That Old Time Religion Ain't What It Used To Be

Religious zealotry tends to cloud rational thought and defy standards of science and logic, not only as it is expressed in repressive regimes around the world but as a political force here at home. The sense of self-righteousness that conflates religious belief with politics defines positions and creates a bond among political allies. And it partners with wild notions of Socialism and fears that the country will suddenly turn "European."

Bill O'Reilly says President Obama lacks religion and wants to remove it from the public forum. That's nothing new coming from O'Reilly. After all, he started a campaign to save Christmas from Grinch-inspired Liberals. But using religion as the lynchpin of a partisan agenda often seems more political than devotional. Opposition to gay marriage, abortion, same-sex relationships and various other narrow mindsets are hardly the focus of biblical writings. Neither do free markets, corporate dominance and disdain for the poor and ethnically suspect inform core Christian doctrine. Yet many prominent Christian politicians embrace just such arrogant, exclusionary 'values.'

Sanctimony surrounds every issue from climate change to health care. It isn't easy to argue with people who claim to be directed by God, although the teachings of Jesus as Christian icon are quite distinct from the religious dogma today's presumably devout followers espouse. That apple Eve shared with Adam opened their eyes to the world around them and to each other. Today, awareness of one's world is often subdued by a mind-numbing partisan religious subtext.

Recently James Hackett, president and CEO of Anadarko Petroleum, said environmental challenges would be decided according to "what God wants for the world." Perhaps he just wanted to avoid discussing big oil's impact on the environment but, true belief or otherwise, religious conviction was a convenient out. And, though an Arizona state senator was met with widespread ridicule when she disputed the need for legislation to protect the earth saying it had survived quite nicely without interference for the six thousand years of its existence, she is, unfortunately, not alone in her ignorance.

Things have unexpectedly gone awry among the righteous, however. Republican Senators Vitter and Craig found themselves in the spotlight for questionable behaviors. But Vitter dragged his wife onto the stage to apologize for consorting with prostitutes and Craig's wife was at his side when he insisted he was not a homosexual despite a toe-tapping incident in the Minneapolis airport men's room. Both remain in office, and Republicans point out that Democrats have their failings too. Why there's San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome's indiscretion and Governors Spitzer and McGreevy who were forced to resign and, needless to say, standby bad actor, Bill Clinton.

The difference is, of course, that Democratic transgressors didn't claim moral rectitude and religious piety. And they hadn't built political reputations on the basis of family values, prayer in school, creationism and sexual abstinence. Recent Republican miscreants - - Senator Ensign and Governor Sanford - - were quick at the time to endorse impeaching Clinton. Likewise, long-time party demagogue, Newt Gingrich hopped on the impeachment bandwagon even as he engaged in an extra-marital affair. While they all insisted their complaint was about the lying not the sex - - it really was about the sex.

Now as a result of Ensign's exposure The Fellowship Foundation may have received some unwelcome attention. Before the Ensign matter exploded and the foundation-supported C Street Center became a source of media interest, outsiders hardly knew it existed. As it turns out some well-known conservatives call The Center home when Congress is in session - - namely Senators DeMint, Brownback, Coburn, Inhofe, Grassley and Inhofe, Coburn having mounted an intervention to persuade Ensign to end his affair. Curiously, prayer meetings and bible study sessions held at the Center apparently allow it to register as a church with the IRS.

Today's political agendas are often a confusing mix of ideology and religious advocacy. A bumper sticker seen recently on a large Mercedes read "say no to Socialism." Was the car's owner really fearful of a leftist putsch or just spinning the latest anti-administration message? Do fear and ostentatious religious zeal serve a more insidious purpose as tools for people who stand not on principle but in opposition to anything the new guy in the White House proposes? FDR said, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself," but fear is the weapon of choice the opposition always chooses to employ.