslim would want to impose Islamic law on everyone.
        None of those assumptions are necessarily true.

Superficial questions
        The problem with most questions about religious affiliation is that they fail to probe deeply enough. And I admit that I don’t know how to ask such questions myself — except as part of an extended conversation. It takes more than a simplistic question to get meaningful answers.
        If a candidate claims to have no religious affiliation, I would want to know what that person believes in – if anything. Does he have no principles? Does she simply do whatever’s most expedient?
        But I’m less worried about atheists who reject religious absolutes than about those who wear religious blinders.
        As one of my correspondents put it: “If you believe that Jesus is coming (as opposed to the belief that Jesus is here and comes again and again in every challenge and opportunity); if you believe the end of the world (as ‘predicted’ in improperly interpreted Scriptures) is nigh; if you’re convinced that you yourself and those you love are ’saved’ and will end up in heaven… then it is easy to be apathetic about real change. The [only] important thing is getting people ’saved’…”
        All the western religions – especially Christianity, Judaism, and Islam – presume a transcendent God, a God who is supernatural, above and beyond nature, who is “wholly other.”
        The more devoutly one adheres to such a view, the less likely one is to act against, say, global warming. Or toxic chemicals. Or nuclear weapons. Because God is not here. This world doesn’t matter.
        All that matters is one’s relationship with that God out there. Not with this imperfect world, right here.
        That’s an exaggeration, of course. But so are extreme religious attitudes.
        That’s why it’s it worth asking faith questions before candidates get elected. To avoid unpleasant surprises later.
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Copyright © 2009 by Jim Taylor. Non-profit use in congregations and study groups permitted; all other rights reserved.
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Over the years, I think I have written (or ghostwritten) about 17 books. Several of them (mercifully) are no longer available from any source. But here’s a listing of those that are still available. The ones marked “WLB”, you can order from Wood Lake Books, either on-line at http://www.woodlakebooks.com, or call Wood Lake Books directly at 1-800-663-2775 in Canada, 1-800-654-5129 (Pilgrim Press) in the U.S. The ones marked “JT only” are now available only directly from me — as collector’s items, I price them all at $25 Cdn.

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