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We know that people are inherently religious, whether it is to proclaim for a religion, to deny a religious affiliation, or to do their best to seek their perfect religion or to attempt to live a purely secular life.
Attempting to separate religion from politics has been the stated ideal for poly-religious societies. Even America's Founding Fathers wanted religion to be kept personal and private and out of politics.
This is because religion harnessed to politics becomes an oppressive force, tyrannical and bloody. Violence is the tool of choice when a single religion joins with politics to rule over everyone.
No one likes living in a jihad or a crusade, for these things impoverish the general citizenry to feed the coffers of the greedy leadership, and religion itself suffers.
Yes. Religion itself suffers when politics and religion join forces. The worst, the vilest aspects of religion float to the top to be touted as virtues. Sweet-talking men promote the most horrendous acts as holy ones - witness such people as Richard Neuhaus, Fred Phelps, Pat Robertson, Charles Colson, D. James Kennedy, Don Wildman, Rick Scarborough, Jay Sekulow, James Dobson, and the entire concept of "Patriot Pastors".
I am not a Christian, but one doesn't have to belong to a religion to acknowledge the virtues of that religion.
And that's kind of the point.
One doesn't have to be a member of a particular religion to value its virtues.
This is because, in many instances, most religions hold the same virtues. These virtues include, and are not necessarily limited to: kindness, generosity, charity, love, faith, loyalty, caring, compassion, joy, responsibility, respect, tact, determination, courage, diligence, patience, enthusiasm, excellence, forgiveness, idealism, integrity, honor, justice, prudence, reliability, perseverence, friendliness, helpfulness, honesty, modesty, moderation, cooperation, self-discipline, tolerance, trust, understanding, trustworthiness, courtesy, reverence, sacrifice, earnestness, wisdom, wonder, creativity, grace, tenderness, consideration, mercy, gratitude, patriotism, fairness, hope, flexibility, piety, temperence, praticality, common sense, nobility, altruism, philanthrophy, autonomy, curiosity, critical thinking, fidelity, endurance, appreciation, acceptance, humor, hospitality, nurturance, happiness, peacefulness, sensitivity, sympathy, sincerity, and more. The list of virtues is a long one and we should consider it well.
On the flip side, we have relatively few vices which many religions condemn: betrayal, vanity, greed, lust, wrath, gluttony, jealousy, laziness, folly, despair, hatred, venality, cowardice, indifference, apathy, lying, cheating, immoderation, selfishness, violence, malicious destruction or harm, murder, and theft.
It takes a very twisted mind to make virtues of these vices, but the names I've mentioned above have managed to not only do so, but to do so in such a way as to persuade others that these vices are actually virtues. Pat Robertson has actually said "The termites are in charge now, and that is not the way it ought to be, and the time has come for a godly fumigation." in New York in 1986. The "termites" of course, are people like me - who aren't Christian and who feel religion should be a private matter, between a person and their god, not publicly screamed prayers calling for "the ungodly" to be killed, and to rain curses down upon those who are different - whether that difference is poverty or the people one loves. James Dobson's method of child-rearing gives me nightmares. Those poor children. D. James Kennedy said, "This is our land. This is our world. This is our heritage, and with God's help, we shall reclaim this nation for Jesus Christ. And no power on earth shall stop us." in Character and Destiny: A Nation in Search of Its Soul (Zondervan Publishing House, 1997).
Their tactics are a blend of excess pride, extreme hate, and greed. And they make it all sound so very reasonable - so much so that otherwise sane people believe them and begin to think like them.
I believe - firmly believe, that we should bring the virtues of religion to politics, but keep separate the administration of both government and religion.
We need people of principle and virtue to lead us, regardless of their religious adherence or lack thereof. What church a person attends should not matter in the decision process, only what they will bring to the act of governance.
I know people of many different religions, and it's not at all surprising to me that they can all find common purpose and work together for the common good. Their religion is not only not a bar to this, but may well be a contributing factor. They have taken the best of their religion into themselves and projected it outward, used it to forge bonds with those who aren't of their religion.
I like that.
When the best of one's religious beliefs (and this includes atheism, because atheists incorporate into their lives the same virtues those who claim a religious belief do) become integral to one's self, it spreads outward into all one does. Everything is treated as sacred, with care and compassion and understanding no matter how different or unique. The best calls to the best, and this crosses all the barriers - real or artificial - of gender, age, race, wealth, religion, or fashion sense.
The converse is equally true. When the worst of one's religious beliefs are an integral part of one's being, no matter how charmingly presented, it is evil. Everyone who is the slightest bit different is viewed with hate and suspicion. The worst is believed of others and calls out the worst in them.
This is why, while I fully support the separation of the governance of church and state, I also fully support people who hold dear their religious beliefs. It is the morals of religion (and of athiesm and agnosticism) which build and guide the ethics of governance, business, and society.
We need people who hold these honorable attributes so high in their hearts and souls that something as minor as to which religion one adheres is unimportant.
Every citizen should be considered equal under the law. Indeed, our Constitution and most of our governing documents hold this to be true - regardless of religion, race, or gender as stated in the First, Fifteenth, and Nineteenth Amendments.
People who are secure in their beliefs have no need to abrogate these Constitutional rights, nor to consider other people as lesser beings because of a difference in beliefs. Indeed, people secure in their beliefs want others to share in the benefits they enjoy because they know it is the virtues which are the embodiment of divinity and not the symbol of divinity or the name of divinity.
