Saturday, March 26, 2016

Religion, Democracy, Diversity and Demagoguery

 By Rudy Barnes, Jr.

            Religious and political diversity can be either an asset or liability.  Diversity brings new ideas, strength and energy to a nation, but it can also breed fear, hate and hostility and invite demagoguery.  That is especially true when fundamentalist believers assert their religion to be the one true faith and condemn all others.  Such exclusivity breeds an us versus them mentality that is often exploited by political demagogues to identify and motivate their constituencies.

            The exploitation of religious and political differences is evident in the bigotry and nativism of both Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz.  In their campaigns to be the GOP nominee for President, they have exploited fear and anger among religious fundamentalists who claim to be evangelical Christians, and in so doing they have  undermined the legitimacy of the Republican Party and exposed a dangerous weakness in American democracy.

            The U.S. has experienced populist demagogues in the past, like “Pitchfork” Ben Tillman in S.C. and “Kingfish” Huey Long in Louisiana.  While we have not yet experienced a populist demagogue as President, Kathleen Parker has pointed out that Trump looks a lot like the fictional Senator Berzilius “Buzz” Windrip who became President in Sinclair Lewis’ 1935 novel, It Can’t Happen Here.  So does Cruz.  Their popularity is based on fear, anger and hatred—the us versus them mentality.  The fabric of American democracy depends upon rejecting such demagoguery.

            The American democracy includes a diversity of religious and cultural groups, so that its stability depends upon a majority sharing common ideological beliefs; and since most Americans are religious, they must share a common word of faith.  The greatest commandment to love God and our neighbors as ourselves—including those who have different religious and political beliefs—is such a common wordof faith for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike.

            The threat of diversity and demagoguery to democracy is not unique to the U.S.  Israel is experiencing a similar threat based on fear among Israeli Jews that Palestinians may become a political majority.  Fundamentalist Jews and Palestinian Muslims are exacerbating that fear with violence.  The challenge for the U.S., Israel and other libertarian democracies in a globalized world is to reconcile growing political and religious diversity with common ideals.         
            
            Religion is a big part of the problem and must also be part of the solution.  Political and religious leaders must acknowledge the interwoven relationship between religion and politics and seek to reconcile the two.  It is a widely held misconception in America that the First Amendment to the Constitution requires the separation of religion and politics; while it prohibits government from promoting or establishing any religion, it does not prohibit religion in politics.

            In fact, any religion that divorces itself from politics in a democracy is impotent.  If the greatest commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves is to have any meaning, it must be applied to our politics, where all of our decisions relate to our neighbors; and for Christians those decisions should be based on love.  Love is not just about being nice to others; it requires that we use the powers of government to protect ourselves and others from those who would do us harm.

            Religion can and should play a positive and constructive role in politics.  America is a religious nation, and its diverse religions shape our politics, despite the fact that many Americans consider the discussion of religion and politics taboo.  Unprincipled politicians often exploit religious differences to motivate their constituents, creating negative public attitudes that poison politics as well as social relationships.  That is the nature of political demagoguery.

            Our religious beliefs shape our moral and legal standards of legitimacy—that is, our concepts of right and wrong.  In a democracy of diverse religions, there is a need for consensus on fundamental standards of legitimacy.  The purpose of politics is to make and enforce laws consistent with prevailing moral standards of legitimacy, protect fundamental civil rights, and provide for the common good—and religion is relevant to all of those political objectives.

            The greatest commandment to love God and our neighbors as ourselves—even our unbelieving neighbors—is a common word of faith for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike.  If most Jews, Christians and Muslims were to embrace that moral imperative of faith, our religious differences would no longer threaten the stability of our democracy, and would-be political demagogues would have little fuel for their destructive fires.  Let’s make our politics reflect our religious belief that we love our neighbors—all of them—as we love ourselves.


