RELIGION AND POLITICS MUST BE INTERTWINED

by SouthDakota(USD) - August 19, 2008

In this morning’s session, a student raised a question with regard to politics and faith. The student's question, however, contained logic which necessitates evaluation. The crux of the student's message relied on two flawed premises: one, the American Democratic Party neither includes members of faith nor should it because that comports more with Republican Party philosophy and belief; two, the connection between faith and politics is harmful for the Democratic Party. These assumptions are fatally flawed.

As Leah Daughtry [guest speaker; Chief Executive Officer of the Democratic National Convention] asserts, “People do not check their faith at the door.” She further shed light on the fact that the Founding Fathers did not intend religion to be excluded from politics. Rather, Rev. Daughtry’s statement underscores that the U.S. Constitution aims to preclude the establishment of a national religion, like that of its former mother country, England. U.S. citizens, moreover, retain a panoply of religious rights through the U.S. Constitution. Accordingly, it is unsurprising that citizens not only value their religious rights, but also frequently exercise them.

From a political science perspective, connections between a religious institution and its particular followers provides for social capital—the currency upon which American Democracy thrives. The incorporation of religious institutions, active citizens in those institutions, and political parties furthers social capital through various bonding and bridging mechanisms which, in turn, create a profound impact on the strength of democracy. It would, thus, be necessary in order for parties to remain strong and function (power in the masses) that religion and politics are intertwined.

The destruction of democracy lies in the exclusion of any people from its process who should be eligible to vote. The inclusion of people of all faiths opens doors for an emboldened democracy and each respective political party.