Do US Politicians Have To Be Christian?
I think this question settles most arguments about who would make a good politician and who would not.
The scenario that pops up in my mind is this: take two people. Have one of these people be extremely qualified and actually know a lot about politics and generally makes good decisions. Then take someone else who makes poor decisions and is generally a terrible politician, BUT this person is Christian, whereas the other is not.
My guess is that people would vote against the first person, even if they are the better person for the job. Now, this is just an example, but I think the religious bias that goes into voting for public office figures is too great to ignore.
Last I checked, the United States enforced freedom of religion, not “freedom to practice some form of Christianity”. It’s a lot more general than that. I think for the most part though, that freedom definitely exists and people do get to practice what they will. However, don’t expect to get too far politically if you’re not Christian, as that seems to be a pretty big factor in determining whether you’ll win an election.
I sort of understand the logic. People want someone who shares their values. What better way to judge someone’s values than to look at their religion right? The logic is a bit flawed, but it’s there.
There are religious people out there who still commit crimes. I wouldn’t put a criminal who happens to be a Christian in office simply by looking at his/her faith and saying, “oh you’re Christian, okay you’re good to go”. A person’s individual character really does matter, and I think some people do overlook that. It’s not everyone sure, but I know there are people that do.
I separate religion from politics as much as possible. Why? Because religion serves as a guideline for my life. The Bible certainly couldn’t make judgment calls on how to fix the economy or how to deal with Iran’s building of a nuclear program or how to provide infrastructure for the creation of alternative energy sources. That’s simply not what I feel the Bible is for, and that’s okay.
No one can convince me that American politicians absolutely must be Christian, although anyone may certainly try.
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Bee Said,
January 19, 2009 @ 1:37 pm
I will not try to convince you that christianity should be a prerequisite for public office, as I do not believe it should be either.
In fact, those who tout their “christianity” turn me off completely. I don’t care what they believe, as long as they don’t expect me to believe it too, and as long as they don’t try to legislate it. We’ve had way too much of that nonsense for the past couple of decades.
Comment Shoutout (Jan 12 - Jan 19) | Youth Politics Said,
January 19, 2009 @ 5:33 pm
[...] From Do US Politicians Have To Be Christian?: [...]
JollyRoger Said,
January 24, 2009 @ 3:13 am
In politics, as in real life, those who profess their Christianity the loudest also happen to be the ones you’d better watch the closest. Americans may have finally figured that out, at least a majority of Americans.
Alberto Said,
January 25, 2009 @ 5:16 pm
Yea it does seem like that to me, too. But I’ve never been able to word it quite right.
mentari Said,
October 26, 2009 @ 7:02 pm
“No one can convince me that American politicians absolutely must be Christian, although anyone may certainly try”. i do agree with you. Sometimes maybe for the most of American which is Christians, they might be more respect to the politicians who are Christians, as their religion is the same. but i think we should thinking more objective than just looking at religion. looking toward their “brain quality” as politicians would be better than just looking at they are Christian or not.
sorry for the grammar. English is my 3rd language :p
Alberto Said,
October 27, 2009 @ 8:39 am
Thank you for your comments on the matter Mentari, it is much appreciated!