Notes and References to Resources:          

Previous blogs on related topics are: Religion and Reason, December 8, 2015; Faith and Freedom, December 15, 2014; The Greatest Commandment, January 11, 2015; Love Over Law: A Principle at the Heart of Legitimacy, January 18, 2015; Is Religion Good or Evil?, February 15, 2015; Religion and Human Rights, February 22, 2015; Religion, Human Rights and National Security, The Kingdom of God, Politics and the Church, March 15, 2015; May 10, 2015; Faith as a Source of Morality and Law: The Heart of Legitimacy, April 12, 2015; Religion, Human Rights and National Security, May 10, 2015; De Oppresso Liber: Where Religion and Politics Intersect, May 24, 2015; Liberation from Economic Oppression, May 31, 2015; Reconciliation in Race and Religion: The Need for Compatibility, not Conformity, July 12, 2015; Fear and Fundamentalism, July 26, 2015; Freedom and Fundamentalism, August 2, 2015; Balancing Individual Rights with Collective Responsibilities, August 9, 2015; How Religious Fundamentalism and Secularism Shape Politics and Human Rights, August 16, 2015; The Power of Freedom over Fear, September 12, 2015; Politics and Religious Polarization, September 20, 2015;  Who Is My Neighbor?, January 23, 2016; The Politics of Loving Our Neighbors as Ourselves, January 30, 2016; The American Religion and Politics in 2016, March 5, 2016; Religion, Race and the Deterioration of Democracy in America, March 12, 2016; and Religion, Democracy and Human Depravity, March 19, 2016.

On Kathleen Parker’s comparison of Trump with Sinclair Lewis’ fictional “Buzz’ Windrip, see



Saturday, March 19, 2016

Religion, Democracy and Human Depravity

  By Rudy Barnes, Jr.

            Paul Harvey, the Chicago news broadcaster known for his “…and now for the rest of the story” commentary, often admonished his audience that freedom in a democracy required responsibility or it would be lost.  He echoed Plato and Edmund Burke who had both warned that the imperfections of human nature, or human depravity, would doom democracy.  Plato said that “dictatorship is the natural result of extreme liberty,” and Burke told 18th century Americans that in a democracy they would “forge their own shackles.”  Pogo the Possum simply said: “We have met the enemy and it is us.”

            We are just beginning to see the truth of those prophesies.  Democracy was on the increase following the fall of Soviet Communism in 1990, but began a noticeable decline in 2005.  Since then authoritarian regimes have proliferated, and mature democracies in Europe and America have experienced extremist demagogues who have tapped into public frustration and anger caused by an immigration crisis, political ineptitude and the erosion of the middle class by the unrestrained greed and exploitation of big business. 

            Extremism is replacing moderation in the world’s democracies, and religion is contributing to the problem.  Increased immigration has created culture clashes based on religious differences, and the stabilizing effect of traditional Christian religious institutions has been eroded by the exit of Nones (those with no religious preference) and by fundamentalist evangelical sects.  In America, evangelical Christians have supported Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz, two extremist GOP candidates for President, and similar trends are evident in Europe.

            Changing cultural values and the expectations of believers have challenged traditional religious values as well as those of politics.  Advances in knowledge, reason and the secular concepts of libertarian democracy of the Enlightenment have transformed both politics and religion in the West, but they have had little effect in the Islamic cultures of the East, where authoritarian regimes continue to use religious laws to stifle political freedom.  And libertarian democracy in the West is now threatened by political and religious extremism.

            Human depravity has been a flaw in the concept of libertarian democracy since St. Augustine proclaimed it to be the consequence of original sin, with God’s grace its only antidote.  Rather than rely on God’s grace, ancient Judaism and Islam relied on religious laws to control human depravity.  In libertarian democracies civil rights protect minorities from a tyranny of the majority, but nothing can prevent people from sacrificing their liberty to political demagogues.  There have been many examples of populist demagogues in America who have exploited human depravity to gain power—Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are just the latest examples.

            The rights of democracy and freedom come with the responsibility to exercise those rights with respect for the rights of others.  Moral restraint is necessary to preserve individual liberty, and when liberty becomes license, laws are needed to protect people from the depravity of others and freedom is forfeited.  That is how democracy can evolve into dictatorship.

