True or False... faith and politics should not mix?

Answer 1

True.

Answer 2

True.

I'm a Christian, moderate-democrat, who enjoys this topic.

I had a music history professor in college who made a very valid point:
"There is no room for tolerance in one's faith."

The fuel that fires a person's faith is that they have made the "right choice" in worshiping their god. Therefore, they can't acknowledge the fact that there is another god worth worshiping without taking taking the wind out of the sails of their own faith.

In a twisted way, I admire radical muslims. They are so convinced that their god is the most powerful god, that they are willing to give up this life on earth to prove it. Not many christians feel that strongly.

Politics, however, is based on diplomacy. Diplomacy is a fancy word for "Tolerating the differences of another person to reach a goal." If the United States was a Christan nation, Bill Clinton would have been booted out of the white house after having an affair. If the the U.S. were a Jewish Nation, we would be attacking palestine right now. But we're not.

True.

Answer 3

How do you separate the two in any practical fashion? A person's political views stem from his or her deeply held convictions. Those convictions are formed from the beliefs that they have faith in, regardless the source of the beliefs. It could be Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, satanism, secular humanism, atheism, whatever. How do you separate a person from what they have faith in? Faith and politics will always be tied to one another as long as humans walk the earth.

Answer 4

Christianity is not a part-time job. Our faith as Christians must pervade everything, including our politics. After all, Jesus taught us to pray that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Discerning Christ's politics is no simple task. But we have an important source: his parables. In the parables, he taught us about heavenly things by telling us about earthly things. For example in commercial ventures, "Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money?" (Matt 20:15--the right to private property). Again, on foreign policy: "So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others." (Mark 12:8-9--use of military force to bring murderous tyrants to justice).

Discerning the politics of Christ takes special care. He lived in a conquered backwater with a Roman emperor as dictator. Nonetheless, a careful reading can discover important elements of how Jesus wants us to apply his wisdom to our political life.

Answer 5

False

Answer 6

True. When laws are created based on one faith's ideas and those laws infringe on other people's rights, that is a corrupt law.

I am a Christian and I see the error in some of our laws. I believe that societies are built by faith and our's (America) is a Christian basis. The idea is great, if only most Christians did not infringe on the rights of other religions to live the way they please (so long as it does not infringe on another person's rights).

Jesus does not judge and accepts and loves all people, so should "Christians".

Answer 7

So long as the principle of "separation of church and state" is upheld, public officials are free to apply what they believe to what they do. It's the voter's duty to decide whether that person has the right judgment for the job.

.

Answer 8

You should have told it to the Founding Fathers...they would have laughed at you..

" It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible". - George Washington

" The Bible is the cornerstone of liberty". -- Thomas Jefferson"

"That Book (the Bible), sir, is the Rock on which our Republic rests". - Andrew Jackson

"It is God who gave us life and liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed the conviction that these liberties are a gift from God?" - Thomas Jefferson
"It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God and to obey His will". -- George Washington

" We stake the whole future history of this nation upon the ablility of its people to govern & control themselves according to the 10 Commandments". -- James Madison ...Chief Archetect of the US Constistution and 2nd Pres. of US.

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ." - Patrick Henry

So why should we believe clueless atheists that are trying to convince us otherwise? I choose to believe our Founding Fathers and reject the atheists who are trying to re-write history to suit their own selfish agenda.

Answer 9

true what does faith have to do with politics anyway. another thing i am athiest so faith and politics never mix with me anyway. but judgements can be clouded because they have faith and could possilby doom us all.

Answer 10

Truth. We're electing people to make good decisions, not to sell us their reasons for those decisions.

When you control a man's ideals, you control everything about the man, and you've defeated the idea of a republic and undermined the very core of our country and what it stands for.

Edit: Since an answerer above me felt it more appropriate to use the words of others rather than his own, I've included some quotes from the very same founding fathers that support seperation of church and state, and a link to dozens of pages more

Thomas Jefferson:

"All persons shall have full and free liberty of religious opinion; nor shall any be compelled to frequent or maintain any religious institution"

"The Virginia act for religious freedom has been received with infinite approbation in Europe, and propagated with enthusiasm. I do not mean by governments, but by the individuals who compose them. It has been translated into French and Italian; has been sent to most of the courts of Europe, and has been the best evidence of the falsehood of those reports which stated us to be in anarchy. It is inserted in the new "Encyclopédie," and is appearing in most of the publications respecting America. In fact, it is comfortable to see the standard of reason at length erected, after so many ages, during which the human mind has been held in vassalage by kings, priests, and nobles; and it is honorable for us, to have produced the first legislature who had the courage to declare, that the reason of man may be trusted with the formation of his own opinions"

"I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibit the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state."

George Washington:

"In the Enlightened Age and in this Land of equal Liberty it is our boast, that a man's religious tenets will not forfeit the protection of the Laws, nor deprive him of the right of attaining and holding the highest Offices that are known in the United States."

"Government being, among other purposes, instituted to protect the consciences of men from oppression, it is certainly the duty of Rulers, not only to abstain from it themselves, but according to their stations, to prevent it in others. "

When asked to secure some carpenters:
"If they are good workmen, they may be of Asia, Africa, or Europe. They may be Mohometans, Jews or Christians of any Sect, or they may be Atheists."

"Of all the animosities which have existed among mankind, those which are caused by difference of sentiments in religion appear to be the most inveterate and distressing, and ought most to be deprecated. I was in hopes that the enlightened and liberal policy, which has marked the present age, would at least have reconciled Christians of every denomination so far that we should never again see the religious disputes carried to such a pitch as to endanger the peace of society. "

Answer 11

False