How Does Religion Affect Politics

One of the most important concepts I learned in this class is the aspect of religion and politics. I gained a better understanding and was able to see it without a personal filter. Allowing me to see how politics is affected by religion. It also gave me a better understanding of how much religion really affects politics too. In America, I feel politics and religion go hand in hand. Most of the original founding documents in America have some sort of religious affiliation. Even our currency has a religious affiliation, “In God We Trust” can be found on every paper currency in America. George Washington basically established an official religion for the state. It was not meant to align the nation with a religion, but did so when he add …show more content…
William Coffin said that “The Christian right talks a lot about “traditional values” and “family values”. Almost always these values relate to personal rather than social morality. For the Christian right has trouble not only seeing love as the core value of personal life but even more trouble seeing love as the core value of our communal life” (Coffin 2004: 158). I think that Coffin said it well when you apply this quote to a church and politics view. I think that many religious people have these personal values that they believe to stem from their religion and they push it upon politics. Whether that is a politician with religious-political views or citizen with religious-political views. They ideas tend to be the same because of a basic or traditional value so you see these religious-political groups rise and make a fuss with politicians for something that they personally believe …show more content…
Monica toft said that “the largely Christian West has rejected the idea that violence in the name of religion has a positive utility and that the church and the state should be the same, Islam and its adherents have not rejected such notions” (Toft 2006: Religion, Civil War, and International Order). While some may say or have the notion that the Christian West rejects the idea of violence in the name of religion I think there is a fine line here. They may reject the idea at face value but when you through politics in the mix it becomes muddy. What I tend to generally see is personal values once again come out to play. Individually, people can hold on to the idea of violence or believe that killing for politics or the threat of their religion is alright. I know a couple people who would reject the idea of violence in the name of religion but individually they have this political view that makes them alright with killing a person of another faith. These people also have made it a point to point out the other faith as fault and give them the blame as a whole community for issues dealing with extremists. These people who do that end up reverting to politics where you hear them say stuff regarding