            Libertarian democracy is not perfect, but it is the only true indicator of the moral legitimacy of any religion.  Morality cannot be coerced by law, and where religious laws preclude the fundamental freedoms of religion and speech, as with apostasy and blasphemy laws in Islamic nations, libertarian democracy cannot exist.

            For religions to be compatible with libertarian democracy, religious standards of legitimacy, or behavior, should be limited to voluntary moral standards and not be enforced as coercive laws.  Religious and political diversity require that religions embrace the principles of love over law and the greatest commandment to love God and our neighbors as ourselves—and that includes unbelieving neighbors and those with opposing political views.

            God’s will is to reconcile and redeem humanity, while Satan’s will is to divide and conquer.  Politicians often use divisive issues to motivate their constituencies.  In a democracy religion cannot be separated from politics.  Political choices involve the welfare of others and are acts of faith, and the greatest commandment requires that we support politicians who seek to reconcile the differences that divide us by balancing individual rights with providing for the common good, and that we oppose those who exploit our differences for political gain.


Notes and References to Resources:          

Previous blogs on related topics are: Religion and Reason, December 8, 2015; Faith and Freedom, December 15, 2014; The Greatest Commandment, January 11, 2015; Love Over Law: A Principle at the Heart of Legitimacy, January 18, 2015; Is Religion Good or Evil?, February 15, 2015; Religion and Human Rights, February 22, 2015; Religion, Human Rights and National Security, The Kingdom of God, Politics and the Church, March 15, 2015; May 10, 2015; Faith as a Source of Morality and Law: The Heart of Legitimacy, April 12, 2015; Religion, Human Rights and National Security, May 10, 2015; De Oppresso Liber: Where Religion and Politics Intersect, May 24, 2015; Liberation from Economic Oppression, May 31, 2015; Fear and Fundamentalism, July 26, 2015; Freedom and Fundamentalism, August 2, 2015; Balancing Individual Rights with Collective Responsibilities, August 9, 2015; How Religious Fundamentalism and Secularism Shape Politics and Human Rights, August 16, 2015; The Power of Freedom over Fear, September 12, 2015; Politics and Religious Polarization, September 20, 2015;  Who Is My Neighbor?, January 23, 2016; The Politics of Loving Our Neighbors as Ourselves, January 30, 2016; The Evolution of Faith, Religion and Spirituality, February 20, 2016; The American Religion and Politics in 2016, March 5, 2016; and Religion, Race and the Deterioration of Democracy in America, March 12, 2016.



For a statistical analysis of the support of evangelical Christians for Donald Trump by the Pew Research Center, see  http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/03/14/exit-polls-and-the-evangelical-vote-a-closer-look/.

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Religion, Race and the Deterioration of Democracy in America

 By Rudy Barnes, Jr.

            It is incredulous that Donald Trump is the choice of evangelical Christians in the 2016 Presidential campaign.  It would be difficult to find a man more lacking in the virtues taught by Jesus, but evangelical Christians are apparently not looking for those virtues in their politicians.  This represents a complete reversal of the political preferences of evangelical Christians since 1976, when they formed an unlikely coalition with black voters to elect Jimmy Carter.  He was a southern Democrat and born-again Christian who actually practiced the virtues taught by Jesus.  As governor of Georgia Carter fought racial bigotry and promoted social justice, and as President of the U.S. he did the same, and also promoted human rights abroad.

            What happened in the last 40 years to produce the popularity of Trump with evangelical Christians and threaten to unravel the fabric of democracy in America?  In the 1980 Presidential campaign, GOP strategists mobilized evangelical Christians to elect Ronald Reagan; but it was not until 2000 that an evangelical Christian (George W. Bush) was nominated and elected President.  In between father and son Republican presidents, Democrats Bill Clinton (1992-2000) and Barack Obama (2008-2016) did not get the evangelical vote; but they did get the black vote and were elected, and the same is likely for Hillary Clinton in 2016.  Carter is likely to be the last President to get both the evangelical Christian vote and the black vote.

