A recent poll showed a leap in the percentage of Americans who say that organised religion is losing its influence on public life, from 52% in 2002 to 72% today.
However the figures split along political party lines when people are asked whether churches should “express their views on day-to-day social and political questions”. 49% say they should and 48% say they should keep away from political matters . While 63% did not want churches to explicitly endorse named candidates, when party affiliation was taken into account the number of Republicans who want their churches to weigh in on political matters went up in comparison to 2010, the last Congressional election year. (Washington Post, Sept 23 2014).
Any remotely intelligent preacher from any pulpit in America is going to reflect the political leanings of his congregation and the community in which he lives, that is if he or she ventures into politics at all. If he didn’t do so he wouldn’t keep his job for long. This “pandering” is pointless and is arguably harmful. In any case, whether mufti, mullah, vicar, parson, priest or rabbi, all should be concentrating on how to live, not how to vote. If people are so uninformed and uneducated that they cannot come to a conclusion about political candidates by themselves, maybe they shouldn’t vote at all. Maybe they shouldn’t even have the vote?
“all should be concentrating on how to live not how to vote”. I would like to take issue with that .
In my case one thing leads to another: that is, how I vote should reflect my attitudes others.
Christians usually have a great concern about social justice, the less advantaged and the care of the sick. The concept of hospitals for the sick, education for the poor and feeding the hungry were initially Christian initiatives…
(today, food banks were started by Christians to give an example of feeding the hungry)
Likewise the abolition of the slave trade in England, and many other issues involving inequality and injustice.
Jesus was always ‘going on’ about these things. So whereas no-one has the right to tell someone how to vote, preachers and teachers have every right to ‘go on’ about social justice which in its turn will hopefully guide people as to which political party to vote for.
Therefore, I vote for the government who is the most likely to have some sort of social conscience.
Amen!