Religion has always played a large role in politics. Religion has played a role in the division of parties, political policy, and in influencing voters to vote for a particular candidate. It is presumed that religion has existed since the beginning of time and that it stills holds a prominent position in what occurs in today’s society. Religion, no matter what belief a person may have, often regulates what a person believes, what they consider right and wrong, and also governs the decisions that they will make.
These aspects are what make religion a very “touchy” subject when it comes to politics. Politicians are often asked about certain issues and topics that pertain to religious belief and background. These aspects of religion in politics make for some interesting situations and even alienation when it comes to the political battle. Role of Religion in Politics A question is often asked regarding what kind of role religion plays in politics.
According to David Chidester in his book Patterns of Power- Religion and Politics in American Culture, “religious power” exists and is something that brings together and unites communities of people (Chidester 3).
The Essay on The Role People Play
The qualities of people are distinguished mostly by the impact others have upon them when they are children. These role models shape everyones life into the person we are to become, whether positively or negatively. In Mark Twains novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck Finns role models all impact Hucks life and the way he lives throughout the novel. Miss Watson, Widow Douglas, and Jim ...
This social force can exist in either harmony or in conflict within a variety of political, economic, and social situations. Chidester believes that from these two perspectives, we can see that some societies can be regarded as fields of power unified by the cohesive force of religion (Chidester 3).
While this may seem confusing, Chidester is trying to say that religious beliefs create groups of people that at times will agree and disagree with certain situations and ideals; in this case, ideals held by politicians and expressed through politics. Chidester goes on to bring up another theory on why religion has such an influence on society and therefore influences political decisions. Chidester references the work of Max Weber, a sociologist who is also the author of the book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.
Weber’s work has provided a basis for analyzing the processes of interaction of religion and society. Weber regards religion as a separate human institution, which is involved and interacts with other social institutions, therefore influencing them (Chidester 4).
Religion is a force in interaction with other social forces. “From this perspective, religion is a process by which human beings negotiate issues of ultimate authority, meaning, and value within specific social, economic, and political contexts” (Chidester 4).
People live their everyday lives based on what they believe in and based on all social and moral ethics that they may have. Because a large portion of the United States reports to have some kind of religious affiliation, this affiliation is undoubtedly going to affect their views, which directly influences their actions. Why is this important? It is important because the people of this country run American politics. You become elected to power in this country based on what your views are on issues and how well you appeal to those in the general population. While in public office, particularly at state and local levels, candidates make it clear that they share not only the political interests of the constituency, but also its sound moral convictions – those principles that religion confirms and clarifies” (Religion and Politics 1).
This shows that politics is something that is highly influenced/run by the people that the governing body represents. Because of this, ethics and the beliefs contained within religion are qualities that the majority is going to look for when choosing their representatives.
The Research paper on Social Media’s Negative Influences on Social Interaction
The purpose of this paper is to observe complete strangers and familiar groups of people in a coffee shop setting, and a college setting, and document the use of social media and their interactions with other people. The goal of these observations is to see how much people socially interact with one another, and how much time people seclude themselves through the use of social media. The observer ...
This is what I believe the main role of religion in politics is. Religion influences the beliefs and actions of those running for office, and then in turn, influences how they are evaluated by the general population, resulting in whether or not they are elected and come to power. Role of Religion in Elections According to Gertrude Himmelfarb, in her article Religion in the 2000 Election, that was published in Public Interest, few Americans are surprised to find religion a continuing “leitmotif” in the presidential elections. ” More recently, religion began to emerge as an issue in the electoral campaign.
According to her, it often surprises a lot of people when they find out just how prominent religion proves to be in the election itself (Himmelfarb 1).
“Both in society and in the polity, Religion not only has power and influence in politics but also plays a huge role in elections and who will gain power in our Democratic system” (Himmelfarb 1).
