For the Good of the Faith

The beliefs in which we are raised often form the backbone we use to support our views and arguments. Faith is a wonderful thing. The certainty that there is a benevolent higher power out in the universe watching over us all and guiding us on our best path can be powerful medicine when the world knocks us down. Recently however, the political world has bound itself to the religious. Putting aside the legal and constitutional quandaries of melding church and state into one unit, this joining has very negative consequences for organized religion as a whole.

Now, I am not saying that people will stop letting their political opinions be guided by their religious beliefs. You should vote for candidates and laws you feel that you can support, while maintaining peace within yourself. What I am saying is that policies, laws, and candidates should not have a religious argument as their only political foundation, because religion is not politics. You may be sitting at your computer reading this thinking, “Hold on. My religious affiliations shape my opinions on major political issues.” I am aware that many people form their opinions on things ranging from immigration policy to abortions laws to the death penalty and legalization of weed based on their religious beliefs. Fair enough. Again, on your personal level, that is fine.

What I caution against is the continued use of religion as propaganda for certain political actions, and to induce divisiveness in our country. Not only do these actions promote fear and discontent regarding views and beliefs we may not share or understand, they damage the reputation of anyone following the tenants of a certain religion, alongside the religion itself. Have you noticed fewer people wanting to discuss their beliefs in public? They are afraid. People who should be able to proudly and calmly speak about something that brings them fulfillment and peace are afraid to open their mouths in public.

They are afraid they will be judged for how their faith is portrayed in the political circus with which the media fills our lives.

They are afraid they will be judged by their fellow believers for not believing hard enough in the most publicized religious issues.

This fear, to my mind, is absolute madness. People, especially people in a country founded to allow religious freedom, should not have to worry about what their faith has done in the press overnight that may make their daily lives more unlivable. Let us pull our faith back from the spotlight of the power-hungry politician and the sensation craving media.

This publicized, political mania drags down the churches themselves alongside their members. According to a Gallup poll taken in April of 2019, church membership across America has declined by 20 percent since the turn of the century, with only 52 percent of Americans declaring church membership between 2016 and 2018. The sense of community that creates a great church cannot survive if people are afraid to affiliate themselves with organizations that are portrayed to be so terrifying in political spheres. This decline in church membership clearly shows that Americans do not want to attend church in the currently political/religious climate. You may argue that this just illustrates a general trend toward people not accepting a religion at all, but this poll also showed that people who do identify with a specific religion were still choosing not to attend church.

If the faithful want to maintain the communities of love and neighborly assistance that, I at least, used to find synonymous with belonging to a good church, we must reclaim our faiths from the media and the politicians. If we do not, we will simply become the angry monsters fueling hate that the media wants us to be.

From the Christian standpoint, I believe Mathew 6:6 sums it up nicely:

“But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”

Let the faithful fight for the good of the faith.