The political divisiveness that I’ve talked about so much lately has gotten completely out of hand. American politics is getting laughable – the lines between the parties being drawn so deep that the Republican party hesitates to apologize to John Edwards for Ann Coulter’s comments lest they give the democrats a point in the ever-present war of popular opinion. And I’m tired of it.
And in thinking about it, maybe I should be.
As a Christian, you often hear from the pulpit that you are to vote your beliefs. But I’m becoming more and more convinced that the realm of politics as we know it shouldn’t be a realm in which the Christian actively dabbles.
Christ never tells us to vote, to pursue government office, to involve ourselves in the creation of the laws of the world. Instead, it tells us to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to the Lord what is the Lord’s. This was more than just an edict that we should pay our taxes – it was instructing us to be in the world but not of the world.
Politics, it seems, has always been primarily about two things – power and compromise. There are many in our country who I believe truly pursue politics out of a desire to do good, and I’m sure other countries and times have had similar men and women. But the pursuit of power has been ever-present, and the primary tool for gaining such power (outside of war) has been compromise.
But the Christian isn’t to seek power. And as everyone knows, Christianity is known for many things – compromise is not one of them.
I don’t think a Christian can be in office and serve according to their beliefs. I don’t think they can be for the environment, against capital punishment, anti-war, pro-life, and economically closer to a socialist than a capitalist (I’m well aware of the irony on that last point – I never said I was a good Christian.) In a world of compromise, something has to give – the edges have to be rounded off to appeal to one group or the other.
And while compromise is difficult, power is destructive. The corruption that comes with ever-increasing power seems pretty consistent throughout history, and Christians are kidding themselves if they think they are immune. One look through a sixth grade history book tells you all about the Roman Empire, the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Salem witch trials. In each case, Christianity has been very closely tied to the state.
Separation of church and state – most people don’t know that the term came from Jefferson on behalf of a group called the Danbury Baptists, and was written to keep the government out of the church…not the other way around. Christians weren’t trying to force their way in, but simply keep the government out.
It was our idea.
In most ancient cultures, the religious leaders were the political leaders – often considered divine and of infallible judgment. One of the most notable exceptions? Israel. The priests and the king were separate groups with different structures and complete autonomy (although individuals did blur the lines at times.)
Looking at the headlines these days, it’s not hard for me to see why. I look at politics and I see posturing, quid pro quo, sound bites and stump points. I see everyone looking to play angles, to say whatever they need to get votes.
Except, of course, for our fearless leader – a man who I used to think stood the course because he believed in it, but whose stubborn streak and complete willingness to bend (or break) rules reeks of a stubborn love of power.
All the while, the gap between the rich and the poor gets ever wider. A social security and Medicare crisis looms and no one is willing to address it for fear the painful measures will hurt them in the polls. And in the face of a massive pile of evidence that we’re rapidly destroying our planet we continue to debate how much of an impact we’ve had on it instead of doing whatever we can to solve it.
I’m tired of it. Increasingly, I want nothing to do with it. And perhaps that’s as it should be.
