The danger of religion mixing in politics

“There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God’s name on one’s behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both. I’m frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in A, B, C, and D. Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me? And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate. I am warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of conservatism.”

- Senator Barry Goldwater, 1981

Senator Goldwater could not have been more right.

I'll further quote the author of the linked article, Richard Dawkins:

Secularism, it shouldn’t need emphasizing, is not the same as atheism. Secularism is the belief that religion is private, and should not intrude upon the governance or politics of the nation.

This is what the rabidly, militantly religious conservatives will not...and can not...understand. Religion is between the person and their "god". The religions themselves often speak of this private, personal relationship and warn of misusing their faith to impose on others. The rabidly zealous ones ignore that. To them, life cannot be complete without proclaiming their faith and demonizing anyone who does not share it 100%, and further seeking to make their faith the dominant in the land by law.

I've met plenty of people who are religious and who are very good, nice people, ones I can get along with, ones who don't seek to push their views on others. But more and more, as Sen. Goldwater saw, the extremists seek to do just that...make their views the predominant law of the land, with no consideration for others who do not share their faith.

A popular argument is that we are a "Christian nation" and that Christianity is, and should be, the law of the land. They even go so far as to mimic "tolerance" by saying "well, just don't repeat that part of the pledge, but shut up and let US practice our faith". Fine...practice your faith...but keep it out of the OFFICIAL statements and documents of a secular government. That is, by the way, what our nation is built on...a *SECULAR* government. If you want to see what governments with religious basis look like, take a look at places like Iran and pre-invasion Afghanistan.

"Free exercise thereof" does not, nor did it ever, mean that your faith gets preference. Christians of the religious right persuasion do not understand this. They are why laws and zealout enforcement of the laws are necessary. They are the danger to our nation.

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