This week, the Badger Herald Opinion Page is dedicating its columns to the topic of religion, and how it is portrayed in modern American society. To me, there is scarcely a more fascinating topic than that of religion, mostly because I think our faith and religious beliefs are responsible for our initial reactions to any public policy (the gut reaction, if you will, that Mr. Lapidus spoke about below).
Two articles stood out to me in particular. The first, by CDM Communications Director Gerald Cox provides personal insight into the his feelings as a man of faith in Madison. The second, by Adam Lichtenheld, talks about the failure of our nation to "practice what we preach."
In a sentence that sums up my conflicting views on faith and organized religion, Mr. Lichtenheld states, "Jesus has been hijacked, exploited by people who cherry-pick lines of Biblical text to promote division and intolerance, instead of standing on the general, unifying principles taught by Christ: compassion for the poor, affection for our neighbors, empathy for the needy."
Powerful words, indeed. But in my opinion, also rational and grounded. I'm interested to hear the reactions of others who read the column today. No need to put your name by it if you don't want to, but I hope we can get some good discussion going on how religion and politics intertwine.
Two articles stood out to me in particular. The first, by CDM Communications Director Gerald Cox provides personal insight into the his feelings as a man of faith in Madison. The second, by Adam Lichtenheld, talks about the failure of our nation to "practice what we preach."
In a sentence that sums up my conflicting views on faith and organized religion, Mr. Lichtenheld states, "Jesus has been hijacked, exploited by people who cherry-pick lines of Biblical text to promote division and intolerance, instead of standing on the general, unifying principles taught by Christ: compassion for the poor, affection for our neighbors, empathy for the needy."
Powerful words, indeed. But in my opinion, also rational and grounded. I'm interested to hear the reactions of others who read the column today. No need to put your name by it if you don't want to, but I hope we can get some good discussion going on how religion and politics intertwine.
1 Comments:
Oliver I apologize for taking so long to comment on this post but it is something I have strong feelings about. I perhaps have a slightly different perspective from others as I consider myself(at least at this point in my life) as an atheist.
I think that religion and more important faith plays a very large role in many people's lives and the way they see the world. Religion is also on of the main ways that people develop their moral background. Although I now consider myself an atheist I was raised as a Lutheran and I attended Sunday School and Confirmation class for longer than I care to remember so it is certainly true that has played a role in the way I view the world.
Whenever I think about religion and politics mixing I get very nervous but it is happening all the time. Whether it is our statement of under God in the pledge of allegiance or using the bible when swearing an oath religion is a part of our country and our politics. I do not necessarily think that this is a bad thing. What a worry about the most is when religion directly influences the policy of this country. The main examples I can think of for this are abortion, stem cell research, and gay marriage. I think it is very clear that many people derive their opinions on these from their religion.
Specifically I will look at abortion and stem cell research. Why should people who do not feel that abortion is morally wrong be held to the standards of others who gather their moral background from a different set of religious principles. I do concede that there are many many deeply religious people who support a woman's right to choose but that being said I still believe that the main opposition to abortion comes from religion. Moving on to stem cell research, we cannot let religious views bar scientific progress. This issue becomes especially dangerous now that a potential alternative to embryonic stem cells has been found. If we abandon embryonic stem cell research we risk letting religion set the boundaries for all scientific exploration and this road I for one do not want to travel down.
I could continue to go on at great length about the mixing of religion and politics but for now I will try to keep things short and leave with a final statement of how I view this mix.
It would be impossible to live in a world where our political decisions are not influenced by our religious beliefs and for that very reason it is essential that when we make any decision we examine it closely to be sure that religious values are not being used to limit those who do not share those values.
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