Religion

Religion is one of those topics that is both incredibly sensitive and ubiquitously discussed.  That being the case, it will also be the most difficult for me to stay unbiased towards.  So more than ever, I ask for help and suggestions on how to better approach the topic of religion, faith, spirituality, morality, etc.


Firstly, I will give my world-view, albeit in a very small nutshell.  I am, of this moment, agnostic.  I have been studying religion ever since junior high (14 years of age).  I was baptized an Episcopalian, confirmed as a Methodist, and attended a Catholic High School.  I was a staunch defender of the faith until I was 16, when I took a philosophy class.  My mind opened to new views, techniques, and facts, I dove deeply into the world of theological, philosophical, and moral debate.  I emerged from High School an undecided seeker of the truth, and to this day I continue my study of the world's religions.


Secondly, my view on religion and its place in sphere of politics.  The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees the freedom of religious expression, and that, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."  This applies to public schools, employers, and other such organizations.  To me this is a wonderful and logical law.  Everyone should be free to follow their own version of the truth as long as it doesn't conflict with society in harmful ways (and that is where the conflicts start).  If it were up to me, I would extend the law to say that no parent may impose or require their children to follow a faith or prohibit them from one either, but that is a different discussion.  The word "God" is in our pledge of allegiance, our money, or State of the Union speeches, everywhere.  Our heritage is primarily Judeo-Christian yes, but that carries a history of witch-hunts, gay-bashing, slavery, child molestation, and a host of other horrors with it.  If you are going to be proud of your history, make sure you know the baggage that comes with it.  It is for this reason that I believe "God" should be off the money, out of the pledge, and any other government or public institution.  The president can say it, that is their right, but anything more I feel is unconstitutional.


It is no small secret that religion plays an immense and almost leviathan-esque part in politics.  The current race for the Republican Candidacy is rife with accusations of Mitt Romney (a Mormon) not being a true Christian, of Gingrich's past three divorces bringing his morality into question, and Rick Perry's ad condemning gays in the military and the prohibition of children celebrating Christmas in schools.


To me, all of this is ridiculous.  Rick Perry needs to read the actual law on public schools and religion (they can't prohibit you from praying, but they aren't going to sponsor one faith over another, very simple).  In my eyes Romney's faith is as vulnerable to suspicion and criticism as any other Christian denomination or religion. Last, if any one wants to disqualify a person running for office on divorce, then fewer and fewer of us are going to be able to run at all.  It is my belief that as long as one's religious values don't stand in the way of upholding the law, then it shouldn't matter.


The other side of this is how religion plays into the voter's minds and choices.  I was told recently that no matter your view on religion, it is going to influence how you vote.  While this may be true for most, it doesn't offer Agnostics, Atheists, Hindus, Muslims, and other faiths much of an option when it comes to candidates.  I feel that if any public officer holder consults an unproven deity for their choices that affect all our lives, then they shouldn't be holding office.  This is, of course, an oversimplification, but an Agnostic can dream.  Would I immediately vote for the Agnostic candidate? Only if I liked the rest of their views, so at some point everyone has to do away with their religious preferences and vote for the lesser of two evils (a common motif of politics these days).  You can't force a voter to take religion out of the equation, nor should you.  It is just unfortunate that extreme religious views dictate how the final candidates come out.  Why can't we get an Atheist on the ballot?  Or a Buddhist?  Muslims have been immigrating here since the late 1800's, it is about time American realizes that Islam is not just one war for the establishment of Sharia law any more, and that Muslims are fair-minded citizens too.


There are voters who only want to see a Baptist get elected, and scream hell-fire when a president doesn't end their speech with "God Bless America".  There are Atheists who would tear down every memorial cross that decorates a highway.  None of these extreme views are correct, and mandatory moderation would be a good thing, in my opinion, for this country.


I am, probably, extreme in my own views.  My perceptions are born of intense debate, and (until recently) a one-sided  upbringing.  It is of little wonder that I would have left Christianity and adopted a more open view.  What do all of you think?  Where do we, as a country and international society go from here?

As always, feel free to share your experiences, thoughts, questions, comments, and the like.  Thanks for reading.