Ugh, Presidential Primary season.
Guess what, GOP, you're not the only party who can shamelessly exploit religious sentiment.
I'm asking way too much, but I'd like the head of the Executive Branch of the United States to not believe in some magical fucking sky-being and his wacky undead son. Please?
Really, whatever. Hilary wants to reassure us that she will carry a great huge bag of deity-worship into the White House just like any other candidate.
Edwards, too. And Obama.
Thanks, guys. That will serve us well - schizophrenia with a firm grounding in circular logic - as we tackle issues of global import.
I get that we will have a black lesbian President before we have an atheist President, I do. I just wish someone could articulate that religion should be made as separate from policy as possible. Could we get a candidate who will promise to disband the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives on Day One?
Just once I'd like to see someone called on it when they say that faith got them through a rough patch. What does that mean, faith? Faith in God? So you relied on a nebulous image of something good and powerful and loving to comfort you, visualization can be relaxing. Did you pray? So you talked to yourself, not a bad way to think through a problem. Did you go to church? Oh, so you spoke with friends and authority figures, that's another good way to work things out. Did you read the Bible? So you read a vaguely-written pseudo-history and managed to apply it to your situation and draw comfort from universal similarities in the human condition, cool, you should try using something by Mark Twain next time.
If you can't tell, I love both politics and religion.
2 comments:
Harsh. :)
You live in a representational democracy, so your political candidates must draw upon the cultural yardsticks of the nation as a whole to get elected. If every red-blooded US citizen venerated fruit cobbler, the candidates would have to constantly make reference to the wonderfulness of fruit cobbler instead.
I can understand that to you as a - what, undifferentiated atheist? - the religious side of things seems like mumbo jumbo. To me as a pro-religious person of numerous faiths, and some considerable study therein, what offends me is the *distortion* of the messages of the religions, not that it is referenced publically.
The idea that Bush Jr can use his alleged Christian faith to tout war is highly offensive to me. I doubt his sincerity as a Christian, and I certainly doubt his understanding of that particular faith.
It's a shame you don't see the positive humanity of faith and religion, but then, given the portrayal of it in the US media I guess I should not be suprised! There's more to religion, spirituality and faith than Bible-thumping, though.
As for myself, when I hit a serious rough spot I'm not sure I would say my faith got me through so much as I would say the universal collapse of all of my belief systems rocketed me into a world of utter weirdness from which I have never quite recovered! :)
Finally, I want to point to Ghandi as a supreme figure of politics and religion working together for the benefit of all. It can and does happen - just not, I'm sorry to say, in today's United States of America. >:)
Best wishes!
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