Let me just state for the record that I am sick to death of the debate over which Presidential candidate has the better imaginary friend…which is really what this comes down to. When a questioner in the recent Republican YouTube debate held up a Bible and asked if the candidates believed every word of it, NOT ONE Republican candidate had the courage to respond, “My personal religious beliefs are none of your damn business. My ability to lead this country is. Let’s stick to what matters, shall we?” Instead, almost to a man they opined as to how they were the best Christian for the job. Nice job of pandering, eh?
Faith and spirituality is an important part of life. For some, it’s more important than it is for others. What upsets me so much is that this same faith and spirituality is being used as the ruler by which so many Americans are judging the worthiness of Presidential candidates. It seems that Republicans are falling all over themselves to win the support of the Religious Right, which from all indications is neither.
The idea that one’s faith is part and parcel of a candidate’s worthiness to move into the Oval Office is something that strikes me as patently absurd. The idea that the President must be a practicing Christian is frankly offensive. What this means is that I, as a Buddhist, am unfit in the eyes of a sizable portion of the American sheeple to be President. Never mind that my spiritual philosophy is one of tolerance towards ALL religions and faith traditions. Would that this were returned by many Right-wing Evangelical Christians, who seem to think that American politics is by Divine Right their personal property and playground.
In 1960, the controversy was whether or not America was ready for or would tolerate a Catholic President. Now the same debate centers around Mitt Romey’s Mormonism. What’s going to happen when the first Buddhist or Atheist runs for office? Given the current state of political discourse in this country, these folks could be the second coming of the love child of Indira Gandhi and Benjamin Disraeli…and it wouldn’t matter, because the Religious Right would erupt in paroxysms of righteous indignation simply because they’re not practicing, demonstrative Christians. How could someone who doesn’t believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ POSSIBLY be righteous enough to lead this country into the future and protect us from the specter of radical Islamic terrorism?
Good and decent people need to stand up and tell these folks where to get off the bus. If enough of us insist that the minority cabal of Right-wing Christian trolls STFU and recognize that they are but one voice in a nation of many, perhaps we can eventually get this country back on track. Perhaps.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Christianity or those who honestly live their beliefs, but as I mentioned earlier, the Religious Right is neither. For these authoritarian, moralizing theocrats, it’s really all about power and control. Jesus just happens to be their smoke screen.
What Would Jesus Do? I think he’d be kicking @$$ and knocking some sense into his followers….
