COMMENTARY: Breaking up is hard to do

c. 2008 Religion News Service (UNDATED) After a 25-year love affair between religion and politics, who would’ve thought it would come to this? In Election 2008, to the surprise of many pundits, religious leaders and politicians appear to be going their separate ways. Frankly, it’s about time. America has too many brands of spiritual beliefs […]

c. 2008 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) After a 25-year love affair between religion and politics, who would’ve thought it would come to this? In Election 2008, to the surprise of many pundits, religious leaders and politicians appear to be going their separate ways.

Frankly, it’s about time. America has too many brands of spiritual beliefs for religion to play a leading role in its politics.


This intertwining of the two was never a match made in heaven. As marriages of convenience go, however, it was a beauty.

From Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush, religious conservatives have been able to influence national elections in their and the Republicans’ favor, while at the same time forcing the Democratic Party to reassess its core values and change the way it attracts voters.

With the cooperation of politicians vying for their influence, activist religious leaders got the kind of judges they wanted on the Supreme Court. They won important concessions on abortion.

Though they weren’t able to stamp out same-sex marriage, they were able to contain it.

And yet, in this year of sweeping political change, presidential candidates have been embarrassed as much as they’ve been helped by preachers, and Americans seem less fixated on politicians’ religious beliefs than they used to be.

I say good riddance to this failing marriage and also to pastors who preach hatred and bigotry, whether it’s the Rev. Jeremiah Wright invoking God’s damnation on America or the Rev. John Hagee dredging up the old “whore of Babylon” moniker for the Catholic Church.

Breaking up is hard to do, however, so for those who insist on trying to mingle religion and politics, how about at least agreeing to some ground rules? Such as:


_ Neither pastors nor politicians should assign blame, responsibility or culpability to God for cataclysmic events here on Earth. This would include (but would not be limited to) Hurricane Katrina, the Holocaust and the earthquake in China.

To be safe, why not eschew all sentences that begin with “The reason God did this … ” or “God let this happen because … ”?

_ Meanwhile, smart pastors and politicians will preach every sermon and make every political observation as though the whole world is watching. It pretty much is, from here on out.

Thanks to camera phones, other electronic devices and the evolution of the Internet, someone is always poised to post video of embarrassing utterances on YouTube.

_ An unfortunate side-effect of being so acutely aware of our “connectedness,” however, is that it tends to stifle spontaneity, without which politicians and preachers are rendered humorless.

In the hands of a skillful speaker, humor is a gift that can help people appreciate life and one another. Heaven help us if we allow it to be eliminated from our political and spiritual discourse.


For that matter, heaven help us if we were to overreact and try to ban God from our civic lives. It’s desirable for Americans to promote a moral foundation for their nation’s conduct, and natural for people of faith to work for the betterment of society.

But whenever religion and politics are intimately involved, neither is well-served.

Bottom line: Like parties in an amicable divorce, these two get along best when they’re in a friendly yet hands-off relationship. Each side can keep its independence while sharing common goals with the other.

So let the breakup proceed, and let our nation be better off because of it.

(Frances Coleman is a columnist for The Press-Register in Mobile, Ala.)

KRE/PH END COLEMAN600 words

A photo of Frances Coleman is available via https://religionnews.com.

Editors: This column is also being transmitted by Newhouse News Service

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