Does it matter that the Founders may not have been Christians? Is it of any importance that many of them may have been Deists? The answer to both questions is a resounding no. Their religious affiliations or lack thereof have no real bearing on the fact that they established a government, based upon a core document that protects the state from religion and religion from the state. They recognized the need for principle and virtue. They just didn’t care which form it came in – individualized or organized. That is the only matter of importance. At the end of the day, we as Americans are free to practice religion as we may so choose, or to not practice or even recognize it at all – without explanation.
My Republican Party could stand to learn a great deal from this notion. Emphasizing religion and religiously motivated policies over sound conservative principles is surely misguided and will ultimately lead to the Party continuing to be viewed in an unfavorable light. Republicans should be proud of their faith. Our Constitution affords us that protection, but we should be cautious that our faith doesn’t allow us to lose sight of the principles of that document which gives us such freedoms. Masking every policy argument in religious undertones does little to influence new supporters. It merely pushes away those who look to reason or to science as their guiding authorities. It is not a call to fold to the wishes of “academics” or scientists who espouse that religious “right-wingers” are uneducated or naïve. It is simply a call to return to conservative values. From a purely practical standpoint, consistency in Constitutional interpretation regarding the 1st Amendment will allow conservatives to slowly break free from many of the problems that have traditionally plagued us. How many Republicans have been mortified at the level of coverage that an elected GOP official receives when he/she falls from the public’s good graces; and by how Democrats aren’t held to the same standard of scrutiny? This is merely a byproduct of governing from a falsely perceived high moral ground. Republicans are no more or less religious than Democrats on the aggregate, but they supplant religious values into the political process when they don’t have to.We intertwine personal religious beliefs with political policy. So when they do fall from grace, they are held to a higher standard and ridiculed... Realizing that individual personal religious beliefs can be distinct from political action will free us from these chains.
regards
doug
My Republican Party could stand to learn a great deal from this notion. Emphasizing religion and religiously motivated policies over sound conservative principles is surely misguided and will ultimately lead to the Party continuing to be viewed in an unfavorable light. Republicans should be proud of their faith. Our Constitution affords us that protection, but we should be cautious that our faith doesn’t allow us to lose sight of the principles of that document which gives us such freedoms. Masking every policy argument in religious undertones does little to influence new supporters. It merely pushes away those who look to reason or to science as their guiding authorities. It is not a call to fold to the wishes of “academics” or scientists who espouse that religious “right-wingers” are uneducated or naïve. It is simply a call to return to conservative values. From a purely practical standpoint, consistency in Constitutional interpretation regarding the 1st Amendment will allow conservatives to slowly break free from many of the problems that have traditionally plagued us. How many Republicans have been mortified at the level of coverage that an elected GOP official receives when he/she falls from the public’s good graces; and by how Democrats aren’t held to the same standard of scrutiny? This is merely a byproduct of governing from a falsely perceived high moral ground. Republicans are no more or less religious than Democrats on the aggregate, but they supplant religious values into the political process when they don’t have to.We intertwine personal religious beliefs with political policy. So when they do fall from grace, they are held to a higher standard and ridiculed... Realizing that individual personal religious beliefs can be distinct from political action will free us from these chains.
regards
doug
