Church As Politics As Church
I rather suspect it was because some European countries combined the Church (i.e.: Roman) and the State (i.e.: Spain, Italy, etc.) that our ancestors came over here and gradually formed a country which separated the two. After, of course, they persecuted everyone who did not hold to their own religious beliefs.
But after that, we figured that, while a general belief in God or not was ok, there would be no state church, no forced religion. It might affect how you saw your country’s running, but they were to remain, henceforth and forever, separate.
Until recently. Our bishop mandated his “how to vote” letter be read in every church last Sunday. Ok; it didn’t really mention a certain candidate by name, but neither is eat sh*t and die really a bad phrase; it’s missing a vital letter and could be “eat shot and die,” as in “birdshot.”
It was starkly political, in church. The sitting president is starkly religious, in the White House. That bothers me. At least in my tradition, we should hear the principles that inform our conscience to later elect the best candidate; they should not be rammed down our throats with just the name obviously left out.
Likewise the President; we are a country of many religious beliefs and not all are his. He presides over the USA wearing a suit and tie, not vestments and on a throne. I don’t go to his church and don’t want to hear about it from his office.
But after that, we figured that, while a general belief in God or not was ok, there would be no state church, no forced religion. It might affect how you saw your country’s running, but they were to remain, henceforth and forever, separate.
Until recently. Our bishop mandated his “how to vote” letter be read in every church last Sunday. Ok; it didn’t really mention a certain candidate by name, but neither is eat sh*t and die really a bad phrase; it’s missing a vital letter and could be “eat shot and die,” as in “birdshot.”
It was starkly political, in church. The sitting president is starkly religious, in the White House. That bothers me. At least in my tradition, we should hear the principles that inform our conscience to later elect the best candidate; they should not be rammed down our throats with just the name obviously left out.
Likewise the President; we are a country of many religious beliefs and not all are his. He presides over the USA wearing a suit and tie, not vestments and on a throne. I don’t go to his church and don’t want to hear about it from his office.
posted by Tom Carten at 1:42 PM
2 Comments:
Religion and politics still sleep together. In fact many decades ago the church was more powerful than the ''deciders'' whose decisions were made after spending an evening with the local bishop. In any election, what percentage of the votes are cast in favour of a candidate because of his or her ties to the church?
The colonists came across and in French Canada, I would like to believe, the first canoes ashore to plant a flag had three bigwigs, a priest, a notary and a seigneur who was government named before departing Larochelle or wherever.
Into the past century, the clergy wielded a big stick and would twist arms so to speak to get their man elected. Of course big sticks come a price tag too.
CJV
You get the disease of the people you sleep with.
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