            The polarization of black and white Christian voters along partisan lines has contributed to the deterioration of democracy in America.  Most black voters are Christians who consistently support Democratic candidates, while most white Christians consistently support GOP candidates.  Trump has openly exploited racial bigotry to mobilize his supporters, while Hillary Clinton has been more subtle in pandering to her black constituency.  But the effect has been the same.  Both parties exacerbate contentious racial and political differences rather than seeking to reconcile those differences.

            Michael Gerson has described Trump as the demagogue who our Founding Fathers feared.  Referring to his opponents who show up at his rallies, Trump has told his supporters that he “would like to punch them in the mouth” and “carry them out on a stretcher.”  This past week a 78 year-old Trump supporter in North Carolina took his advice and sucker-punched a black male.  Trump cannot disavow his responsibility for encouraging such reprehensible behavior.

            Trump has not only attracted racists to his cause but also xenophobic nativists with his condemnation of Muslims, most recently asserting that “Islam hates us” to support his condemnation of Islam and his proposal to ban Muslim immigrants from the U.S.  Many Republicans wrongly believe that President Obama is a closet Muslim and hate him both for his race and his supposed religion.

            Trump exploits bigotry and hatred that can destroy America’s democracy, and he is doing it with the backing of many if not most white evangelical Christians.  His tactics are not unlike those of Adolph Hitler in Germany in the 1930s, when he appealed to the fear, anger and false pride of Germans with his Nazi version of nativism and triumphalism.  Germany had been the center of Christian theology in the 19th century, so that it was unthinkable that Germans would sacrifice Christianity for Nazism; but they did just that, and did it with alacrity.  Hitler’s advocacy of Aryan (white) racial supremacy justified the hatred of Jews and blacks, and he used distorted Christian religious doctrines to further demonize Jews.  

            The Christian religion began its unholy alliance with politics in the 4thcentury with Emperor Constantine, and it continued with atrocities during the Crusades and the Inquisitions, up to the Puritan witch trials in New England.  Later the Christian religion was inextricably woven into the racism of the Jim Crow South and its “separate but equal” culture, evidenced in the flaming cross of the KKK; and demagogues like “Pitchfork” Ben Tillman in South Carolina orchestrated a venomous mix of religion and racial hatred to promote their political power.

            Trump is not alone in using religion to gain and hold political power.  Islamist leaders like President El-Sissi of Egypt, President Erdogan of Turkey and the Saudi royal family use Islamic law (shari’a), including apostasy and blasphemy laws, to sanctify their regimes and punish their opponents.  Both Christianity and Islam have been corrupted by their wedding with political power, and only believers can restore legitimacy and integrity to those religions.
 
            If democracy in America is to have any moral highground in the future, especially among Muslims, voters must reject Trump and others, like Senator Ted Cruz, who would subvert both democracy and Christianity to sanctimonious illusions of a Christian political order.  Remember that God’s will is to reconcile and redeem humanity, while Satan’s will is to divide and conquer; and Satan does a convincing imitation of God among the devout.  History has taught that few politicians seek to reconcile their constituents with their opponents, and those who do are not destined to stay in power very long, as evidenced by President Carter’s one-term presidency.

            There will always be political demagogues to exploit racial and religious differences to divide and conquer, even in democracies.  It is up to Jews, Christians and Muslims to apply the moral imperatives of their faith to their politics and elect politicians who seek to reconcile rather than divide.  That is the only way to prevent the further deterioration of American democracy, and it requires balancing individual rights with providing for the common good.  That is how we apply the greatest commandment to love God and our neighbors as ourselves to our politics.  It requires loving our unbelieving neighbors, and even our political adversaries.   


