**Rowland Croucher**
2008-10-28 01:00:12 UTC
[An important comment from America's highest-profile religious=20
historian. Rowland Croucher, October 28, 2008].
*Sightings* 10/27/08
Bringing the Campaign to Finland
-- Martin E. Marty
I am currently in Finland, where scholars at Turku and Helsinki asked me to
address, among other topics, the role of religion in the American
presidential campaign. Having done very different variations on that theme
in the United States before I left, let me pass on to you something of what
I will have delivered in Finland by the time of this *Sightings*. Trying to
explain why religion is any part of politics in the United States, which was
constitutionally "born secular" (in European eyes and terms), why religion
is the hot topic in a year when the economic agenda should top all others,
and why religion in this "one nation 'under God' indivisible" becomes the
most divisive element in a campaign, is a challenge to the explainer and
will only fall short in the ears of the explainees. But=85
I called the theme "Religion and the Presidential Campaign: We Can't Live
Without It/We Can't Live With It." "It" has been an irritant in the
campaigns of Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Carter, Reagan, and especially
the current incumbent, though it also led to some chafing in every campaign
which I observed and sometimes covered since 1948. Why is the temperature
hottest, or worst, this year? Among many reasons has been the step-up in
24/7 TV and radio coverage and the explosion in the blogosphere, which
attracts the noisiest firebrands. All must compete to hold audiences and
readership for tomorrow, so they have to blow up differences today. Race,
incidentally, also is huge, but usually under-toned; religion gets treated
more openly.
Why can't "we" live *without* religion in the campaign? Here thoughtful
observers and partisans on all sides during the primary and on both sides
since, knowing their history and the cultural climate, acknowledge that
millions do make up their minds about politics on the basis of religious
teaching, affiliation, and habit. Religion can't be legally suppressed, and
is psychologically repressed only among the few. Good things have sometimes
happened when religion showed up in politics and the religious worked for
peace, justice, mercy, welfare, and more. Bad things also often happen, as
we observe this year.
Why can't "we" live *with* religion in this campaign? Two main
reasons: First,
the religious can be exploited or can exploit religious teachings,
allegiances, fears and promises; second, religion gets exhibited in ways
that are criticized in the texts of Judaism, Christianity, and most other
faiths. Candidates and their backers lunge at or are lured to use the
opportunities to make a display of their piety and virtue in an "I'm better
than you are, and God blesses me and mine" mode. Exploited and exhibited
religion is bad for politics, a zone where give-and-take should be built
into the process, but is not in evidence among absolutists and the obsessed
during the campaigns.
Are the exploitation and exhibiting of religion also bad for religion? I
like to hedge bets when commenting on politics, with all its built-in
ambiguity. But here I am unambiguous: it's bad. Bad for the name of
religion itself, for religious institutions, for a fair reading of sacred
texts, for sundered religious communities, for swaggering religious
communities which are too sure of themselves, for the pursuit of virtue, for
extending the reach of religion too far. Devote one's years to the public
dimensions of religious life and to the religious dimensions of public life,
as my kind and I try to do, and one can only be saddened to see the
distortions and selling-outs that blight the seasons. The broadly-defined
religious forces and texts teach waiting and hope. Soon the waiting will be
over. One hopes consciences, and not only emotions, will be stirred again.
Martin E. Marty's biography, current projects, upcoming events,
publications, and contact information can be found at www.illuminos.com.
*Sightings* comes from the Martin Marty
Center<http://divinity.uchicago.edu/martycenter/>at the University of
Chicago Divinity School.
Attribution
Columns may be quoted or republished in full, with attribution to the author
of the column, *Sightings*, and the Martin Marty Center at the University of
Chicago Divinity School.
--=20
Shalom/Salaam/Pax! Rowland Croucher
http://jmm.aaa.net.au/ (20,000 articles 4000 humor)
Blogs - http://rowlandsblogs.blogspot.com/
Justice for Dawn Rowan - http://dawnrowansaga.blogspot.com/
Funny Jokes and Pics - http://funnyjokesnpics.blogspot.com/
historian. Rowland Croucher, October 28, 2008].
