These are the two topics we were always taught that you don't talk about at social gatherings. They are the two subjects that always get people worked up and emotional. But an interesting question came up in my Pagan Egroup over the weekend that I have pondered on and off over the years but never very seriously. "Can you talk about politics without religion or visa versa?" My knee jerk reaction is "Of course you can". I am a firm believer in the separation of church and state. I think it protects one from the other and is neccessary to prevent human beings from using one or the other or both to opress others.
But realistically speaking, the purpose of both is to provide rules and codes for people to live by and under which society is expected to function. So how does one function in the same airspace as the other one without clashing. Obviously it doesn't in practice. But in their purest forms, one as secular and one as spiritual, how can they both function in harmony. This could be an entire dissertation as I sit here and think about it. And the only spanner in the works is human beings. I could go off for days about what a huge genetic mistake I think human beings are but I will save that for later.
When I first started on my spiritual search for my path to deity, I hit a lot of bumps in the road. Being raised fundamentalist, I had to get over the concept that there's only one right path. If this is right then everything else is wrong and how do you choose the right path and what happens if you choose wrong? You know, that whole thing. I had hours and hours of arguements with my then more eclectic, less christian husband over "Objective Right". There has to be something that is Objectively Right in the universe or everything is just chaos. Everything has to be black or white. Right or wrong. For us or against us. And I can see where that is a very comfortable place to be if you think you know what the Right is. And it makes it very easy to make rules. That's why the fundamentalists get such a kick out of being politicians. Because they think they know what's right and are just dying to make rules to fit that.
Which brings me back to my question of how can politics and religion exist in a separate but equal state. And the answer is, unfortunately, that they can't while the human element is involved. Most human beings (fundamentalists in particular) are incapable of separating the two in their own minds. Fundamentalists think that their holy books are the direct dication of the word of god and as such should be the rule and law of the land because god is the Supreme Being. So when having a discussion about the legality of abortion or gay marriage with a fundamentalist politician, you won't be having a rational, secular discussion about the political and societal ramifications of these issues. They will inevitably be coming from the perspective of what their holy book says rather than what is best for society as a whole. They will argue that the two are one and the same which is the crux of the problem. No two denominations of christianity interpret the bible the same. Otherwise there wouldn't be more than one denomination. The same can be said for muslim and the koran. And this again, brings us back to the concept of Objective Right. They will all staunchly affirm that their interpretation is the right one, all the others are misguided or evil and going to hell or wherever muslims go if they have been bad. Which brings us back to the very reason why, as long as the human element is involved, politics and religion can't and shouldn't coexist.
There should be a separation of the two in everyone's minds. Politics should be completely secular, only taking into account the public's physical and societal welfare. Schools should teach good citizenship and how to get along with the rest of the world as a society. They should encourage kids to learn about other members of their scholastic society, their culture, customs, languages, etc. Religion should be completely spiritual, caring for the individual's metaphysical and community welfare. Churches should increase their community involvement with their own funding to assist people in their spiritual lives as needed. Families should instill values in their children that perpetuate their own and if that includes religion, great.
And if there comes a meeting between a pagan and a christian or a muslim and a christian and they just can't get along, they should just go their separate ways and leave each other alone. Stay within their own community where their mutual value system supports them. And they can live according to their own values without forcing it on others. Jehovahs Witnesses can't have blood transfusions because it's against their religion. No one argues that. It does no harm to society or anyone elses spirituality. This can get tough, especially when children are involved. Christian Scientists have been bashed forever for letting their children die without medical attention. Personally I find it sad. But it doesn't harm society as a whole and they aren't forcing anyone else to do it so it isn't harming anyone elses spirituality. And if we are all going to live together on this planet and let each other follow our chosen paths, this is what is going to be required. No one ever said life was going to be easy. And if you think it's tough to get a whole family who grew up with each other all the way through Thanksgiving dinner without bloodshed, just increase that exponentially to relate to getting the whole planet through this life in one piece.
So. The result of my remunerations has to be that no, you can't have a conversation about politics without religion or visa versa. And you shouldn't talk about either of them at Thanksgiving dinner.
at 10:04 AM :: ~#~
