On The Questioning of Religion in Politics

The Pew Research center just came out with a poll stating that 52 percent of people think that in social and political matters, religion should just keep out. I am shocked that the number is so high, especially when living in an age of “tolerance.” I don’t care whether or not you believe or don’t believe in Jesus, Buddha, Allah or Ganesha, what this comes down to is the danger that our very freedoms, that this country was founded, on will be at stake. If these numbers grow any larger than there will truly be a push for this, but at the expense of sacrificing what it is that makes this country great.

When Americans push for freedom in the world, within our never ceasing campaign for democracy, what are the two principles are at the core of the freedoms that we represent? Above all else, we press onward for the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion. This is by no mere coincidence or accident, rather we see that it is from these two that democracy and all other principles we hold sacred are derived. Yet, despite this righteous effort, which nobody seems to have an issue with, the Pew study includes statements such as: “A narrow majority of the public says that churches and other houses of worship should keep out of political matters and not express their views on day-to-day social and political matters.” I really hope I am not the only one who sees the extreme danger in this type of thinking.

We encourage these things in other countries, but when it comes to our own we try and hinder them? Doesn’t this seem a little schizophrenic on a national scale? Once we start controlling people from participating or interacting in social or political matters due to their religion, we take on a principle of Marxism and grow closer to a socialist/communistic government where those in authority control the minds of the people, their deeds and their capital.

Sure, we may not like what everyone says, and it may at times even really piss us off, but it doesn’t mean that a person doesn’t have a right to say or express such things. People need to suck it up if they get offended, because do you actually think that it will stop at religion? Absolutely not! Our freedoms in a lot of ways are a series of checks and balances that keep the government from going out of control. With the loss of our freedoms, there is a loss of control or influence over the government, and we will one day find ourselves under the watchful eye of an oppressive dictator. We will look back wishing we didn’t forsake what we had, yet we will have nobody to blame but ourselves.