*Sightings* 10/27/08
Bringing the Campaign to Finland
-- Martin E. Marty
I am currently in Finland, where scholars at Turku and Helsinki asked me to
address, among other topics, the role of religion in the American
presidential campaign. Having done very different variations on that theme
in the United States before I left, let me pass on to you something of what
I will have delivered in Finland by the time of this *Sightings*. Trying to
explain why religion is any part of politics in the United States, which was
constitutionally "born secular" (in European eyes and terms), why religion
is the hot topic in a year when the economic agenda should top all others,
and why religion in this "one nation 'under God' indivisible" becomes the
most divisive element in a campaign, is a challenge to the explainer and
will only fall short in the ears of the explainees. But=85
I called the theme "Religion and the Presidential Campaign: We Can't Live
Without It/We Can't Live With It." "It" has been an irritant in the
campaigns of Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Carter, Reagan, and especially
the current incumbent, though it also led to some chafing in every campaign
which I observed and sometimes covered since 1948. Why is the temperature
hottest, or worst, this year? Among many reasons has been the step-up in
24/7 TV and radio coverage and the explosion in the blogosphere, which
attracts the noisiest firebrands. All must compete to hold audiences and
readership for tomorrow, so they have to blow up differences today. Race,
incidentally, also is huge, but usually under-toned; religion gets treated
more openly.
Why can't "we" live *without* religion in the campaign? Here thoughtful
observers and partisans on all sides during the primary and on both sides
since, knowing their history and the cultural climate, acknowledge that
millions do make up their minds about politics on the basis of religious
teaching, affiliation, and habit. Religion can't be legally suppressed, and
is psychologically repressed only among the few. Good things have sometimes
happened when religion showed up in politics and the religious worked for
peace, justice, mercy, welfare, and more. Bad things also often happen, as
we observe this year.
Why can't "we" live *with* religion in this campaign? Two main
reasons: First,
the religious can be exploited or can exploit religious teachings,
allegiances, fears and promises; second, religion gets exhibited in ways
that are criticized in the texts of Judaism, Christianity, and most other
faiths. Candidates and their backers lunge at or are lured to use the
opportunities to make a display of their piety and virtue in an "I'm better
than you are, and God blesses me and mine" mode. Exploited and exhibited
religion is bad for politics, a zone where give-and-take should be built
into the process, but is not in evidence among absolutists and the obsessed
during the campaigns.
Are the exploitation and exhibiting of religion also bad for religion? I
like to hedge bets when commenting on politics, with all its built-in
ambiguity. But here I am unambiguous: it's bad. Bad for the name of
religion itself, for religious institutions, for a fair reading of sacred
texts, for sundered religious communities, for swaggering religious
communities which are too sure of themselves, for the pursuit of virtue, for
extending the reach of religion too far. Devote one's years to the public
dimensions of religious life and to the religious dimensions of public life,
as my kind and I try to do, and one can only be saddened to see the
distortions and selling-outs that blight the seasons. The broadly-defined
religious forces and texts teach waiting and hope. Soon the waiting will be
over. One hopes consciences, and not only emotions, will be stirred again.
Martin E. Marty's biography, current projects, upcoming events,
publications, and contact information can be found at www.illuminos.com.
*Sightings* comes from the Martin Marty
Center<http://divinity.uchicago.edu/martycenter/>at the University of
Chicago Divinity School.
Attribution
Columns may be quoted or republished in full, with attribution to the author
of the column, *Sightings*, and the Martin Marty Center at the University of
Chicago Divinity School.
--=20
Shalom/Salaam/Pax! Rowland Croucher
http://jmm.aaa.net.au/ (20,000 articles 4000 humor)
Blogs - http://rowlandsblogs.blogspot.com/
Justice for Dawn Rowan - http://dawnrowansaga.blogspot.com/
Funny Jokes and Pics - http://funnyjokesnpics.blogspot.com/