According to Michael Barone in his article Dividing the Religious Vote published in U. S. News, the lines that divide American voters most deeply are not economics, gender, ethnicity, or even race, but religion.
In 1992, the five- percent gender gap and the 24 percent gap between top and bottom level income groups were dwarfed by the gap among voters of different religions. To enlighten us as to voting habits of people with faith, Barone gives the example of Jews and those who areof no religion. Seventy-percent of them voted along Democratic lines while evangelical Protestants were 70 percent Republican. Similar results have appeared in both 1994 and 1996 polls (Barone 1).
The power that these religious groups have is also evident in Barone’s article.
Barone brings to us facts about the 1988, 1992, and 1996 elections. He states that presidential candidates with favor from religious groups have a trend of winning in elections. Barone states figures of 49 to 36 percent approval of Clinton over Dole, in which Clinton won the election, and similar figures explaining Bush’s win in 1988 as well as his loss in 1992. Political candidates must move quickly among these groups in order to gain support (Barone 2).
The Essay on My Religious Belief System
I was born into a family who worshiped as Methodist and I am still Methodist. Growing up my mother not only sent us to church, she went with us along with my grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins. Even though my father did not attend church often, he believed in God and supported my mother’s desire to have her children in church. The neighborhood I grew up in consisted of a great deal of my ...
Religious groups of people have an incredibly strong influence on political elections that can be demonstrated by viewing the trends of past elections.
Political leaders will have to fight over support of all religious groups if they are to be successful in future elections. From these authors, we are able to see how religion can exert the power that it does in politics regarding elections and issues. Alone, one person does not have a large effect on society and politics, but when one person is united with other persons of the same belief, an influential power is created. Religion does exactly this; it brings together many people of the same belief who now have the power to influence society and politics.
As we discuss how religion can have such a profound impact on politics, it is important to discuss specific issues in which religion has played a role. Some of the most well known political decisions deal with beliefs regarding the topic of abortion and the death penalty. Abortion is a large topic of debate when it comes to politics and political elections. Over the terms of Presidents Reagan, Bush, and Clinton, we have been able to see how beliefs influence a decision like the legalization of abortion. Throughout these past elections, abortion has played a large role in the election of the next president.
Each candidate has had to side with what they believe as well as what they think is the correct choice in the election race. A majority of people with strong religious faiths are against instituting pro-choice and the legalization of abortion. A trend that we are able to see is that many Republican candidates tend to denote the idea of abortion, which appeals to the many religious and more conservative voters that the Republican Party contains (Barone 1).
On the other side of the story, we see the Democratic Party with more liberal voters with a significantly less number of voters with a strong faith.
This means that voters are going to vote for the party that supports their beliefs. The days of strict party line voting is over, voters will choice a candidate who best represents themselves. The trends over time have shown us that the more conservative vote from people of faith tends to go the Republican Party while a more liberal vote goes to the Democrats. Another aspect or religious influence is the faith of a particular candidate. The beliefs of the candidate are going to influence what they say and policies that they support (Ecumenical 1).
The Essay on Religion Is A Belief In A Higher Power
Matt Pryor Religion is a belief in a higher power in an organized manor. To have religion is to have faith in something. Faith is needed in life because it makes people feel like they have a reason for being on earth. As if they are here to serve a purpose. Faith comes natural to most people, but is expressed best in a form of organized religion. I think that this should be taught at a young age ...
The beliefs that a candidate has are going to influence their entire campaign. According to an article found in Policy Review titled Religion and the Democrats, the majority of all of the presidential candidates have been of one particular faith or another. Being members of a faith often establishes certain morals and ideals in ones psyche that will influence what they believe is right and wrong (Policy Review 1).
Over the years we have seen many candidates elected with strong religious faiths. These beliefs have influenced their decisions during and after the campaign.
While the voters have voted for the candidate that best supports their personal beliefs, religion and the beliefs of faith have continued to influence American politics and especially elections. Funding Funding of political campaigns is always an effective method to gain support for your case in the political system. Religious organizations have been, for many decades, supporting candidates that they feel share their same views, as well as fund candidates that promise to give them their support if they provide aid in their campaign.
