Washington Post-Opinion: Why Democrats need to talk about their faith

[Gothmog]

Link to tweet

Aside from that group, however, there is a large universe of Americans (nonwhite evangelicals, white mainline Protestants and Catholics, white non-Christians, etc.) who will listen for Democrats’ expressions of faith and explanations of his or her religious-based values.

Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg commented on his faith in a November interview with Rolling Stone. “I mean, to me, obviously as a progressive, it has more to do with the stranger and weakest among us and the poor and so on,” Buttigieg said. “But the shocking thing is that [evangelical leaders] have betrayed not only my understanding, but as recently as when I was growing up in the Clinton years, they seemed to think that it was important that a president be a moral leader and subscribe to certain concepts of family and decency and rectitude. And it turns out that when power comes into the equation, they don’t care so much.”

Former vice president Joe Biden speaks and writes eloquently about his faith. “The nuns [in Catholic school] taught us reading, writing, math and history — as well as core concepts of decency, fair play and virtue,” he related in a piece for the Religion News Service. "They took as a starting point the teaching from the Gospel of Matthew: 'Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” He continued: “My whole idea of self and family, of community and the wider world, stems from those lessons. They drilled into me a core truth: Every single human being deserves to be treated with dignity. Everyone. The poor and the powerless, the marginalized and vulnerable, the least of these. That has been the animating principle of my life and my faith.”

In short, whether it is Buttigieg talking about the religious precept to welcome the stranger, or Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sharing her favorite Bible verse, or Biden relating the basis for his views on social justice, or Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) discussing his deep faith and commitment to “radical love” (“Deeper than any defining part of my being, is my faith, and if I divorce that from public dialogue, then I am not sharing with the country ... my constituency, the truth of who I am”), Democratic candidates can reach millions of Americans for whom religion is critically important and provide reassurance to religious progressives and to religious voters who might not have ever voted for a Democrat for president.

Armed with faith-based values, Democrats can offer a searing critique of Trump’s cruelty, dishonesty, racism, narcissism and materialism as well as a defense against Trump’s claims that they are some sort of crazy, godless socialists. There is no better opportunity for Democrats to present themselves as the values party, thereby appealing to voters of all faiths or no faith at all.

[mcar]

1. I agree with this 100%

Faith isn't owned by the Republicans. In fact, they've made a mockery of it.

[bluewater]

2. I disagree immensely with the idea of Democrats being "armed with faith-based values"

Many people's faith-based values want to take away a woman's right to choose in regards to reproductive rights.

Many people's faith-based values tell them that one of our leading 2020 candidates is going to burn in hell just for making love to his husband.

And I don't see how pushing faith-based values would appeal to people "of no faith at all".

And isn't that a weird way to word this?

I have a lot of faith in other people to do the right thing even though I am not a religious person myself.

And what exactly are these "faith-based" values anyway? How are these faith-based values different from run of the mill man in the street secular values?

That we should not murder? Or Lie? Or steal? Or hurt other people?
Religion does not have a monopoly on any of those ethical values, so why bring religion into it at all?

Mixing religion and politics is just not a good idea and often comes across as sanctimonious or even phony.

Just my opinion, your mileage might vary.

[Girard442]

3. Totally agree. If you think that a secular government with Church separated from State...

...is the best way to go, you should say it loud and proud!

[dsc]

7. Actually the case that won NC the right to marriage equality was filed by churches

on an explicit freedom of religion theory. NC had a law which prevented clergy from performing marriages which weren't legal. Some churches sued saying that law trampled their freedom of religion and that is the case which my circuit used to strike down laws banning same sex marriage.

[Blue_true]

10. You make strong arguments.

There are many atheists that are more moral than today's white evangelicals that love Trump.

But I believe faith is about how one sees oneself in a larger world. When I look at how nature works, I can't ignore the possibility that something exists which is all encompassing. My faith is not biblical faith, I believe that is conditional nonsense crafted to control people throughout time. I do believe that people will be held accountable for the choices that they make, though I have no reason to believe in the concept of a hell and eternal punishment.

[qwlauren35]

13. Different words, perhaps.

The United States is at least 65% Christian. It cannot do any harm to share with voters the idea that your faith matters in your life. I don't see it as hypocritical, just sharing a piece of themselves.

ANYTHING that helps win votes from moderates is a good thing.

In another lifetime, as an avowed atheist, I might have mistrusted a candidate who said that s/he let her faith play a major role in his or her life philosophy, or more important, his/her decision making process.

Now, I have a more open mind. I would let them explain what they mean, and weigh it with everything else.

It is only a vocal minority of Americans who would say that they don't want to know about a candidate's religious beliefs because they themselves are non-religious, and would actually hold it against a candidate for speaking about faith.

As long as a candidate demonstrates respect for all faiths, and those with secular beliefs, I'm happy.

[Lordquinton]

16. Lots of questionable things in the article

And no, talking about faith won't appeal to the let's most loyal voting block.

[David__77]

4. This could apply to one's spiritual perspective in general, and not just to "faith.

I do not consider “faith” to necessarily be equivalent to spiritual perspective. Marianne Williamson, for instance, may communicate her spiritual perspective through the way that she talks about material conditions and life experience.

I do not think that one must necessarily have religion or a self understood “spiritual perspective” to have personal ethics and a self selected moral code of conduct.

[elleng]

5. ditto

[Blue_true]

11. I totally agree.

There are millions of atheists and agnostics that are worlds more moral and ethical than today's Trump supporting white evangelicals. Anyone that claims that the Ten Commandments are the word of God, but who lavish support and praise upon a man who has violated every single Commandment multiple times just loses me, I can't respect them or what they claim to believe.

[yortsed snacilbuper]

6. Keep religion out of politics,

you see what happened to the republican party when they started worshiping trump.

[tblue37]

8. I am sick to death of performative religiosity in politics. nt

[stopbush]

9. The fastest growing segment in the USA is NONBELIVERS.

We’re about 26% of the population.

I don’t know about you, but the last thing we need is for D candidates to start talking about the fucking make believe of religion influencing their lives and their policies.

Religion. It’s fucking make believe. You may as well tell people what your favorite saying is when uttered by Santa Claus.

[Blue_true]

12. Non believers in organized religion is likely much larger than 25%.

25% may be atheists, but there are others that have spiratuality but don't believe the stuff in the bible, koran, talmud, ect, basically not believing in made up nonsense that a casual examination of the history of the world blows to shreds in milliseconds.

[LongtimeAZDem]

14. "Faith" is not only unnecessary for values, I would argue that it is a detriment

[Gothmog]

15. This is powerful-Joe Biden share moment at a church in Iowa

Link to tweet

[progressoid]

17. Yeah, let's see who can out-Jesus the other!

Because battles over religious issues always work out so well.

[Autumn]

18. I want to hear about any politicians faith like I want to hear about their sex lives. In other words

.....spare me the fucking details.

[Act_of_Reparation]

19. Absurd.

[Hortensis]

20. We ARE the moral and liberal values party. Always have been.

I wish people of faith here would speak up more for themselves and their values, instead of allowing our unfortunate strain of religious bigots to run wild. They NEED to be smacked down, kindly of course, for their own good as well as everyone else's. Everybody in the liberal and progressivism- dominated Democratic Party is as important as everyone else, and that absolutely includes religious Democrats.

[redqueen]

21. No. Values, yes. Morals, yes. Religion? No. Not at all.

Credit to the OP ed writer (lol yep of course it's Rubin) for getting that "godless socialist" canard into print again! Well done!