John F. Kennedy once said, “I do not speak for my Church on public matters — and the Church does not speak for me.” That may have been true for JFK in 1960, but in recent years religion has played an increasingly larger role in American politics. With the line between private and public faith becoming increasingly blurred, how much should religion matter when electing those politicians who so directly affect our lives?
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The problem is that politicians lie, and will lie about the role faith will play in their decisions, in order to get elected. They might play it up, or tone it down, depending on who is asking the question. And the same is true for the Constitutional boundaries between religion and government. They’ll cite the constitution and promise to keep a clear separation…regardless of whether they will in fact do that.
The abuses that the Interfaith Alliance details – from Obama asking a southern congregation to help him “become an instrument of God” to McCain saying the US was founded as a Christian nation - make clear that in order to win votes, both candidates seem prepared to pander to faith based communities. Which is why we not only need to know what the candidates’ faiths are, but we need to pay close attention to their actions and beliefs before they started running for office.
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