What is the proper role of religion in public life in the US?

[guillaumeb]

The majority of US citizens are theists.

So what role does belief play in their voting?

What role should their beliefs play in their voting?


The Constitution states:

Amendment I. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

So we can see that the Founders intended that there be no established, or official religion.

[MineralMan]

1. People will and should vote based on their own best judgment.

What else? If their religion influences their votes, that's fine. Has anyone said otherwise?

Our government is secular, and plays no role in religion. Constitutionally, it cannot.

Your question makes very little sense.

[edhopper]

2. what do yopu mean by

Public life?

Are you talking about politicians, or just public personalities?

[guillaumeb]

3. Both.

And, how does religion affect our voting? My wife and I know quite a few people who claimed to have voted for Trump because he promised to outlaw abortion.

While religion has no official role, religion plays a huge role in determining how people vote in both parties.

My view.

[MineralMan]

4. It plays no role in how I vote.

I follow no religion.

[guillaumeb]

5. Understood.

[MineralMan]

6. What role does it play in how you vote?

What do you say to your many friends who vote to ban abortion? I ask because I have no such friends.

[guillaumeb]

7. It played a role for quite a few of our friends

in their votes.

When we talked about this with a few of the few, our position was that abortion is a personal choice.

[marylandblue]

8. and do you suggest to them that maybe they shouldn't base their vote on a single issue?

[guillaumeb]

9. 2 of them were quite firm that it was the deciding issue.

But if they are telling us that this is their faith based decision, our words would not matter.

[marylandblue]

10. Hence one of the problems with faith

Your vote is not an actually choice among alternatives. It is made for you and doesn't matter how many people get hurt.

[MineralMan]

14. So, based on that opinion, you did not try to change their minds?

Above, I said that I had no friends who voted for Trump. That is true. People who would do that do not belong among my friends. For whatever reason they voted for Trump, I could not knowingly associate with such people.

You have stated that you believe abortion to be wrong. So, why would you bother trying to convince people not to vote for Trump? Can you not see the problem with that? I believe that individuals should vote their consciences in elections. That is everyone's right in this country. However, that doesn't mean I would not try to change their minds in a particular situation.

All sorts of ills are occurring because people voted based on one or two issues of faith. While that's their right, it doesn't improve the situation we face with Trump as President and Republicans in control of Congress. We appear to be on a path that leads to correction of our error in 2016. I hope that continues. However, it will take everyone to work toward that goal.

[guillaumeb]

15. Outside of special places, I do not generally discuss politics. eom

[MineralMan]

17. I see. You're politically active

when it's convenient for you. That's nice.

[guillaumeb]

18. Funny.

And you avoid "the enemy"?

How interesting for you.

[Mariana]

11. Would Gil try very hard to persuade his friends of that?

Especially when it comes to this particular issue. He agrees with their opinion of women who choose abortion. He has explained to us that he thinks abortion is the taking of a life, and that a woman who has an abortion has done wrong.

[marylandblue]

12. No, I didn't think he would

But it is a real life example of the harm that faith can do, and I wonder what his thoughts are about that. We have never had a President so grossly unfit and dangerous. Yet faith allows these people to vote for him in good conscious solely because their god says controlling women's bodies is more important. Seems like that should bother Gil at least a little bit.

[MineralMan]

13. Well, since you don't appear to have a strong position

in favor of women's right to choose with regard to their reproductive lives, I doubt you were very convincing. Apparently, whatever people's faith leads them to decide is OK with you, then? I understand. Are there other parts of the Democratic platform that you are not particularly convinced of?

[guillaumeb]

16. My view is that it is for women to decide.

And I have stated that numerous times, so you seem to have misunderstood what I wrote.

[marylandblue]

19. You said you were both pro-choice and pro-life

Which is a confusing and contradictory position to take. I understand how you reconcile them but it's still confusing. And not progressive. It's a centrist position. At least own up to that.

[guillaumeb]

20. We disagree.

I am also anti-war, and anti-death penalty.

[marylandblue]

21. We disagree on what? That it's confusing? Or that you are taking a centrist position on one issue?

I don't see how we can disagree on those things. If people are confused, it means they find something confusing. It's not something to disagree on. And if, on one issue, you take a centrist position, then you have taken a centrist position. It doesn't make you a centrist. It means you are disagreeing on one issue with the majority of progressives, and agreeing with centrists. It's not a big deal, really.