Politics and Religion - Let's Talk

This is my third attempt to write this post.  It has to do with two topics that have been dominating my thoughts recently, but my mind is so muddled by all that I've been reading that I can't seem to organize my thoughts in a way that will make any sense.

So, we've all been told NOT to discuss politics or religion in polite company.  I say, "Why not?"  I enjoy both of these topics and I enjoy discussing them, but I understand why most people do not.  Most people need to "be right."  They have taken positions regarding religion and politics and just can't give alternatives any degree of credibility -- it must be their way or it's wrong.  One of the books I read recently actually explained why this is.  This book, The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt, explains that people make most moral decisions quickly and intuitively, without needing much time to reason things out.  Our reasoning follows our decision and almost always is manipulated to explain the decision we've already made.  Since religion and politics are both areas of moral belief, rarely can we ever change a person's mind through reasoning alone -- it too often turns to a heated argument between entrenched positions.  Mr. Haidt is a psychologist, so this book is based on scientific tests and experiments.  I've never been able to deal with psychology, so I didn't read the entire book, just enough to get the main idea.


The other book I read about the topics at hand (and I think I'll take a break from religion and politics now for a while) is called God's Politics by Jim Wallis.  This book was more interesting to me, as it spoke directly to issues of concern.  One of the main tenets of this book is that "God is not a Republican, and He is not a Democrat."  The author explains that we have one major political party in the U.S. that openly claims God is on their side.  Then we have another party that seems too embarrassed to mention God at all.  Regarding morals, one party claims to be on God's mission to stop abortions, prohibit same-sex marriage and promote "family values."  The other party, however, follows the teachings of Jesus to care for the poor, the sick, the downtrodden and needy.  Even wealth redistribution is a Biblical principle: it's called the Year of Jubilee.  Instead of claiming that God is on "our" side, we should all rather make every effort to be sure we are on His side.


So let's talk -- yeah about religion.  Believe what you want; just know that some of it is probably not accurate.  A dash of humility helps a lot here.  Live your faith, respect others, let your light shine.  Let your faith drive your politics, knowing that you'll not find a perfect match.  We only have two major political parties, and each is far from perfect.  Neither party is very right and neither is very wrong.  Don't listen to the extreme right or the extreme left talking heads on TV, except for their entertainment value if that's what you enjoy.  Yeah, let's talk about politics too, and let's seek to be moral people.

Here's a thought:  How much money has been given to the campaigns of President Obama, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Michelle Bachmann, Herman Cain and John Huntsman over the past year or so?  I have no idea, but it's a big number, with lots of zeros and a big dollar sign.  And all for what? To purchase television time and bumper stickers, campaign buses and jets?  Think of what all that money could do for the poor, for education, for AIDS and cancer research.  Instead we're willing to see all those millions spent by people trying to get elected to office.  There has to be a better way.


Hey, thanks for reading.  I hope this post hasn't rambled too much, but I'm having a hard time articulating my muddled thoughts about religion and politics in America today.  May God bless you as you live your faith.