We are Not a Theocracy (thank God)

One of the great and exceptional facts about the United States is that ours is a nation of many religions, spiritual practices and views.  Our nation was founded by people seeking freedom to practice their religion; and it is specified in our constitution.  For the Europeans who first came to this New World, separation of church and state was a new concept.  To this day religion is still far too enmeshed with governments in too many places on the planet.

It is a disturbing trend in the United States that over the last 40 years the presence of religion spilling over into our electoral process has been increasing.  Too many candidates wear their religion on their sleeve in an effort to gather votes.  More and more religious leaders endorse candidates, and priests from the pulpit tell their congregations how to vote.  Though they were men of faith, this is not what the Founding Fathers had in mind, and this is clear in the founding documents. 

Even knowing this, I found Marco Rubio’s in-your-face hangout of his religious beliefs at the Iowa GOP debate on January 28 surprising, though it is well known that there are many evangelicals among Iowa voters.  When he was referred to as a political savior, he quickly responded by mentioning his personal savior, Jesus Christ. His connection of his candidacy to run the country with his goal to spend eternity in heaven was, just TMI.

What he said was quite different from what another religious young presidential candidate,  John F. Kennedy, was forced to assert in order to be elected in 1960.

“ I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute, where no Catholic prelate would tell the president (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote,…

I believe in a president whose religious views are his own private affair, neither imposed by him upon the nation, or imposed by the nation upon him as a condition to holding that office.”

Times have changed, I will grant.  But not that much. 

During the election year of Kerry-Bush in 2004, I had a conversation with a high-level Italian cardinal in Rome about the campaign.  At that time, some American priests were denying Kerry communion at Mass because of his political views on abortion.  When asked how he viewed the American election, this cardinal, a leader in the church, was quick to say emphatically, “Here at the Vatican, we pray Kerry wins.”  I was a bit surprised and asked, “Really?” He nodded, adding, “Because of the war.”  For him, and many, issues trump religious dogma, and that is as it should be.

There are those who believe that Jesus was a socialist, but few Christians will be voting for Bernie Sanders.  Catholic Democrats include a good number who have socialist political leanings and vote accordingly.  For all religious Americans, once in the voting booth where choices must be made, issues should predominate, but whatever informs a voter in pulling that lever, it should remain a private contract between him and his God.