Can Religion & Politics Mix?

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The question raised in this article is "Can religion & politics mix?" The article discusses that many people feel that religion and politics don't mix well. The article questions if it is right for religious leaders to intervene in national political issues. The journalists went out across the nation to ask people living is small towns these type of questions. Many believed that the United States was secular nation, and that our government strictly was ruled by politics. But I would argue that point, I believe that our nation is de-secularizing since more and more people are finding faith. In this world of corruption, hate and violence many more people are turning to faith to find answers and to feel a sense of belonging. Our nation's leaders are voted because of their religious views. In the United States, only Christian men have been elected, a country that stands on freedom for all, has only elected Christian men. I can guarantee that the first women president will be Christian as well. Our countries votes because of these religious views, if our country did not run off of religious institutions I would think there would be a more diverse list of presidents.

Romney's Faith

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In a recent article on CNN.com, questions if Mitt Romney's faith be an obstacle. David Frumm states that Catholic, Orthodox and Evangelical Christian leaders last week issued a bold political statement. They intended to target the Obama administration. Mitt Romney ought to rank atop the Republican candidates for president in 2012. He finished second in votes cast in the primaries of 2008. He is a candidate with immense private-sector economic expertise in a time of urgent economic debate. But Romeny has a problem that many would believe to affect his politics which is his Mormon religious faith. A survey in December 2007 found that 18% of Republicans would not vote for a Mormon for president. The need for our president being a specific religion should make many people upset. But I can also see that maybe his Mormon faith will hinder his judgment on laws. Many people don't have faith in Mormom's because they do not understand the religion or the faith. Who know Romney could have done a great job but he would have never got a chance because of his faith.

PETA and Religion

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We have all seen the PETA signs, and the many celebrities that have posed for their campaigns. We have read their catchy slogan billions of times I'd rather be naked, than wearing fur or something along those lines. But PETA lacks the amount of followers it would like to have and a reason for that Jay Richards argues is that they need more religious leaders. He states that's their purpose is to draw protest and thereby gaining free publicity. In that case there just going to make Christians made, even though that have tried to get Christians on board in previous campaigns. The article seems to suggest that PETA has been getting many religious institutions angry, but what the should be doing is getting their support so that PETA could grow larger.

UN: Forget Science Get Religion

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Since the craze over global warming, statistics show that human behavior has not changed, the millions of public service announcements and all the green project members have encouraged. People are just not understanding all the science behind it and are not seeing any of the effects of it. Many think it is now time to get religious institutions to discuss this with their devoted members and ask them to "think green." The sad truth is that more people will listen to religious leaders than any other types of organizations. The United Nations believes that environmentalism should be regarded on the same level with religion, that this global body is urging the world to take the 'crisis' of global warming on faith. World leaders are failing to mention the need for people to use our resources with the environment in mind, many believe if religious leaders begin to speak and encourage others to do so human behavior will change.

Gay Rights in New York

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The article focuses on the New York state senate which recently rejected gay marriage. The Senate voted 38 to 24, which is a stinging lost for many gay marriage activists. Not only did New York's Senate turn down the gay marriage rights but just recently Maine did as well. Now many supporters and activists turn to New Jersey legislature and hope for the best. The article discuss how the decision was a heated debate and could have been an effect of Maine which was first to reject gay marriage. The gay rights advocates had been wishing and hoping that New York lawmakers would take up the marriage questions. Though New York recognizes that many states have performed same-sex marriages, they are still not allowing it to occur it there state even as lobbyists and activists urge them too.
The major reason for New York not changing there laws to abide the same-sex marriages is because many religious groups have probably got to the lawmakers. Many of the New York Senate is said to be very religious even though the state is filled with liberals.

Religion News in Brief

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I found this article in the Washington Post in the OnFaith Section and it drew to me because of the title "Religious New in Brief". The article discusses two major stories about religious organizations affecting the government and politics manners of the specific areas. The first one covered was Beijing and how the Protestant Church who have recently been charged and imprisoned and the second one was on Boston and the Catholic Church. We all remember the sex-scandal that happened within the Catholic Church, in Boston the clergy is still attempting to settle the faults they have made. The Catholic Church had sold land to Boston college, in part to pay for settlements for the sexual abuse that had been caused in the area. In northern China, however, five leaders, who have been linked to the Protestant Church, have been sentenced for seven years on charges of illegal assembly, and rights groups. The sentences are among the harshest in the recent year for the congregation refuses to register and accept the authority of the government's Religious Affair Bureau. Beijing is fighting against religious powers which tend to get their way to show their people justice and illegal assembly will not be tolerated especially by leaders of the country.

Atheists Ask Baltimore If There is a God.

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Just recently the American Atheists organization put up a flashing sign which ask a controversial question to many Baltimore residents. The sign read "Are You Good With Out God?" and below this, it read "Millions Are." Basically, a coalition of atheists and agnostics are hoping to get Baltimoreans to talk about their billboard campaign. This campaign is also to hit New York, California, Massachusetts, Texas, South Carolina and Virgina. The point of the their national billboard campaign is to reach out to the millions of atheists and agnostics that might feel alone or like they do not belong. But the coalition also hope to spread the world of the Baltimore Coalition of Reason, which is the understanding of non-theistic ethics. Only in a country where millions are tremendously religion and millions are also non-believers. But what I seem to question is how do the agnostics and atheists co-exist in one organizations. I feel like the two groups are polar opposites and would not be able to cooperate or have a mutual understanding on any of there beliefs.

American Atheisits

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On the American Atheists website there was an invitation sent out that read "Prayer at Cobb County Commission Meeting Tues. 7/28" which drew my attention, I thought atheists didn't pray. So it intrigued me into opening the invitation and reading that Dr. Ed Buckner the President of American Atheists has been chose to deliver the "invocation" at the next Cobb Country meeting in Georgia. But I thought "invocation" mean an act of "calling on a higher power." Ed Buckner was one of the plaintiffs in a 2006 law suit which challenged the practice of having sectarian prayer to open County Commission meetings. Those chosen to deliver the prayer reflected a sectarian, often evangelical Christian point of view. One result of the suit was that the court criticized this practice, and since then the county has been trying to keep prayer in government by randomly selecting people to deliver an "invocation."
The American Atheists group are trying to make a statement, to the Cobb County that every meeting should not begin with prayer. Many Atheists hope that this will change how many more counties will begin their meetings. Religion being involved in country meeting is making out country de-secular, and despite many who believe that the U.S. is increasingly secular, I believe that our country is as religious as ever.

Dubai Tests Sharia

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The New York Times discuss the debt crisis in Dubai which is about to test one of the fastest-growing areas in banking, Islamic fiance, and put the city-state's opaque judicial system on trial. This article examines how religion could affect economics especially when laws in a the country are so strictly made along religion. In Dubai's case the government does not believe that they need to pay the interest, so it is causing a delay on payments. The government also with the Sharia will not allow the bank to take over assets of the ruler since that is not in their law. Which is causing many problems between the bank and the region. The rich and oil wealthy region has decided to embark on the best tourist spot in the world, but since the economy is down Dubai is not being visit and are not able to make back all these major loans. The bank is just asking for a small portion of that they own, which is about 1 trillion dollars. Malaysia was traditionally the hub of all Islamic fiance, but since there is so much new activity centered around Dubai, and foreign and law firms and backs there helped the emirate raise much of its debt. Not only is their religion being so involved in their Sharia causing many economic problems, but these economic money issues or causing disturbance in a culture which has been set for many hundreds of years.