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June 29, 2006

Why Religion and Politics Don't Mix

William Shaw is appealing to Christians not to believe the notion that Christians must be aligned with the Republican party. "Such a position could be devastating for the authenticity of Christianity," he writes.

The problem with mixing the two is that Christians are called to change the world from the inside out and politics attempt to do so from the outside in.

It's the concept of winning hearts and minds.

Recently in San Diego, a giant concrete cross that stands in a public parking lot has made the news as violating the doctrine of the separation of church and state. Its permanence is being fought by people who think differently about the Constitution and Thomas Jefferson's famous "separation" statement. In all honesty, this dichotomy of separation is useless for the country, but for some it is a matter of America's survival. To have crosses on or off parking lots doesn't make the country more or less Christian. If some feel it is a threat to religious freedom in the nation, then perhaps they have misplaced the origin from which freedom comes. Such people ought to be helping the poor and feeding the hungry rather than fighting a cause that in the end will carry no eternal value.

Homosexuality, abortion, the War in Iraq and many more are issues on the Republican-conservative agenda. For Christians to try and correct these issues through the position of Republicanism misrepresents Christianity and its purpose. Adjusting a secular law to favor a certain Christian belief could cause Christianity to look more like a religion of political power driven by hate. No matter how well intentioned the end result may be, the means of getting there should be pursued with the same attitude. It seems it would be out of character for Jesus to ever have tried to change a nation by implementing laws, but he would have done it relationally - one person at a time.

The recently revealed details of the Abramoff/Scanlon scandal and Ralph Reed's involvement highlight the point that Shaw is trying to make:

The Reed story confirms what many devout Christians have argued since conservative social activists became a force in national politics in the 1970s: Engaging in worldly political maneuvering is ultimately debasing. … Hearts are better changed one at a time in the churches than through elections or legislation.

It would certainly seem that the separation of church and state is the best option for both the church and for the state.

Posted by Becky at June 29, 2006 10:29 AM