I believe in God.
I believe Jesus was the Son of God and was sent to Earth to die for our sins.
I go to church on a (mostly) regular basis and give what I can to the church.
I live by the Golden Rule and try to live a life of charity and faith.
I believe in leading a moral, good life and in trying to be like Jesus.
DOES ANY OF THIS HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH POLITICS?
NO! I don't care if politicians go to church. I don't care if they give to the poor and needy. I don't care if they believe in Jesus, Allah, or if they're atheists. I would hope that they appreciate having good morals. Also, I hope the Golden Rule is something even people without a religious affiliation can benefit from.
CAN THEY DO THEIR JOB WITHOUT BEING GOOD CHURCH GOING CHRISTIANS?
YES!!! Why do people keep insisting on bringing religion in to politics? Do people not understand that one of the core founding principals of our country is THE FREAKING SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE?!?! Why did we leave England in the first place? You think your great-great-grandfather got on a boat to come to God's country (which is Israel, by the way, NOT the U.S.) just for a challenge or for fun? NO! He was fleeing religious persecution for believing in something other than the STATE RELIGION. Maybe he was a Protestant. Maybe a Quaker, maybe an atheist, whatever.
Our forefathers came to the new world to start a better place where one's religious beliefs could be practiced as one would as long as they didn't hurt anyone else. They came here for freedom from having religion dictated to them by the state. What are right-wing conservative religious zealots trying to do to us now? Bring the religion BACK IN TO POLITICS. They believe "its my way or the highway" and they want to LEGISLATE MORALITY. Who's morality? Yours? Mine? There's a good reason why the founders kept these things separate. Trying to force ones' views on others is what happened in the Crusades. We all know how that worked out!
For all you ultra-religious people that want to force your views on others consider this:
Q: Did Jesus force others to believe and act as he did?
A: No. He represents quiet self-sacrifice and leadership by example.
Go to church (if you like). Give to the poor and needy (if you can). Be good, try to live by your own moral code. (Have a moral code of some sort, by the way!)
But... when you go to the polls to vote, please don't insist that your politicians be the same religious denomination that you are. And don't even require them to go to church at all.
IT'S NOT IN THE JOB DESCRIPTION.
Here's a sample job description for a Congressperson:
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Overview:
Provide representative services to your congressional district including - introducing bills and resolutions, offering amendments and serving on committees.
Qualifications:
1. Experience leading an organization.
2. Project management skills
3. Fund raising
4. Charisma
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So keep the religion out of politics.
That's the way our founding fathers intended it. Don't change that... it's an important part of who we are.
