The not so scientific poll...

I was hoping to get a little larger response to the poll I was running so I could gather a little more accurate numbers. However, I'll take what I got and run with it. The question was: How are politics and religion related? The answer choices were:
- They cannot be separated.
- They should be treated as church and state.
- They have no relation.
- Who cares?
So the results were: a) 53% b) 38% c) 7% and d) 0%



I am proud to say that no one voted the who cares. The worst thing that someone can do is give up and just take what comes. In today's social climate that would be very much like running down the Snake River in an inner tube without a paddle or life jacket. Whatever your views are, do not give them up for complacency! Find your voice.

Next, we had one vote for 'no relation.' I am trying to figure out if this was someone trying to spice up the poll or if this was a real and valid opinion. Ghandi once said, "Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is." In my opinion, when one has the power to control the other their destinies are forever intertwined.

I shouldn't have been surprised that there were nearly as many responses here as there were for the 'cannot be separated' choice. However, I personally have a difficult time understanding this point of view. I like this quote by Einstein, “Politics is a pendulum whose swings between anarchy and tyranny are fueled by perpetually rejuvenated illusions." To me, it seems like separating politics and religion would be somewhat like trying to separate the two sides of the brain. While each side is responsible for different functions, it is difficult to function without one and either side can be over or under developed. In this way, I believe that church and state are impossible to separate in politics. Look at the presidential election. The candidates were not separated from their religions. Mitt Romney was scrutinized for his ties to the LDS faith, Obama for his past association with the Muslim faith and current ties to the radical Christian faction of Reverend White. I think that these discussions of a candidates religion is healthy. Will our president, who has stewardship over all of us, pray for guidance? Pray for peace? Pray for inspiration?

Lastly, religion and politics cannot be separated. I hope that up to now you have understood what I think to be a rational opinion for why I think this was the clear choice. When your 'state' can dictate to you how you will practice your religion or a religion becomes the state and overtakes healthy debate and discussion, both spell disaster. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state and never its tool." Both politics and religion are an indelible part of our lives. The real trick is to strike a balance, a rhythm in our lives between the two. Do not let your religion take over to the point of complacency in political involvement. Transversely, do not let politics take over your life in such a way that you lose your connection with God. And to end with a quote by Justice William Rehnquist, "It is impossible to build sound constitutional doctrine upon a mistaken understanding of constitutional history. . . . The establishment clause has been expressly freighted with Jefferson's misleading metaphor for nearly forty years. . . . There is simply no historical foundation for the proposition that the framers intended to build a wall of separation [between church and state]. . ."