Notes and References to Resources:          

Previous blogs on related topics are: Religion and Reason, December 8, 2015; Faith and Freedom, December 15, 2014; The Greatest Commandment, January 11, 2015; Love Over Law: A Principle at the Heart of Legitimacy, January 18, 2015; Is Religion Good or Evil?, February 15, 2015; Religion and Human Rights, February 22, 2015; Religion, Human Rights and National Security, The Kingdom of God, Politics and the Church, March 15, 2015; May 10, 2015; God and Country: Resolving Conflicting Concepts of Sovereignty, March 29, 2015; Faith as a Source of Morality and Law: The Heart of Legitimacy, April 12, 2015; Religion, Human Rights and National Security, May 10, 2015; De Oppresso Liber: Where Religion and Politics Intersect, May 24, 2015; Liberation from Economic Oppression, May 31, 2015; Reconciliation in Race and Religion: The Need for Compatibility, not Conformity, July 12, 2015; Fear and Fundamentalism, July 26, 2015; Freedom and Fundamentalism, August 2, 2015; Balancing Individual Rights with Collective Responsibilities, August 9, 2015; How Religious Fundamentalism and Secularism Shape Politics and Human Rights, August 16, 2015; The Power of Freedom over Fear, September 12, 2015; Politics and Religious Polarization, September 20, 2015;  Who Is My Neighbor?, January 23, 2016; The Politics of Loving Our Neighbors as Ourselves, January 30, 2016; The Evolution of Faith, Religion and Spirituality, February 20, 2016; The American Religion and Politics in 2016, March 5, 2016.

Fareed Zakaria has blamed the rise of Donald Trump on the failure of Republican moderates to stem the trend of conservative extremism in the GOP since the 1990s, and likened the failure of Muslim moderates to stem the trend of radical Islamism to that of the GOP.  See  https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/where-were-republican-moderates-20-years-ago/2016/03/03/4c1c49c2-e18b-11e5-846c-10191d1fc4ec_story.html?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_opinions.


Michael Gerson has blamed the rise of Donald Trump and the realization of the worst fears of our Founding Fathers on the evolution of popular democracy and the lack of self-respect among Republican voters.  See https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-is-the-demagogue-that-our-founding-fathers-feared/2016/03/10/58584278-e6df-11e5-b0fd-073d5930a7b7_story.html?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_opinions.

For an account of the recent ugly incident at a Trump rally in North Carolina, where an older white man sucker-punched a black man, see https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/get-him-out-racial-tensions-explode-at-donald-trumps-rallies/2016/03/11/b9764884-e6ee-11e5-bc08-3e03a5b41910_story.html?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_evening.
       

Saturday, March 5, 2016

The American Religion and Politics in 2016

The American Religion and Politics in 2016
 By Rudy Barnes, Jr., March 6, 2016

            The American religion is an amalgam of religious and secular values that have evolved over the years into a diverse hodgepodge of religions, most of which claim to be Christian.  This fragmentation of religion was precipitated by advances in knowledge, reason and the libertarian political concepts of the Enlightenment, which challenged traditional religious doctrines and created a backlash of religious fundamentalists who considered advances in knowledge and reason a threat to their traditional beliefs.  More recently, an increasing number of Nones have disavowed any religious preference for individualized spiritual faith.

            Fundamentalist Christians known as evangelicals now make up approximately 50% of GOP voters and support right-wing candidates who share their traditional values, which include the prohibition of abortion, the condemnation of homosexuals, and opposition to immigration.  Their “Christian” values are an anomaly since they were never taught by Jesus, as is their support of Donald Trump, whose misrepresentation of the truth, bullish megalomania, bigotry and nativism are the antithesis of the humility and selfless love taught and exemplified by Jesus. 

            At the other end of the political spectrum is Senator Bernie Sanders who is seeking the Democratic nomination for President, and Nones now represent 25% of Democratic voters.  Sanders is a non-practicing Jew and avowed democratic socialist who has been popular among young people and Nones.  His socialist agenda is an anomaly—if not anathema—in American politics, but it is more in line with the teachings of Jesus than are the xenophobic proposals of GOP candidates who are supported by evangelical Christians.

            The popularity of Trump and Sanders represents a deep dissatisfaction and distrust of government.  Trump is rude and arrogant and insults those who take issue with his campaign, while Sanders advocates socialistic proposals beyond the sensibilities of most Democrats.  Their popularity represents the dysfunction of the American religion and politics.  Edmund Burke once warned Americans that in a democracy we forge our own shackles.  The evolution of our religion and politics indicates we are doing just that.

