Religion and Politics…

How about some chocolate covered cauliflower?  No? 

How about some pickles and lemonade for an appetizer? No? 

Why not?

Some things just don’t go well together.  That’s true of politics and religion too.

Every time I see a politician talk about their religion I instantly get turned off.  It’s not that I don’t think it is important, I actually do, but it is personal.  I also don’t care what their favorite food is or what particularly weird things they are into.

So why do politicians insist on tell us that they are “born again” or “have accepted Jesus Christ”?  It is because it does matter to some people.  It shouldn’t, but it does.

Here’s my quick rundown on religion.  They are all the same, at their core.

Every religion teaches tolerance, acceptance, understanding, and compassion, even the “evil ones".  Take a comparative religion class sometime and prepared to be stunned.  Muslims and Christians are pretty much the same.  Different players in the stories, but in a lot of ways, they are the same.

When you study different religions, you get the sense that you are reading one of those “Choose your own adventure” books that we had when we were younger.  “If you choose to do X, turn to page Z”.  The various religions are just different versions of the same story.  See Gilgamesh vs. Genesis (http://www.religioustolerance.org/noah_com.htm)

But because some people need to elect one of their own, they need to know.

My rule is this, you can tell us you are religious and that you practice in your own way.  You can say you are Catholic, Lutheran, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu…whatever, just leave it at that.  Once you start discussing how your religious biases will shape your decision making, you’ve lost my vote.

After all, I believe in a God that gave me a brain to think critically with and do things that are in the best interests of all people.

Besides, politicians that advertise their religion come off as fake and hypocritical.  Next time just sit around chomping on a shrimp cocktail while talking about the evils of homeosexuality. (see Levitius 18)

Matthew 6:5-6: "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men....when thou prayest, enter into thy closet and when thou has shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret...."