Since the beginning of time, people have been discussing, debating, and warring over issues of religion and politics. Taken independently, each subject can create a great deal of fervor and heated banter, but an extra heaping of woe to the one who tries to talk about both simultaneously. Recently, I have been in discussions with a friend of mine (someone who opposes my views as it happens), and I wanted to put some of my thoughts in writing to see how others react to the convergence of religion and politics.
Some might say that politics and religion should always stay separated, but I find that to be a thoughtless position. Since my religion is the central catalyst in forming my worldview, how can someone ask me to separate my understanding of the world from my vote? Do I ask the secular atheist to forget about their worldview before casting a vote? To me, the idea of religion and politics staying separate is silly. On a number of hot-button issues, my religious faith (along with what I consider simple common sense) have helped to form many of my political convictions. Though they are seen as contentious issues, many are pretty black-and-white in my mind.
Capital Punishment - I am 100% in favor of capital punishment. Some might challenge me by saying that all life is sacred and that my support of society killing another human being, for any reason, must mean that I don’t truly value life. On the contrary, because I value innocent human life so much, I support a system that requires the most heinous murderers to pay the ultimate price for their deeds — the forfeit of their own life.
Abortion - I support a woman’s right to choose, and when she chooses to sleep with someone and gets pregnant, I don’t think a quick-fix abortion is an acceptable remedy. The idea that a woman has a right to do what she wants with her body is fine by me, but once you get pregnant, you’re dealing with someone else’s body. Just because it’s growing inside you, that doesn’t mean it is you. 100% of babies turn out to be someone different than the woman who carried it. I want each child to have the opportunity to live, because you never know which unwanted baby might be the next Mother Theresa.
Admittedly, however, sometimes I struggle with the crossroads between religion and politics. I freely admit that there are times when my stance on a political issue is difficult to justify through my faith. When people challenge me on some of these issues, I have to admit uneasiness. Here are three random political issues that give me pause:
War - War is hell, and the idea of supporting it makes me a bit uneasy. I don’t think its easy for our troops, and I certainly wouldn’t feel comfortable killing another person. Unfortunately, the other end of the spectrum — sitting down and having a friendly discussion with people who hate us — is laughable. If I’m at home when someone breaks in with a weapon, no amount of Constant Comment tea will help me succeed in protecting my family. This reasoning seems even more persuasive on an international level. Am I uneasy about the taking of human life? Yes. Do I think that God supports war? Honestly, I’m not sure either way. What I do know is that war has been the catalyst through which many of the world’s greatest evils have been thwarted. My tendency is to believe that, in rare cases, military intervention is the only answer we have as a nation.
Enhanced Interrogation Techniques - This is one that came up in a discussion last week. From a political standpoint, I have no issues with water boarding terrorist masterminds like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed — I think its valuable in helping to save lives. I fully support sleep deprivation and other techniques that interfere with or disrupt a person’s rhythm and balance. I’m against physical torture (like drilling a hole through someones skull). Oddly enough, from a religious perspective, I’m a little more uneasy with this issue than I am with war. Do I like coercive methods that make a person feel like he is drowning? No. But there is no doubting that this technique — done to a handful of men who are the personification evil — has saved thousands of innocent lives. In this case, I lean slightly more toward an “end justifies the means” stance, but I’d be lying if I said that my faith didn’t give me pause.
Homosexuality - My belief about homosexuality is not where my struggle lies; I simply have a hard time knowing exactly how to handle the rise of the gay movement in our society. I believe that our nation gives mentally healthy adults the right to do just about anything he or she wants, as long as it doesn’t injure or corrupt others. What I have a hard time with is knowing what to do when I see what used to be considered an “alternative lifestyle” given the same value as traditional man/woman relationships. Do I want our government to oppress gays? No. But I have a hard time with the thought that our government is being asked to take the stance that heterosexual marriages are no different than homosexual ones. While I support the freedom of lifestyle, I cannot support the idea that they are the same. My compassion for gay people doesn’t trump what I consider to be the best organism for a healthy society — a healthy traditional family.
What are your thoughts? Do you have similar religio-political battles that you deal with? If you are of a secular persuasion, do you have similar struggles when you try to combine your political and irreligious beliefs?
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