Take Religion Out Of Politics

Okay, here's the idea...

Driving home the other day, I was listening to "Left, Right & Center" on KCRW (NPR) and became a bit blown away by the fact that over half of what is usually a fairly intelligent and entertaining program, discussing politics from all angles, was taken up by religion: stem cells, the use of the word "God" in the latest Republican debate, the lack of the use of the word "God" in the latest Democratic debate, the fact that 92% of Americans believe in (their) God, etc, etc, etc... and it all made me think...

TAKE RELIGION OUT OF POLITICS

Is it that simple? I don't know... but what I do know is that this nation was founded on a simple principle of a separation between Church and State... and over the last eight-plus years there's been a definite machine-like momentum created in making all Church issues (read: religion) relate to all State issues (the passing of bills, the election of officials, the political punditry arena). And what is the positive outcome of this marriage? I do not believe there is one...

Seriously. It's a red herring, a MacGuffin, a total distraction from what is relevant: the passing of bills and the election of officials that directly relate to all of our true day-to-day life issues. Not to say that religion does not relate to day-to-day life issues. Of course it does! Many people observe their faith every day. But is this a practice that need be intertwined with such issues as how we are taxed, our nation's foreign policy or healthcare, immigration, education, the environment or the military? Should religion play a role in these issues? If you think so, then we're on different sides of the fence and I welcome hearing your reasonings why. If you think not, then why do you think religion is such a top-notch player in the debate we constantly see and hear on radio, television and the internet? Do you see the disconnect that I do?

To paraphrase an old political idiom: It's the red meat, stupid. That's it, right? The inclusion of religion into the general politic debate foisted upon us on CNN, Fox News, NY Times, NPR, HuffPost, Weekly Standard, etc is simply "red meat" that is there to get our blood boiling in the same way news on Anna Nicole Smith or Lindsay Lohan gets us to crane our neck like it's a ten-car pile-up on the interstate. It's red meat. It's water-cooler talk that makes people debate rather than exchange ideas. It makes people take sides rather than agree we are all on the same side - the American side. It brainwashes us into passionately caring about something publicly that is really best served personally, much like a fervent debate on Coke versus Pepsi.

This is a problem. The growing role of religion in politics is dividing us in the same way that made the Protestants and Catholics eventually shed blood in Ireland and the Jews and the Palestinians doing the same in the Middle East. Are these passionate conflicts really about religion at their core or more about land, money and power with a small politically influential minority using religion to stir up their public "base" to take sides and to take action that furthers the divide rather than the resolution? In the United States, is the inclusion of religion into politics any more Conservative (the minimizing of government into the lives of the public) or Liberal (the free sharing of ideas amongst the people without fear of retribution)? I think not. I think the inclusion of religion is - and always has been - a way to "stir the pot" by those that have found their way into a position of political power.

Listen, I'm just a guy. A person. A citizen. Someone who wants to turn on the radio or the TV or a website and take in debates that might actually have an end goal. Discussing religion will never have an end point. Religion is personal. Religion is a passion. Religion is a beautiful belief in a higher power that can never be measured in the same way as unemployment or test scores or GDP. I mean, what's the point if we distract ourselves and waste our breath trying to exchange political views when they are bogged down by personal, subjective virtues.

TAKE RELIGION OUT OF POLITICS.

It's really the only way. And the first step in clearing out the noise pollution that clouds us all from debating substantive matters. Take religion out. Own it in a different way than in the political spectrum. Save that passion for your own church or synagogue or dare I say mosque. Save it for the people that you truly interact with on a daily basis rather than letting this personal passion be inflamed by the mainstream media creating "hot button" (Breaking News! Exclusive!) topics that are there just to ensure you stay for the commercial breaks or tune into the next episode.

Over the next few days, weeks, years and maybe decades I hope to continue this dialog. This blog world is a new thing for me. Hopefully I have a place. Hopefully you have some time. I don't mean to dominate your day. Go enjoy the sun, your loved ones, your faith and your political beliefs. Just be wary of those that are trying to intertwine all of these important individual issues. Focus on them as they need to be focused on. Letting them bleed into each other will only compromise the joy you reach from each. If you, like me, are interested in meaty (not red meat) political discourse then I hope you will agree that a true step forward into progressive debate will happen once we

TAKE RELIGION OUT OF POLITICS.