Religion and Politics, Sigh

I've had several conversations recently with different people from both political parties re: the place of religion in politics. Some of these conversations have been exasperating and many have been enlightening, so for my own mental exercise I thought I'd say a few things about my own opinion. I generalize a bit, as I know that there are many non-Christian Republicans, or many Christian Republicans that do not vote according to the religious right, but because they are fiscally conservative or more in line with conservative viewpoints on other issues. Also, I have many Christian Republican friends who are fantastically tolerant and respectful of our differing political opinions. My issue lies more with the prevalence of intolerance in the Church for non-Republicans and my discussions have largely been on the issue of religious conservatism mingling with political conservatism so that's the perspective I'm exploring.

I'm a Christian. I believe Christ died on the cross for the sins of man and by his grace we are redeemed. Christianity, my constant struggle to be a woman of faith (when doubt is my more prevalent tendency), colors every aspect of my life. I am a Christian before I am an American, before I am anything else. I am a Christian before I am a Democrat, before I am a voter, before I question which side of the abortion debate I fall on. My faith is first. And it is that hierarchy that most inspires my confusion over why there is a question how I can be BOTH a Christian and a Democrat.

Faith and Party are not mutually exclusive. Loving one's country, serving her, is a blessed thing in the eyes of God but serving one's country is not the realm of a sole political party. One party does not own God. God does not endorse one candidate over another and to imply such an idea is wholly offensive to me. To imply that one party has the direct line to Heaven belittles faith, belittles Christ, and patronizes the millions of Americans who call themselves Christians. There is no doubt in my mind that many of the leaders of the religious right have bought their way to power by the constant patronizing of Christian America. They have made Christians believe that there are only a handful of real issues in America (abortion and gay rights being their favorites) and that those issues trump every other issue at bar. They've pointed a wagging pastoral finger at Christians who found themselves questioning the ideals of the Republican party and have convinced the majority of Christians that part of being a good Christ-follower is to vote with the party that God has blessed. Bullshit.

The Democratic party is no picnic, either. While the Republicans preach their moral imperative, Democrats find it hard to state that something is categorically 'wrong', which can be equally infuriating. But that's the whole point. Neither party is perfect because both parties were created by men. They are inherently fallible and broken. When I look at both parties, as a Christian, the Democratic party is the party that is most in line with my faith in terms of equality, providing support for the impoverished, embracing the 'least of these', protecting God's earth, and championing peace. And so, my vote swings left. However, I have no problem understanding why other Christians would look at the parties and decide the opposite, decide that the Republican party best represents their values. I can respect either determination. For that reason, I do not understand why so many Republicans can not provide the same respect, cannot look at Christian Democrats and acknowledge that there are Biblical values that many people will feel are best represented by the Democratic party.

But chiefly, I simply do not believe politics should ever have a place in the church or vice versa. At its core, the marriage of the two belittles faith. It equates Country with God, turns the American flag into an idol worthy of worship, an idea I find incredibly disturbing. Outside the church, the marriage of the two establishes religious imperatives in a government that should be wholly secular. Decision-making will always be inspired by personal convictions, and for many people those convictions will arise out of religious faith, that is to be expected and championed in a democracy. But the Church and the State should be divided beyond those convictions, so that every leader and every voter has the freedom to pursue those convictions without threat.