Religion, Politics, Faith and Humility

Bill Keezer and Kevin the Big Hominid both have good posts on the intersection of religion and politics.

In response to Kevin’s question about whether it’s possible to separate one’s religion from one’s political beliefs and actions, I’m inclined to say it’s not. If my conscience is well-formed by my tradition, how can I somehow turn that off when I enter the voting booth? But does this require that I attempt to legislate my religious beliefs?

I think it doesn’t require it, for a couple of different reasons. First off, it might be imprudent for me to attempt to legislate my religious beliefs, since the wheel of fortune will eventually turn and I might find myself as part of a religious minority. I think it was C. S. Lewis who said he wouldn’t want to legislate Christian marriage for all of England any more than he would want Muslims to outlaw alcohol!

Secondly, I think we can find embedded in our traditions reasons for not being quick to impose sectarian religious doctrines on others. Christians are called to be humble, and one aspect of this humility is epistemic humility. That is, we shouldn’t assume that we already posess the whole truth, and this ought to lead us to engage in respectful dialogue with those who hold different views. This is not a position rooted in skepticism, or Enlightenment rationalism, but one rooted in the virtues a Christian should exhibit. I suspect there are tendencies in other traditions that would point in a similar direction.

Finally, I would distinguish between a sectarian religious belief and a moral belief which may be shared widely across traditions (I realize this distinction can get fuzzy in practice). If I think abortion or the death penalty are wrong, I can seek to persuade my fellow citizens that those things are wrong based on premises that they accept from their own traditions. I can’t accept the Kerry line (if it is the Kerry line) that opposition to abortion is a matter of faith that must remain essentially private. Kerry clearly doesn’t think that care for the environment or economic justice must remain matters of “private” belief, even though those positions can be, and often are, rooted in faith.