Politicians contradict secularism
“In God We Trust.” We claim to have a separation of church and state, yet that is the motto of the United States. It is stamped across all American currency.
In the eyes of many, America was founded on the principle religious freedom. The First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." These ten words are generally interpreted to prohibit the creation of a national church by the Federal government and to prevent excessive involvement in religion, particularly to benefit one religion over another.
AP Government and Economics teacher Kristine Weisman said, “The establishment clause of the First Amendment makes it clear that there should be no religious observation or commemoration associated with the government. We are not a Christian nation; we are a secular nation. Having said that, most of our legal and moral code is founded in Judeo-Christian ethic. But that does not mean that the government should be pushing or endorsing any particular religion. It is appalling when we as a civil society attempt to enforce specific religious beliefs on others.”
Religion is prevalent in our country’s political history. Most of our past presidents have been openly religious, many belonging some of the most prominent Protestant denominations in the country.
In the current campaign for presidency a similar dynamic can be seen. All of the presidential candidates, with the exception of Bernie Sanders, are Christian.
Freshman Alex Derhacobian said, “We are a nation founded by Christians, so having God in our motto or in our anthem reflects our nation’s history. If people want to be ‘accepting’ and ‘tolerant’ of religious diversity, then they should respect the Judeo-Christian values of our country’s government and history.”
All of the current presidential candidates have spoken openly about the importance of faith in their lives. Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who dropped of the race in early May, began his Iowa caucus victory speech on Feb.1 with “To God be the glory.”
Sophomore Joshua Vendrow said, “Religion is visible in quotes like ‘one nation under God,’ and Sarah Palin famously said that America is a Christian country. The effect of Christianity in America is seen in political campaigns like that of Ted Cruz, in which they connect with their religion to appeal to religious voters.”
“Politicians, particularly elected officials, are in the business of appealing to voters. Religion is one of the means by which one can appeal to voters,” said John Green, professor of political science at the University of Akron to USNews, “But at the same time, religious groups, and particularly the leaders of religious communities, and political groups, also try to forge those alliances.”
For example, politicians, mainly Republicans, are pressured by religious pro-life groups to on issues regarding abortion.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Former U.S. congressman Joe Schwarz, a former U.S Congressman and a self-proclaimed pro-choice Republican said, "The amount of pressure Right to Life both directly and indirectly puts on legislators in Michigan is considerable. And some legislators aren't exactly profiles in courage when it comes to standing up to these guys."
The National Right to Life Committee, a pro-life organization, was founded by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1968. In 1973, “it became autonomous and non-sectarian,” according to the Dictionary of Christianity in America.
According to a survey done by Pew Research Center, “many Americans care about their leaders’ faith. For instance, half of all American adults say that it’s important for a president to share their religious beliefs. And more people now say there is ‘too little’ religious discussion by their political leaders (40 percent) than say there is ‘too much’ (27 percent).”
According to the same survey, faith also forms a striking partisan divide. The Democrat Party is more religiously diverse while the Republican party as a whole is more Christian. Protestants making up nearly 69 percent of GOP members and Catholics an additional 24.9 percent. In contrast, 43.1 percent of Democrats are Protestant while 34.1 percent are Catholic.
Many politicians use religion to gain the support of certain religious sects. For example, in the Iowa campaign, Cruz appealed to the evangelicals.
Weisman said, “It is unseemly, quite frankly, for candidates for political office to be publicly stating such things as, ‘I would follow the bible first and the constitution second.’”
After being criticized for being a “false prophet” by and ad produced by Americans United for Values, Cruz responded by placing God over his nation.
Cruz said, “I’m a Christian first, American Second.”
This seems to have become the new motto for American politics.
In the eyes of many, America was founded on the principle religious freedom. The First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." These ten words are generally interpreted to prohibit the creation of a national church by the Federal government and to prevent excessive involvement in religion, particularly to benefit one religion over another.
AP Government and Economics teacher Kristine Weisman said, “The establishment clause of the First Amendment makes it clear that there should be no religious observation or commemoration associated with the government. We are not a Christian nation; we are a secular nation. Having said that, most of our legal and moral code is founded in Judeo-Christian ethic. But that does not mean that the government should be pushing or endorsing any particular religion. It is appalling when we as a civil society attempt to enforce specific religious beliefs on others.”
Religion is prevalent in our country’s political history. Most of our past presidents have been openly religious, many belonging some of the most prominent Protestant denominations in the country.
In the current campaign for presidency a similar dynamic can be seen. All of the presidential candidates, with the exception of Bernie Sanders, are Christian.
Freshman Alex Derhacobian said, “We are a nation founded by Christians, so having God in our motto or in our anthem reflects our nation’s history. If people want to be ‘accepting’ and ‘tolerant’ of religious diversity, then they should respect the Judeo-Christian values of our country’s government and history.”
All of the current presidential candidates have spoken openly about the importance of faith in their lives. Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who dropped of the race in early May, began his Iowa caucus victory speech on Feb.1 with “To God be the glory.”
Sophomore Joshua Vendrow said, “Religion is visible in quotes like ‘one nation under God,’ and Sarah Palin famously said that America is a Christian country. The effect of Christianity in America is seen in political campaigns like that of Ted Cruz, in which they connect with their religion to appeal to religious voters.”
“Politicians, particularly elected officials, are in the business of appealing to voters. Religion is one of the means by which one can appeal to voters,” said John Green, professor of political science at the University of Akron to USNews, “But at the same time, religious groups, and particularly the leaders of religious communities, and political groups, also try to forge those alliances.”
For example, politicians, mainly Republicans, are pressured by religious pro-life groups to on issues regarding abortion.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Former U.S. congressman Joe Schwarz, a former U.S Congressman and a self-proclaimed pro-choice Republican said, "The amount of pressure Right to Life both directly and indirectly puts on legislators in Michigan is considerable. And some legislators aren't exactly profiles in courage when it comes to standing up to these guys."
The National Right to Life Committee, a pro-life organization, was founded by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1968. In 1973, “it became autonomous and non-sectarian,” according to the Dictionary of Christianity in America.
According to a survey done by Pew Research Center, “many Americans care about their leaders’ faith. For instance, half of all American adults say that it’s important for a president to share their religious beliefs. And more people now say there is ‘too little’ religious discussion by their political leaders (40 percent) than say there is ‘too much’ (27 percent).”
According to the same survey, faith also forms a striking partisan divide. The Democrat Party is more religiously diverse while the Republican party as a whole is more Christian. Protestants making up nearly 69 percent of GOP members and Catholics an additional 24.9 percent. In contrast, 43.1 percent of Democrats are Protestant while 34.1 percent are Catholic.
Many politicians use religion to gain the support of certain religious sects. For example, in the Iowa campaign, Cruz appealed to the evangelicals.
Weisman said, “It is unseemly, quite frankly, for candidates for political office to be publicly stating such things as, ‘I would follow the bible first and the constitution second.’”
After being criticized for being a “false prophet” by and ad produced by Americans United for Values, Cruz responded by placing God over his nation.
Cruz said, “I’m a Christian first, American Second.”
This seems to have become the new motto for American politics.