This “pat each others’ back” system is something that has been around for many years and is considered legal in the United States (Benen 2).
There have been instances that have been reviewed dealing with questionable practices dealing with this area, but to date, it has been largely overlooked and viewed as an “ok” practice. One area that has not been overlooked, however, is the area of the federal government funding of religious activities and organizations. This issue is one that directly challenges the separation of church and state issue.
The federal government is not permitted to support any particular religion, especially with federal funds. A recent example of proposed policy that has created controversy is a plan created by President Bush. According to Steve Benen in his article, Fall From Grace, published in Church and State, “…President George W. Bush’s “faith-based” initiative has deeply divided Americans. Conflicts have erupted within legal, religious and even racial circles, as friends and foes have debated the wisdom of government-funded religion” (Benen 1).
The Essay on The Americans Government American People
1. Boors tin highlights four societies that existed in the early years of American civilization. These societies are the New England Puritans, Quakers of Pennsylvania, Georgians, and the Virginians. The Puritans was a society based thoroughly upon religion. They were devout Calvinists, with their conservatism government also based around these beliefs. The families and communities in New England ...
The “faith based initiative” that Benen speaks of is a plan by President Bush, whose centerpiece is the idea of “…charitable choice,” a policy that removes safeguards that have applied to public financing of religiously affiliated social services…” (Benen 1).
Bush’s idea is to create a plan in which the federal government would spend as much as $8 billion in the form of grants or contracts to religious groups to provide a variety of services to individuals and families in need, including the areas of housing, juvenile justice, job training, child care, senior citizen services and hunger relief.
This project would be carried out through the newly formed office called The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (Benen 2).
This program appears to be a direct violation of the stipulations of the separation of church and state and according to Benen, “Opponents, led by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, successfully raised questions about the constitutionality of the plan, its impact on the independence of houses of worship and its effect on the religious liberties of families in need” (Benen 1).
This is just another example of where the boundaries of the separation of church and state continue to tested today. Religion and Policy We have seen how politics is influenced by religion through elections and beliefs of the people. Although personal beliefs may influence decisions made by our politicians, there has been a long debate of what kind of relationship religion and politics/government can have. With the conception of the first amendment followed by the free exercise clause added in the 1940’s, the right to freely exercise religion was granted to the people of the United States.
With this amendment to the Constitution, many cases have come about regarding what role government has in religion (Chidester 262).
Many of the cases that occurred dealt with the government impeding on the rights of the people when it came to their religion. In cases like Jones v. Opelika-1942, Murdock v. Pennsylvania-1943, and Walz v. Tax Commission-1970, the idea of taxing religious groups in order to become registered and recognized groups of the state was bitterly contested.
The Essay on Americans Live People Freedom Countries
9-11: Why USA? "First, differences among civilizations are not only real; they are basic. Civilizations are differentiated from each other by history, language, culture, tradition, and, most important, religion" (Huntington 450). On Tuesday September 11, 2001 the unthinkable happened in America. The two World Trade Centers in New York City, along with the Pentagon in Washington D. C. , were struck ...
Religious groups fought and won when Justice Douglas stated that, “the power to tax the exercise of a privilege is the power to control and suppress its enjoyment” (Chidester 262).
This was a landmark case because it established a policy that religious organizations would forever be treated like all other non-profit organizations; which freed them from taxation and did not limit their freedom of practice. Free exercise is not the only topic when it comes to religion and governmental interaction. Our country is one in which the separation of church and state exists (Chidester 264).
This means that our government cannot endorse nor denounce any religion. The government must be impartial when it comes to dealing with one religion or another and cannot force or restrict interaction with any religion. Cases like Zorach v. Clauson-1952, McCollum v. State of Illinois Board of Ed-1948, and Engel v. Vitale-1962 all dealt with our government not remaining impartial and endorsing religion (Chidester 265).