            Christians in America have differing political orientations.  Fundamentalist evangelical Christians promote traditional “family” values that were never taught by Jesus.  Libertarian Christians emphasize civil and political human rights that were never taught by Jesus, but they also support providing for the common good, which distinguishes them from Tea Party neo-libertarians.  Socialist Christians promote government programs that promote economic equality, even when they undermine economic freedom.

            The traditional values of fundamentalist Christians are derived more from secular cultural values than from the teachings of Jesus.  Libertarian values were popularized by 18thcentury Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke and Thomas Jefferson who advocated libertarian democracy, human rights, and the secular rule of law.  Socialist values to provide for the common good are found in all the ancient religions, while libertarian values were not embraced by Western religions until after the Enlightenment. 

            Locke and Jefferson were deists—men of faith who, like modern Nones, rejected institutional religion.  Jefferson considered the teachings of Jesus “the most sublime moral code ever designed by man,” and he emphasized the freedoms of religion and speech as the most fundamental of civil or human rights.  It’s too bad that Trump and his evangelical Christian supporters don’t share those enlightened beliefs; but then politicians would have a hard time getting elected if they practiced the humility and self-denying love for others taught by Jesus.

            Religion and politics are inextricably woven together in America.  The separation of church and state is taken from the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  It prohibits the powers of the state from establishing or promoting any religion, but does not require a separation of religion and politics.  Christians who seek to follow Jesus should apply his teachings to political as well as personal issues.  Evangelical Christians who do otherwise are not following the teachings of Jesus, but the dictates of a man-made religion, or of deceivers seeking power.

            Modern Christians are challenged to apply the moral imperatives of the greatest commandment to love God and their neighbors as themselves to political as well as personal matters, and to look beyond their ancient scriptures for the meaning of loving others in a modern political context.  Those living in libertarian democracies value their freedom as a precious right.  To love their neighbors they should liberate the oppressed with human rights and care for the poor and needy as matters of faith and politics.  To do that Christians need to support elected officials who can balance individual rights with providing for the common good.


Notes and References to Resources:          

Previous blogs on related topics are: Religion and Reason, December 8, 2015; Faith and Freedom, December 15, 2014; The Greatest Commandment, January 11, 2015; Love Over Law: A Principle at the Heart of Legitimacy, January 18, 2015; Is Religion Good or Evil?, February 15, 2015; Religion and Human Rights, February 22, 2015; Religion, Human Rights and National Security, The Kingdom of God, Politics and the Church, March 15, 2015; May 10, 2015; God and Country: Resolving Conflicting Concepts of Sovereignty, March 29, 2015; Faith as a Source of Morality and Law: The Heart of Legitimacy, April 12, 2015; Religion, Human Rights and National Security, May 10, 2015; De Oppresso Liber: Where Religion and Politics Intersect, May 24, 2015; Liberation from Economic Oppression, May 31, 2015; Fear and Fundamentalism, July 26, 2015; Freedom and Fundamentalism, August 2, 2015; Balancing Individual Rights with Collective Responsibilities, August 9, 2015; How Religious Fundamentalism and Secularism Shape Politics and Human Rights, August 16, 2015; The Power of Freedom over Fear, September 12, 2015; Who Is My Neighbor?, January 23, 2016; The Politics of Loving Our Neighbors as Ourselves, January 30, 2016; The Evolution of Faith, Religion and Spirituality, February 20, 2016.




Peter Wehner can’t understand how any Christian can reconcile support for Trump with the teachings of Jesus. See http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/01/opinion/campaign-stops/what-wouldnt-jesus-do.html?emc=eta1&_r=0.
 

On the role of evangelical Christians (50% of the GOP) and Nones(25% of Democrats) in the election, see http://www.religionnews.com/2016/03/01/177328/.


Suggested readings on the evolution of the American religion in matters of faith and politics: Harold Bloom, The American Religion, Simon & Schuster, NY, 1992; Mark Noll, America’s God, Oxford University Press, 2002; Stephen Prothero, American Jesus, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, NY, 2003; Jon Meacham, American Gospel, Random House, NY, 2006; Matthew Paul Turner, Our Great Big American God, Jericho Books, NY, 2014.