Posted by BGH
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After decades of using the electorate base of the flock to apply pressure to the conservative wing of the Republican Party, evangelical leaders are backing off. Though they have used the party in efforts to push their doctrinal beliefs upon the rest of the nation, the evangelicals now feel "used" by the politicos. It appears the Christian conservatives have realized exactly why the ‘Wall Of Separation’ Jefferson spoke of was included in the First amendment of the United States Constitution.
See: Evangelical leaders say their faith is too politicized
This ‘Wall’, that many fundamentalists dispute even exists, was put in place by the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment in order to keep separate religion and government. When these two entities become overly intertwined, religions can lose their independence and governments can lose their autonomy. The Founding Fathers were very aware of this fact when crafting the Constitution, as illustrated in the Federalist Papers.
Over the last two decades, the ‘Moral Majority’ (Evangelical Christians) has become so intermingled with conservative republicans that the line that separates the two has been blurred to the point of being completely non-existent. Most outsiders to the movement view these two terms, ‘evangelical Christian’ and ‘conservative republican’, as interchangeable and without distinction.
The evangelical leaders have slowly come to realize that many Americans associate their movement with terms like “too political” and “single issue” voters, often resulting in the Christians being labeled intolerant or judgmental.
The wall of separation that Thomas Jefferson so distinctly clarified to the Danbury Baptists in 1802, was set in place to protect all of America’s citizens and it is about time the Evangelical Leaders have acknowledged this fact after trying very hard to refute it for so long.
I hope the trend continues and more of the faithful begin promoting a renewed separation of politics and religion.
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"These things I'll carry on
And when you're gone I'll honor you
Each day, however long"
1 comments:
What a refreshing piece of news! I too hope the trend continues and that the young people involved in the church push hard to make this manifesto popular.
There were some excellent points brought up in the article as well as this post. As you pointed out, it is about time the Evangelical leaders acknowledged the purpose of the Establishment Clause - it does not hinder their faith, it protects it.
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