c. 2007 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) Thanks to a judge in Iowa, Christmas came early for our politicians.

The county judge struck down a state law banning same-sex marriage. Politicians rushed into that breach, condemning the judge’s action or distancing themselves from it, hoping to please the religious right.

They were also hoping to find an issue _ any issue _ that would divert attention from a disastrous war, a dangerously weakening economy, government invasions of privacy, corruption in high places, and human rights abuses.

I suppose politicians can’t help themselves. They aren’t statesmen, they don’t have any vision for the nation larger than staying in office, they don’t accept accountability.

But we the people shouldn’t be so easily gulled. Yes, we have opinions on same-sex marriage and the other moral issues that politicians hope will divert our attention. Our opinions differ widely, and many of us have strong reasons drawn from our faith and our Scripture for thinking as we do.

But when we look at the issues that command our attention as citizens and shape our future as a nation, we need serious men and women to be paying serious attention to the Constitution, to the rule of law, to balance of power, to the democratic ideals of fairness and equity, to economic vitality, to public education, to openness and justice, and to national security in its fullest meaning.

Our politicians give us slogans and scapegoats, and they hope our fears will overwhelm our common sense. But if we blunder our way into a war with Iran, or send another cadre of brave soldiers to die in Iraq and Afghanistan, or watch families lose their homes and personal debt skyrocket, it won’t be because two men did or didn’t get married in Iowa.

If our politicians won’t lead the way into sanity of public discourse, perhaps we religious folks should.

Cascading scandals in war profiteering, for example, have nothing to do with what we wish Jesus had said about sexuality. They have much to do with what he did say about wealth and its capacity to corrupt.

Rapidly widening disparities between the rich and everyone else don’t bother politicians seeking handouts, but if we take Scripture seriously, they do offend the God whose Son told the wealthy to give away their wealth.

Immigration policies are a complex matter on which reasonable people can disagree. But when white-skinned immigrants enter freely while dark-skinned immigrants are subject to middle-of-the-night raids, Christians need to remember whose side Jesus took when he welcomed outcasts to his table.

When political leaders demand secrecy and break the law at will, Christians need to remember that Jesus stood for candor and honesty.

When politicians excuse injustice for the few as necessary for the welfare of the many, Christians need to remember that Jesus spent most of his ministry loving those whom the many loathed.

When politicians declare that survival of the nation justifies torture and unholy alliances, Christians need to remember that Jesus said to “forgive your enemies” and seek peace.

If we are going to cast our votes with faith in mind, let’s not buy the self-serving pieties of impious politicians. Let’s look at the actual Messiah who proclaimed a gospel of forgiveness and mercy and who died at the hands of power-seekers.

(Tom Ehrich is a writer, church consultant and Episcopal priest based in New York. He is the author of “Just Wondering, Jesus,” and the founder of the Church Wellness Project, http://www.churchwellness.com. His Web site is http://www.morningwalkmedia.com.)

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