"Get the few liberals out. If you don't do it, it ain't gonna be done. You will be doing the Lord's work, and he will richly bless you for it." -- Sen. James Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, addressing the 2002 Christian Coalition convention.
The infiltration of politics in religion (rather on focusing on religion in politics) is a trend that one cannot, in any ideological mindset, be denied. The question to be asked, however, is if such a concept is moral in itself, or, rather, a corruption of morality in a less-than-obvious manner.
The influence of the Christian Coalition, as well, cannot be ignored. In the 2000 election alone, 70 million voter guides and 1 million "get-out-the-vote" calls were pushing an agenda that can throughly be called "conservative" at the least: anti-abortion activism, low taxes, limited government and judges who don't legislate. Sounds interesting enough, but "fear" is often a motivation as well.
From CNN.com:
The notion of separating church and state with such policies as disallowing prayer in public schools "is a deception from Satan," said Joyce Meyer, a convention sponsor.
"If God is in fact separated from the government, then we can never possibly have a godly government," Meyer said to a standing ovation. "There's no way for America to be good if she's not godly."
Meyer, head of Joyce Meyer Ministries of Fenton, Missouri, said activists probably will find more spiritual awareness in the aftermath of the "wake-up call" of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. God did not cause the attacks, she said, but they should teach the country a lesson.
"If we don't obey God, God's protection is lifted," Meyer said.
It is certainly a complex issue; one that, however, is foreign to me, having always fused rationalism and intellectualism in my religious beliefs. Admittedly, this all seems highly hysterical and irrational, to say the least. However, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts.
Melon
The infiltration of politics in religion (rather on focusing on religion in politics) is a trend that one cannot, in any ideological mindset, be denied. The question to be asked, however, is if such a concept is moral in itself, or, rather, a corruption of morality in a less-than-obvious manner.
The influence of the Christian Coalition, as well, cannot be ignored. In the 2000 election alone, 70 million voter guides and 1 million "get-out-the-vote" calls were pushing an agenda that can throughly be called "conservative" at the least: anti-abortion activism, low taxes, limited government and judges who don't legislate. Sounds interesting enough, but "fear" is often a motivation as well.
From CNN.com:
The notion of separating church and state with such policies as disallowing prayer in public schools "is a deception from Satan," said Joyce Meyer, a convention sponsor.
"If God is in fact separated from the government, then we can never possibly have a godly government," Meyer said to a standing ovation. "There's no way for America to be good if she's not godly."
Meyer, head of Joyce Meyer Ministries of Fenton, Missouri, said activists probably will find more spiritual awareness in the aftermath of the "wake-up call" of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. God did not cause the attacks, she said, but they should teach the country a lesson.
"If we don't obey God, God's protection is lifted," Meyer said.
It is certainly a complex issue; one that, however, is foreign to me, having always fused rationalism and intellectualism in my religious beliefs. Admittedly, this all seems highly hysterical and irrational, to say the least. However, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts.
Melon