Politics and Religion - more similar than you may think.

A sound and lighting technician praising God at a worship service

Religion and politics; two subjects that can instantly unite strangers or make friends turn to blows.  We tend to spend our youth developing positions in both areas and then living out our lives defending those ideals.  It is not wrong to have a religion, just as it is not wrong to have a political point of view.  In both cases, what matters is what you do with those beliefs.

Religion often gets a bad rap because of horrendous things done in its name.  You don't have to look very far to see explicit examples of this (Gaza), and history is replete with wars, crusades, and intifadas that further support this.  Politics, it seems, is not so very different.  Once again, both should be used to further humanity, compassion, and stewardship of our planet rather than to enable conflict.

The book of James, chapter 1, verse 27, says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."  I love this because it supports the idea that any religion should be used to do good in the world and not cause harm.  What's more, we can adapt the verse and paraphrase it to employ an ideal for politics.  {The purpose of politics is to look after those that cannot do so themselves and to ensure a fair and just system of law and maintenance.}

You may be of the opinion that God does not exist, or that, if he does, he has no interest in humankind.  I would submit that this is, in fact, a form of religion and that you would be either an atheist or an agnostic.  Your belief system should not preclude you from being responsible for your behaviour towards others.  In essence, you should still be concerned with living your life in such a way that you are making the planet a better place to live.

Poor choices by those in the past or present should not condemn religion, just as it should not condemn having a political viewpoint.  Rather, your affiliation with any religious or political philosophy should be based on improving your life and the lives of others.  Love others as you would love yourself.  Gosh, that sounds like a perfect idea for both religion and politics.  If only we lived that way.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com

If you know me at all, you know that I am a Christian, that Jesus is my Lord and Saviour, and that I believe that he died on the cross so that my sins would be forgiven through faith in Him.  I try to live my life by the words found in the bible, and hope that I am building up those around me.