Religion & Politics

Politics and religion is inextricably intertwined, even in a "free" country such as the United States that has in its Constitution an Amendment that states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion [the "Establishment Clause"], or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." [1]  "The First Amendment's Establishment Clause prohibits the government from making any law 'respecting an establishment of religion.' This clause not only forbids the government from establishing an official religion, but also prohibits government actions that unduly favor one religion over another. It also prohibits the government from unduly preferring religion over non-religion, or non-religion over religion." [Emphasis  added.] [2]

Interpretation of the United States Establishment Clause is sound, but there is one major problem--United States coins and United States Federal Reserve notes show the following words: "In God We Trust." [3]  They make no mention of Allah [4], Buddah [5] and Zeus [6], for example.  Thus, not only has the United States government tied itself to religion, but it is also preferring one religion over others and over secularism in contradiction to the Establishment Clause.

A secondary problem centers on these very words: "In God We Trust."  Does the United States of America really have trust in God and how should it follow the Catholic Church's schizophrenic interpretation of the Gospels?  Should it fight "just" wars [7], or love thy enemies [8], [9]?

While Christ is absolutely right that one should love his enemies, is it reasonable for one to consider those who torture and decapitate the vulnerable to be his enemies and to kill them to stop further atrocities in order to advance human civilization?  The question may be framed to elicit an answer in the positive but ultimately in politics, and sadly in religion too, the end game--who lives and who dies, the killer and the killed (literally and figuratively)-- is about ideology and power over people based on rationalization, propaganda and lies.

Only God knows if a killer ought to be forgiven, whichever side the killer is on.  Until the Truth is revealed as to who is right and who is wrong, who should live and who should die, who would go to Heaven and who would go to Hell, killings will continue, as will ideological politics [10], whether they are played by a secular state, a theocracy or a religion.


[1] http://constitutioncenter.org/constitution/the-amendments/amendment-1-freedom-of-religion-press-expression
[2] http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/establishment_clause
[3] http://www.treasury.gov/about/education/Pages/in-god-we-trust.aspx
[4] http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/moongod.htm
[5] http://www.aboutbuddha.org/english/life-of-buddha.htm/
[6] http://www.treasury.gov/about/education/Pages/in-god-we-trust.aspx
[7] http://www.catholic.com/documents/just-war-doctrine
[8] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+6%3A27-36&version=ISV
[9] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5:43-48
[10] Arguably all politics is ideological.