Should You Take Part? Politics Or Just Let God Take Control?

It is obvious that when the Founding Fathers were setting up the structure of American Government, they had God in the midst of their plans. Because there is no mention of the “separation of church and state” in any documents, it is clear that the Founding Fathers had no intention of the separation. Being men of faith and leaders of the country, they saw the relation between church and state as inseparable. They set up the government based on their faith and belief in God. Therefore, when God is taken out of the government, there is a missing link in its chain. Church and government are supposed to be directly linked to each other. It is the Christian’s duty to make sure that the responsibility of our government is handled well. This was illustrated well with the Biblical example of the parable of the talents.

Americans have always been hesitant about mixing politics and religion. It seems that we want our politicians to be religious, and especially Christian, but without flaunting it around. This entails that we view their spiritual lives with a doubt in mind, questioning either their honesty or their free will to make an educated decision, not one based solely upon the bible. Ronald Reagan is the most evident form of this and what came from this was the presidency that is hailed as the greatest ever by some.

Emmy Amalie Noether was a German mathematician known for her knowledge of abstract algebra and theoretical physics. Emmy Noether was born in Erlangen, Germany on March 23, 1882. She was named Amalie, but always called "Emmy". She was the eldest of four children, but one of only two that survived childhood. Her brother, Fritz also made a career of mathematics. Her father was Max Noether, a noted mathematician of his time. Her mother was Ida Amalie, for whom Emmy was named. She grew up attending finishing school and learning the arts necessary to be learned by a middle class young girl. Young girls were not allowed to attend college preparatory schools. In 1900 she was certified to teach English and French within the school systems. However,

With the dominance of the Democratic and Republicans in the political landscape of the country at that time, people were under the impression

Our job is not to Christianize government, it to be of service. We have already won as Christians but we are to engage at every level with confidence and peace. To step up to the plate and do what we have to

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” -Helen Keller. Mob mentality is “the tendency for people's behavior or beliefs to conform to those of the group to which they belong”. It describes how people believe that they are stronger in numbers instead of alone. One example of mob mentality in text is in “To Kill a Mockingbird”.

Evangelical in the decade of 20th Century were not allowed to vote and they didn’t engage in politics by then but believe on high calling of Christians and their allegiance was on Jesus Christ and they didn’t support political figures. After evolution

Most people believe that the United States was founded as a Christian nation. After all, our money is emblazoned with “In God We Trust,” our Pledge of Allegiance declares that we are “one nation under God,” and in court we swear to “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.” It’s true that the Founders were heavily influenced by Christian ideals. And while the U.S. Constitution prohibits any religious test or requirement for public office, the majority of U.S. presidents have been openly Christian. Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, two of our most famous presidents, however had no formal religious affiliations. Jefferson shunned orthodox Christianity at an early age and cut and pasted together a condensed version of the New Testament, removing most miracles and all references to Jesus’s divinity. He did, however, continue to believe in God as a precise, impersonal creator of the universe and its laws. Lincoln, on the other hand, spoke frequently of God during his presidency but never formally joined a church. Today, academics remain uncertain about whether or not he was a Christian as some aspects of his faith remain a mystery.

Although “God” is mentioned in the Constitution, this country was built upon the principle of separation of church and state. Despite this ideal, those elected into office: propose, pass, and deny laws based on their religious beliefs, completely disregarding the previously mentioned principle. The problem with that is that the country is so ethnically and culturally diverse that one religion representing an entire nation of hundreds of religions is selfish and unfair, not to mention un-American.

If someone were to make a point that I should not have the right to participate in American politics because of my Christian faith, I would simply address the fact that before this person knew I was a Christian, he knew I was an American citizen. With that said I would then go on to state that all American citizens have the right to participate in American politics in some way or another. I understand that you have to be a certain age to vote and/or have a certain qualification to run for office, but you can be any age to have an opinion or even voice that opinion for that matter.

It was starting to look as if politics were beginning to become more secular. As it is well known, after Kennedy’s assassination, Lyndon B. Johnson carried out the rest of Kennedy’s term, and then ran for reelection in 1964. Johnson, a left-leaning Democrat found himself up against Barry Goldwater from the right-minded Republican Party. Early on in the 20th century, many of Protestant denominations had adopted progressive, social reformist doctrines, that many people still value to this day. Despite being Protestant, Goldwater’s platform took a much more conservative approach. This ended up backfiring on him, however, as many Christian publications stated that they opposed Goldwater’s policies. He was further stigmatized by the religious publication The Christian Century as turning his patriotic rhetoric into “religious nationalism.” To make matters worse for Goldwater, in October of 1964, less than a month before the general election, 725 Episcopalian clergy and laymen from forty-one states signed a resolution accusing him of “a transparent exploitation of racialism.” Richard Nixon, a Republican and ex-Vice President at the time, claimed that these allegations were “the most vicious in political history.” As a result, Lyndon Johnson won the 1964 election in an unprecedented landslide victory, with Barry Goldwater only winning six states: his native Arizona, and five states in the heart of the Bible Belt (Kosmin 1993:174-5). While religious leaders in the end

America wastes a lot of time trying to create a democracy completely absent of the moral expectations that our ancestors have put into place. Our founding fathers’ dream of establishing a country in which all people would be accepted has begun to fall. In our attempt to rid our country of a democracy contaminated with any belief in a supreme power, we have rid ourselves of many of our values and morals. Perhaps it is impossible for religion to dominate our political country, but we have misinterpreted the original intent of “separation of church and state” and taken this concept too far.

In politics, today, religion overlaps politics in many aspects. Considering that religion has become more open and in America, supposedly separated from church and state, one would be lead to believe that the progression has separated them entirely, at least in the United States. However, looking back at the Renaissance, one can only make the argument that religion has become less influential, but is still predominate. Such as in political factions, where people tend to agree with like-minded individuals creating parties.

Religion is a big motivator for whether or not people are voting. When there are big issues on trial that go against your beliefs there is a greater desire for you to voice your opinions and be heard. Voters that identify with Christian rights have a higher turnout rate and vote more frequently since there is almost always a religious issue up for

Today, in the twenty-first century, religion plays a major positive role in many individual's life. However, religion is also at the core of many of the conflicts around the globe. Religion is also important as a central part of many individuals' identity and any threat to one's beliefs is a threat to one's very being. This aspect of religion and conflict is discussed in this essay along with reasons through which conflict rose in the first place.