Attempting to separate religion from politics has been the stated ideal for poly-religious societies. Even America's Founding Fathers wanted religion to be kept personal and private and out of politics.
This is because religion harnessed to politics becomes an oppressive force, tyrannical and bloody. Violence is the tool of choice when a single religion joins with politics to rule over everyone.
No one likes living in a jihad or a crusade, for these things impoverish the general citizenry to feed the coffers of the greedy leadership, and religion itself suffers.
Yes. Religion itself suffers when politics and religion join forces. The worst, the vilest aspects of religion float to the top to be touted as virtues. Sweet-talking men promote the most horrendous acts as holy ones - witness such people as Richard Neuhaus, Fred Phelps, Pat Robertson, Charles Colson, D. James Kennedy, Don Wildman, Rick Scarborough, Jay Sekulow, James Dobson, and the entire concept of "Patriot Pastors".
I am not a Christian, but one doesn't have to belong to a religion to acknowledge the virtues of that religion.
And that's kind of the point.
One doesn't have to be a member of a particular religion to value its virtues.
This is because, in many instances, most religions hold the same virtues. These virtues include, and are not necessarily limited to: kindness, generosity, charity, love, faith, loyalty, caring, compassion, joy, responsibility, respect, tact, determination, courage, diligence, patience, enthusiasm, excellence, forgiveness, idealism, integrity, honor, justice, prudence, reliability, perseverence, friendliness, helpfulness, honesty, modesty, moderation, cooperation, self-discipline, tolerance, trust, understanding, trustworthiness, courtesy, reverence, sacrifice, earnestness, wisdom, wonder, creativity, grace, tenderness, consideration, mercy, gratitude, patriotism, fairness, hope, flexibility, piety, temperence, praticality, common sense, nobility, altruism, philanthrophy, autonomy, curiosity, critical thinking, fidelity, endurance, appreciation, acceptance, humor, hospitality, nurturance, happiness, peacefulness, sensitivity, sympathy, sincerity, and more. The list of virtues is a long one and we should consider it well.
On the flip side, we have relatively few vices which many religions condemn: betrayal, vanity, greed, lust, wrath, gluttony, jealousy, laziness, folly, despair, hatred, venality, cowardice, indifference, apathy, lying, cheating, immoderation, selfishness, violence, malicious destruction or harm, murder, and theft.
It takes a very twisted mind to make virtues of these vices, but the names I've mentioned above have managed to not only do so, but to do so in such a way as to persuade others that these vices are actually virtues. Pat Robertson has actually said "The termites are in charge now, and that is not the way it ought to be, and the time has come for a godly fumigation." in New York in 1986. The "termites" of course, are people like me - who aren't Christian and who feel religion should be a private matter, between a person and their god, not publicly screamed prayers calling for "the ungodly" to be killed, and to rain curses down upon those who are different - whether that difference is poverty or the people one loves. James Dobson's method of child-rearing gives me nightmares. Those poor children. D. James Kennedy said, "This is our land. This is our world. This is our heritage, and with God's help, we shall reclaim this nation for Jesus Christ. And no power on earth shall stop us." in Character and Destiny: A Nation in Search of Its Soul (Zondervan Publishing House, 1997).
Their tactics are a blend of excess pride, extreme hate, and greed. And they make it all sound so very reasonable - so much so that otherwise sane people believe them and begin to think like them.
I believe - firmly believe, that we should bring the virtues of religion to politics, but keep separate the administration of both government and religion.
We need people of principle and virtue to lead us, regardless of their religious adherence or lack thereof. What church a person attends should not matter in the decision process, only what they will bring to the act of governance.
I know people of many different religions, and it's not at all surprising to me that they can all find common purpose and work together for the common good. Their religion is not only not a bar to this, but may well be a contributing factor. They have taken the best of their religion into themselves and projected it outward, used it to forge bonds with those who aren't of their religion.
I like that.
When the best of one's religious beliefs (and this includes atheism, because atheists incorporate into their lives the same virtues those who claim a religious belief do) become integral to one's self, it spreads outward into all one does. Everything is treated as sacred, with care and compassion and understanding no matter how different or unique. The best calls to the best, and this crosses all the barriers - real or artificial - of gender, age, race, wealth, religion, or fashion sense.
The converse is equally true. When the worst of one's religious beliefs are an integral part of one's being, no matter how charmingly presented, it is evil. Everyone who is the slightest bit different is viewed with hate and suspicion. The worst is believed of others and calls out the worst in them.
This is why, while I fully support the separation of the governance of church and state, I also fully support people who hold dear their religious beliefs. It is the morals of religion (and of athiesm and agnosticism) which build and guide the ethics of governance, business, and society.
We need people who hold these honorable attributes so high in their hearts and souls that something as minor as to which religion one adheres is unimportant.
Every citizen should be considered equal under the law. Indeed, our Constitution and most of our governing documents hold this to be true - regardless of religion, race, or gender as stated in the First, Fifteenth, and Nineteenth Amendments.
People who are secure in their beliefs have no need to abrogate these Constitutional rights, nor to consider other people as lesser beings because of a difference in beliefs. Indeed, people secure in their beliefs want others to share in the benefits they enjoy because they know it is the virtues which are the embodiment of divinity and not the symbol of divinity or the name of divinity.