Post by the anti-myrmidon on Nov 4, 2004 12:41:22 GMT -5
This was something of a comfort to see that not everyone has gone crazy in the state of Michigan. I was also pleased to see both the the Detroit Free Press (liberal) and the Detroit News (conservative, though both are run by the same company) come out against Proposal 2 in their editorials the day after the election. But this editorial from the FreeP is about the problem of religious pandering in politics:
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Author: Detroit Free Press Editorial
Mixing politics, religion remains too risky for a democratic nation
November 4, 2004
Are we still a secular nation?
We should be.
But there's a growing risk that politicians will take a different lesson from Tuesday's election results: To win, you've got to out-pious your opponent.
From the victory of President George W. Bush to a handful of key congressional races to the bans on gay marriage that were adopted by Michigan and 10 other states, the election is being chalked up as a referendum on morality.
But the tone too often sounded like a contest to be "holier than thou."
It's not enough to be the good government candidate anymore; you have to be the one with a direct line to God.
Some will argue that the Founding Fathers never intended the United States to be completely secular, that God is deliberately mentioned in the Declaration of Independence and that the 10 Commandments are the basis of U.S. laws. But those who created this great nation also were wise enough to know that politics and religion could be a toxic combination, as they had been in other countries. That's why, in the very first amendment to the Constitution, the founders said that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
Back when John F. Kennedy was running for president, people questioned whether his Catholicism would bleed into his governance of the country. Nowadays, it seems politicians are punished if they are not evangelical enough.
As the United States wages war against religious extremism around the world, the rise in self-proclaimed piety at home is discouraging.
----------------------------
Author: Detroit Free Press Editorial
Mixing politics, religion remains too risky for a democratic nation
November 4, 2004
Are we still a secular nation?
We should be.
But there's a growing risk that politicians will take a different lesson from Tuesday's election results: To win, you've got to out-pious your opponent.
From the victory of President George W. Bush to a handful of key congressional races to the bans on gay marriage that were adopted by Michigan and 10 other states, the election is being chalked up as a referendum on morality.
But the tone too often sounded like a contest to be "holier than thou."
It's not enough to be the good government candidate anymore; you have to be the one with a direct line to God.
Some will argue that the Founding Fathers never intended the United States to be completely secular, that God is deliberately mentioned in the Declaration of Independence and that the 10 Commandments are the basis of U.S. laws. But those who created this great nation also were wise enough to know that politics and religion could be a toxic combination, as they had been in other countries. That's why, in the very first amendment to the Constitution, the founders said that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
Back when John F. Kennedy was running for president, people questioned whether his Catholicism would bleed into his governance of the country. Nowadays, it seems politicians are punished if they are not evangelical enough.
As the United States wages war against religious extremism around the world, the rise in self-proclaimed piety at home is discouraging.