Religion in Politics: Does Anyone Really Believe Obama, Clinton and McCain Are Particularly Devout?

Regarding the recent brouhaha about whether Barack Obama insulted small town religious beliefs at a recent San Francisco fund-raiser, and the joint pouncing upon that fact by the Clinton and McCain forces (not to mention Obama's defensive remarks), I can only suggest it's time to say "Enough with the competition for who believes in God the most!"

I'm really tired about the fact that it's become increasingly common for presidential candidates to insist how much religious belief plays such a prominent role in their lives no matter how progressive and forward thinking they purport to be.

And how much the media perpetuates its supposed significance.

I have no proof to discount what the preponderance of politicians say, but I hereby suggest that it's all a lot of bunk. There are occasional candidates, such as Joe Lieberman (whose politics generally revolt me) who appear to have led their lives in strict conformance with the tenets of a particular religion. However, most of these folks' pronouncements, including the ones in the public eye today and in spite of their very public attendance at Sunday services, seem designed to appeal to a mass audience of believers rather than actually provide an indicative revelation of the devout convictions they presume to uphold.

These candidates are among the high and mighty, are well traveled and also well educated and would, I believe, be hard pressed to fall prey to doctrinaire thinking unless it suited them politically. How else to explain Mitt Romney's "conversion" to right-wing political theory in his abandonment of abortion rights and gay partnerships when he was no longer running for governor of progressive Massachusetts, as he attempted to convince mainstream Republicans that he was truly one of their own?

It's equally hard to believe that either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama would be so committed to spiritual teachings, considering their backgrounds and academic experiences. Nor even that John McCain, a man with playboy adult beginnings, family connections and ambitious meandering while a Naval Liaison to the U.S. Senate, would consign his mindset to the limited viewpoints that pervade many orthodox religious followers.

And by the way, why is it so important that any of our major candidates or candidates for anything other than church or synagogue leadership be obliged to submit to these expectations? Shouldn't competence and a moral persona be the ultimate arbiters as to whether we select one or the other rather than their unceasing and sometimes nauseating attempts to top each other with how much faith plays a part in their lives?

What if belief in a higher power is not a major factor in a candidate's convictions at all? Should we discount those with the courage to admit this apparently unpopular blasphemous trait, in spite of the fact that he or she might be a terrific and lovely human being, with charitable instincts, good ideas and the capacity to instill confidence in our well being?

Let's do away with religion as a necessary and evidently weighty requirement for public office and instead pay more attention to the aforesaid qualifications. It would be a helluva lot more honest and possibly achieve the level of leadership we as a nation sorely need.

Comments

[derik]

It seems that the nun and priests are now solely campaigning on who is a more holy nun or priest. Whether they are faking it or not is not the real issue. The real issue is that the nun and priests have, for the most part, stated that god annointed them and thus they need to be President. If that is faked or a not, I think they actually believe in such wizardry. And that is when things get really dangerous for all of us. It is a shame that we never had a clause in the constitution that freedom to believe that being good does not depend on believing in magic.

[StrayTalk]

Religion in Politics: Does Anyone Really Believe Obama, Clinton and McCain Are Particularly Devout?

answer: No

[presto]

Not that you care but...

Hillary Clinton has been a devout (really) Methodist all of her life. Bible-toting even..it would not take much for you to verify that. Library, bookstore, internet - any decent biography will tell you that.

Not sure why you think academics cannot be religious.

[Michael Russnow - Huffpost Blogger]

I think that academic scholarly folks can be religious, but they should be educated and worldly enough to know that religion should have no place in politics. As indicated in my piece, there are a lot of terrible religious people and a lot of splendid folks who don't practice any sort of faith. In short, all kinds in both camps.

An academic, sophisticated person should know better, and I truly believe that the overabundance of religious talk in the course of these campaigns is simply pandering. But more importantly, should an experienced and wonderful public servant without a desire for a place of worship be presumed to be morally deficient and thus unqualified to get your vote?

That's the message I see being transmitted by the competition to one-up each other as to who loves God the most.

[WilliePilgrim]

It's not a question of spirituality, but a question as to who's the most hypocritical when it comes to their private versus public beliefs. None of 'em are any good so the best we can hope to do is comparative shopping...and the "fresh" fish special smells the worst.

[EspritDeVoltaire]

Saying Joe Lieberman appears to have led his life in strict conformance with the tenets of Judaism is defamation most extreme on Judaism.

[JacobSinger]

Career politicians [and all three qualify for that label] will bullshit you about anything, if said bullshitting 1) gets the desired results, and 2) isn't easily disprovable.

At this point in the process I think I can now state that I'm pretty firmly in the Obama camp--but I refuse to progress to the Obamaloon stage [at that point your higher brain function shuts down and your "chosen one" mentality kicks in, causing perpetual defensiveness].

That said, it was disgusting to watch both Hillary & Obama shilling their "faith" last Sunday. IMO, the biggest faith either of them possess is generated strictly by ego; they both have faith that they will be elected, so it is inherent that someone will be BITTER afterwards, but I doubt such would cause either of them to cling to their religion.

[klimtone]

Academics cannot be spiritual? Your assumption speaks volumes.

[Cathi]

I believe ONE of the three is devoted to God. I think the other two are NOT, as one is a devout liar and the other wonders where God was when he was a POW -- just before he divorced his first wife in March and married the "trophy" in April of the same year....I will leave it to you to figure out who is who :-)

[jazzman]

Devout is what you find on the Texas FLDS compound, in Madrassas and at Ted Hagee's end time fanatical conferences. Please God, spare me from a President who is 'devout.'

and spare us all from Lieberman!

[nunzia]

I certainly hope they're not "devout".
America doesn't need another president with imaginary friends.

[KMan1]

I sure don't care if they are or not.

[JScott]

Ya know just for a change and this is probably the reality most of em are probably not that religious except maybe Obama. But it'd be a real change if candidates for public office just said 'I'm not particularly religious' or I'm a secular humanist' and let the chips fall where they may. After all 1/2 of the US population is the same way.

[scooperss]

I think they're only devout when it pays. Political campaigning to the church goers for votes.

[MagisterLudi]

Bingo. Especially in the case of Obama, who began succeeding in the political area ONLY after aligning himself with local political-religious machine of the Rev. Wright.

[TheApeMan]

When I first heard of this "Compassion" Forum, I was thinking, "what is the point of this?!"
The candidates won't participate in that Science Debate, but they think discussing "why does god allow suffering?" is relevant to becoming the president.
(I find it hard to believe that Obama, a man raised by an atheist (agnostic?) mother, would somehow, despite his obvious intelligence, would become religious.)

[presto]

So...did you watch it?

[desmirl]

Does anyone care? I thought I would be voting for a president in November, not a Pope.