Mixing Church and State can Damage Bothby James Wellman
A week into the U.S. war in Iraq, I walked by a Baptist church covered in pro-war placards, one of which proclaimed: "Jesus, The Supreme Commander." That sign unintentionally summed up the actual situation: Never before in our nation's modern history has the White House so thoroughly mixed politics and religion.
President Bush does this by proposing that social problems can be ameliorated most efficiently through organizations that are faith-based. And that America's task in the world is to spread freedom because liberty "is God's gift to humanity."
In both cases, the rationale for action is God and faith. Why is this a problem? It poses serious risks not only for democracy and sound policy, but for the very religious groups that tend to be the most enthusiastic audience.
One of the remarkable cultural facts of the 20th century is that American evangelicals won the religious competition. We now know that one-third of adult Americans — more than 50 million — claim a born-again status. Nearly a majority of American Christians can be broadly called evangelical.
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For further reference:
Maureen Farrell: Article III, Section 2 and the Wobbly Wall Between Church and StateFarrell: On a Mission From GodKatherine Yurica: The Despoiling of AmericaSteve Erickson: George Bush & the Treacherous CountryJames Heflin: Their Will Be DoneJack Beatty: The Faith-Based PresidencyGeneive Abdo: Bible Belt churches putting Bush in more than prayersPBS: The Jesus FactorJoe Bageant: The Covert KingdomRick Perlstein: The Jesus Landing Pad'Rapture' enablers.David Gates: The Pop Prophets (LaHaye & Jenkins)George Monbiot : Their beliefs are bonkers, but they are at the heart of powerTheocracy WatchWilliam Hare: Bush's Dangerous Rush to TheocracyRev. Rich Lang: George Bush & the Rise of Christian FascismSome antidotes:
R.P. Nettelhorst: Notes on the Founding Fathers and the Separation of Church and StateThe Interfaith Alliance