Apparently it's taboo to talk about politics and religion. Well, I guess I'll be going against the cultural etiquette today since I'm going to be talking about both and specifically where they intersect.
In case you missed it, there was a survey done last week that measured voters' opinions of possible presidential candidates based on their religions. Among other things, it found that 37% said that they would not vote for a Mormon and 21% said they could not vote for an evangelical Christian. Cal Thomas also had an interesting perspective on this issue in his column this week as well (check it out here).
This got me thinking about the possible candidates on the Republican side for the 2008 presidential election. If you believe what you hear, John McCain, Rudi Guiliani and Mitt Romney seem to be some of the big names being tossed around. Something about McCain has always appealed to me- he seems above the partisan politics that plague so many in Washington these days and he seems to have no fear about saying what he thinks, even to his own peril at times. He also seems to be pretty solid on some key conservative positions: he is pro-life, supports intelligent design in schools, etc. Guiliani seems to be the biggest name out of the crowd, but in my opinion is awfully liberal to be calling himself a Republican (pro-choice, supports gay marriage, etc). Romney is the unknown of the crowd, but does fall in line with traditional conservative ideology.
So, back to the point of this blog. What impact should a candidate's religion have on opinions of them? McCain is apparently affiliated with the Episcopal church, but doesn't show any indication of Biblical Christian faith. Guiliani is apparently a Catholic but has some policy positions and beliefs that don't mesh with the teachings of the Catholic church. Romney is a Mormon. This makes me wonder how much this really matters. I don't believe that America is a Christian country (there actually isn't such a thing, but that's for another entry). So, should it matter if our president is a Christian?
Personally, I think I would feel more comfortable with a leader who shows evidence of being a genuine believer in Christ. However, when the Republican primary rolls around, I'm going to cast my vote for the person who seems to have beliefs and positions that I think will be best for this country- even if that means voting for a Mormon or other nonChristian. I think a nonChristian can do an effective job of leading the country and make decisions in the best interest of the country. After all, the Bible tells us that all authority is God-given anyway. So, whether someone is aware of it or not, He is sovereign over their leadership.
What do you think? How much impact does a candidate's religion factor into your choosing him or her?
-JRO
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7 comments:
Doesn't matter a whole lot to me, but then I'm not your typical Christian when it comes to a lot of things. Bush has been the most seemingly Christian president we've had in a long time and he did a terrible job in almost every way. Not only that, but because of how vocal he is about his faith, a lot of people decided to partially blame his many screw-ups and misteps on that very aspect of his life. So instead of a solidly Christian president being the blessing so many Christians hoped for, it's just given the world one more reason to hate us. That doesn't mean I wouldn't vote for another so-called evangelical Christian (I don't really like that term) if they were qualified, but, like you I think whether they're qualified or not and where they stand on the issues I care about is much more important than what church they attend or how often they name-drop God in speeches. Honestly, it would bother me a bit to vote for a Mormon it's a borderline cult to me and they all seem just a bit off. I don't know much about Romney at this point though, so I'll reserve judgement for now. You know McCain's my boy though. Now if we can only get Josh and Bryan on the bandwagon.
I do tend to consider a candidate's religious beliefs before I vote, but I also think that such "professed beliefs" give voters a false sense of security about how that person will carry out their administration. When I think of presidents that were very open about their beliefs, names like Kennedy, Clinton and Bush come to mind - Kennedy and Clinton cheated on their wives while in office. I'm not convinced that on policy Bush has represented Christian values any better.
Much of what matters is unknown to the voters - what that candidate's relationship with God is like, etc. However, I feel that voting for a professed Christian is better than voting for somebody whose views I know I don't agree with (ie. Mormons.) I agree with Sam - it's borderline cult and they do seem a bit off.
1. Don't get me wrong. Pretty much all the mormons I've known have been really lovely people. I'd just question the decision-making abilities of anyone who chooses to align himself with such an obviously bogus religion.
2. We know how to label you, Andrea. You're a communist. ;o)
3. Unlike a lot of people I know who are just following the crowd and don't know a thing about politics, I have a myriad of reasons why I think Bush has been a bad president. You're right that not everything that goes on is reported in the media, but even if I only know about 40% of what he's done, if someone does 60% of their job correctly and completely botches the rest, I'd say they're still doing a really bad job. I voted for him the first time and you know how everybody says I don't like to admit when I'm wrong, so it took a lot for me to turn on him. If anything, the fact that everyone hates him so much and exagerates about how horrible he is, makes me like him more rather than hate him more. People go so over the top with their criticisms or hate him for such stupid reasons that I find myself defending him quite often.
You know I was quite thrilled with the fact that Bush was a "praying president". However, at this stage in the game I realize that the only person Bush is controlled by is Dick Cheney (and David Addington too). I have now come to the conclusion that to get into politics there really is no strong place for a religious life. Separation of church and state is valid (by the way my heart is breaking to write this) until Christ comes again. McCain is quite good except for the fact that he still has PTSD so really isn't a great candidate for such a high stress role. Guiliani, while I love him, is quite liberal. As for the Mormon. You know I have no lost love for the cult, however when Kennedy was elected the Pope didn't take over as predicted so maybe Salt Lake won't...who knows? My personal interest is more of Sam Brown from Kansas. I liked his comments during the supreme court rep hearings. Anyway, thanks Jamie for talking about Religion and Politics, they are taboo but I love talking about them!
I'm with you here Jamie, I agree, I would be more comfortable voting and standing behind a well established Christian leader, however, when I go to vote, I consider which candidate is best for the country. I'm very active politicly and I do consider myself a conservative Republican, I vote as to how a candidate lines up with the beliefs that I have personally and what I believe to be the most important aspects of my particular party, this does not mean that I'll vote strictly republican on every case, however, my personal beliefs line more closely with the party. I vote on what would be considered best for the country and its citizens, a Christian leader would be lovely, but if it comes to a Christian leader whose beliefs are fanatical and an established and solid non believer whom I believe would be best, I'm going with whats best for us all.
Don't know if you'll read this or not, Elizabeth, but I was wondering what you love so much about Guiliani. As far as I can tell, he was just in the right place at the wrong time. Sure he is megapopular now, but, if I'm not mistaken, his approval ratings in New York weren't very strong before 9/11. After the attack, he said the right things, provided a good father figure for the city, and his term ended before he had time to screw up the good will he'd earned. For that he gets knighted? Bush's approval ratings went way up after 9/11 too. Only Bush stuck around and killed his rating with his stupid decisions. Maybe you know things about Guiliani that I don't, but I can't help but wonder why a pro choice mediocre former mayor who's never been involved in national politics or even governed a state should be in the running for the Rebublican nomination.
Sam hey, I love the fact that he didn't cowtow. I don't love him as a politician I kind of like his devil may care attitude and the way he really stood up to the challenge after 9/11. And he was very instrumental in cleaning up the docks in NYC and cutting organized crime, so the story goes....
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