From these cases we can see that the people desire to have a separation of church and state. By having a eparation, no-one religion is favored and endorsed and people who do not practice religion are not forced to interact with something they do not believe in. This is what makes our country the free and democratic society that it is today. Although some of these cases make it appear that there is always a clear-cut borderline between church and state, this is not always true. These types of boundaries are often tested throughout the country. Within the founding of our country, a stipulation was built in to keep these two entities separate.
When something questionable is called into play, the federal court system of the United States is called upon to interpret the law, the action involved, and to make a decision based on their findings. We see from this discussion that there are many policies dealing with religion in the United States. The basic interpretation of the interaction of church and state in this country can be described as follows: the government of the United States of America can do nothing to support nor renounce any religion within this country.
It is when this rather “gray” boundary is tested within the political system that the law and the courts intervene. My Opinion on These Issues As I have discussed in all of my previous papers, I am not a person with a religious background or religious upbringing. My only experience with religion has been the multiple classes that I have taken throughout my college career here at LVC. This often makes it hard for me to express my opinions dealing with this area. I feel that I still have commonalities with the belief systems, morals, and ethics that many religions share.
I feel that I do have a moral and ethical structure that parallels that of many of the religions out there. This is the main reason that I believe religion plays an important role in politics. Religion plays a very important role, I believe, when electing leaders as well as when creating policy that will affect the rest of the country. Religion provides an individual with a method to go about running their everyday lives. Based on their mindset, they have a set of values that they wish to see represented in their governmental bodies. These ideas and mindsets are what help to create ethical and moral policies within our country.
I believe this is a valuable asset that is included with politics. Politicians, who wish to be elected, must appeal to the majority if they are to achieve a political position. Because many religious groups share similar views on a lot of issues, this, I believe, has a positive effect on the way our politicians go about representing the people of this country. These are all positives that I see of religion and its influence on politics. On the other hand, there are some aspects of religion and politics that I believe to be negative in this society.
I feel that it is morally wrong for politicians and individuals to make decisions and draft ideas based solely on their beliefs. It is important to represent what society wants and not want an individual wants. In this respect, I feel that some religious groups that hold certain beliefs have too much power of influence in our government. This means that certain groups with, for example, better financial means may be able to support candidates and therefore have their side and their beliefs represented unfairly in this system.
This should not be a system of which religious organization has the most financial resources, but instead, which beliefs are better represented by the general population. This is not a system of who is right and wrong or a system of who has the greatest financial means. Our governmental system is one of the people and for the people, not for one group or individual. I also disagree with the idea of federal funding of religious events and/or endorsement. Although I believe that religion can serve a purpose, it is not the government’s job to endorse or renounce any religion.
I believe that the first amendment should be strictly adhered to and that there should be no “gray areas. ” The Establishment Clause was created for a reason, and I believe it is for the best of the people to be followed. This will keep from endorsing one particular religion more than any other and will help to maintain andachieve equality among religious groups within this country. Religion, when representing the views of the people, can have a very positive effect on how our country is run when it is used properly.
Religions are belief systems that a large majority of this country has, and therefore, will shine through in the candidates that they choose to elect. The negative aspects are things that always seem to be negative with politics in general; the issue of money and funding. No one group should be able to have influence over politics simply based on their monetary capabilities. The government and politics should reflect the views, morals, and ethics of everyone, and not just of one particular group. Conclusion Religion plays an important role in the society of the United States of the America.
The amount of influence that religion has on society is undoubtedly going to transfer into our political agendas. The influence of religion is present is candidates and policies. These beliefs express ideals and morals of not only people of faith but also people such as myself. Religion and belief systems have many positive ideals that can be incorporated into politics and the representation of the people. As we continue on into the 21st century, I firmly believe that religion will continue to have a prominent existence in society and most importantly, politics.