...The conservative view point of the first amendment, as spoken by Ronald Reagan, is that “ to those who cite the first amendment for the reason for excluding god from more and more of our institutions and everyday life, may I just say; The first amendment of the constitution was not meant to protect people of this country from religious values; it was written to protect religious values from government tyranny.” The liberal perspective more closely mirrors the perspective of Thomas Jefferson who was quoted in his 1802 letter which referenced that there should be a wall between religion and government. Those subscribing to the liberal view point would like no reference or role of religion in all of government. The Christian Coalition has been a force in conservative politics, the main advocators for a Christian America. Pat Roberston has been...
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...What is the role of faith and religion in the liberal political culture of the United States where citizens in theory play a significant role in the formulation of public policies? Some would argue that the United States is a Christian nation, and as such, faith and religion has a central place at the messy table of politics. Moreover, some would argue that the United States is an exceptional nation because of the blessing of having enlightened founders. In addition, American democratic principles are universal, thus religious followers, clergy and institutions ought to be directly involved in political affairs. Others would caution too heavy of a reliance on faith and religion in politics, the manipulation of Christian symbols and beliefs by religious leaders as well as civic leaders for political gain should be a warning to liberals. Moral panics, President Kennedy having to defend his religious faith to potential voters, the symbolic role of “cheap grace” are illustrative of the nightmarish influence of religion on American political culture. Finally, the messianic impulse that often drives American politics has the potential of destroying the fabric of the nation. What do you think? Do people of faith have to leave their religion at the door when entering public life? Everyone knows that it is impolite to argue religion or politics with strangers and dangerous to do so with friends. These topics are treated with such delicacy because they evoke strong passions;...
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...Religion and Its Persuasion on U.S. Politics Rob Farmer Hodges University, Fort Myers, Florida HUM2030-OL-SU15 Dr. William Cooney August 22, 2015 Religion and Its Persuasion on U.S. Politics Religion in the United States is significant not only due to the high percentage of Americans who identify themselves with a specific religion, but the population’s large number of widely diverse beliefs. Ultimately, the United States is a nation bound on a people of immigrants, many of whom originally fled their home countries for the sake of religious freedom, and as such, laws are carefully engineered to safeguard those freedoms. Consider the formative era of our nation and to America’s culture and thinking at the time the US and the Constitution were formed. The leaders of the various colonies, states and ultimately the Founding Fathers themselves were steeped in biblical thinking. They drew examples from the Bible, and looked for confirmation of their ideas for government in scripture. Biblical absolutes enshrined into law offered a consensus that meant freedom without chaos. As stated in the Declaration of Independence, there exists “unalienable rights” of men. Rights were unalienable because they were provided by God. This was important because in most societies up until that time, and even in some countries today, rights are only conferred by whomever is in power at the time. An important aspect of our system of government is that it is based on the Rule of Law. This concept...
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...Despite the prediction made by modernization theorists that religion would eventually disappear, the preponderant position of evangelism is evident in politics of the United States. With the growing influence of the evangelicals, many Americans are concerned; and thus, the role of religion and its influence on politics continue to be controversial issues since evangelicals work to rebuild “Christian America” while other Americans hope for the separation of church and state. Accordingly, evangelicals and other Americans have different perspectives in political issues. While others focus on the political aspects of the issue, evangelicals find Christian reasons to every issue. Therefore, this paper will examine the concerns that many Americans...
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...Just about every student that is in school are influenced in some type of way. According to 21st Century American Government and Politics (v. 1.0). Some of the scholars, rather than the family, consider the school to be the most influential agent of political socialization. A classroom is for the teacher to spread a lot of knowledge to their students. The students can take on tasks like politics and extracurricular activities. Students can have a range of different things to learn from. For example, school teaches the students how important going to college and getting a degree is. When I was in high school, I was taught the importance of having a college degree. It was screwed in my head at school, so it became an important value to me to get a college degree. History politics are other important examples of how school is a major political influence. History and politics are a very debatable topics in a school environment. Everyone does not all agree on the same thing, and some people have no idea what is really going on. Also, some people in school try not to engage in such debates. For those people who are actually engaged and know what they are talking about is very much likely to influence someone’s opinion who is lost and or do not...
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...It is not only unrealistic to believe that religion and politics can or should be separate but it has proven to be exactly what the majority population desires. Ülker, Ö, (2013), stated, “Some global level developments –such as the secularization experience of the USA, the Iranian Revolution, the effective role of religion in the experience of democratization in the Latin America, the rise of religious nationalisms opposed to secular nationalisms, the rise of Christian Right- has revealed that religion has no intention of leaving the public sphere, on the contrary its intention is to take an effective role in the construction of the public space.” As time has progressed through the many ages of mankind there has been one constant, religious influence. The origin of religion is equated to the origin of civilization. The conflict of interest that has been ethically lingering throughout history is the issue of religion’s influence in Politics. In “Religion and the US Presidency: Politics, the Media, and Religious Identity,” Michelle A. Gonzales writes about how John F. Kennedy was worried about his faith and the Roman Catholic background because he feared the population would worry that the Vatican would have an influence in American politics. He then realized that a candidate’s religious background has a large impact on the credibility and support he or she will receive from the population. This has shown many leaders that people will support a political candidate who shares a...
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...no longer called into question. With that said, this paper will be about how my social location has affected my outlook. The term “social location” can be defined in a few different ways in regards to perspective. For me personally, the big factors were my schooling and the parenting I received. The first and undoubtedly most imprinting thing on my upbringing was my schooling. From second grade on I was sent to a christian school. I was shaped to never curse, look at things with a christian perspective, have proper etiquette, and many other things. And being in the heart of the bible belt, without even knowing it, my beliefs were also inadvertently being shaped. I was being constructed into a biblical robot who could spout you answers about the gospel as a result of my schooling. My school also was very sheltering. I was given a false perception of many things. I was “brainwashed” of a sort...
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...and just societies have been founded upon theological intervention. The political actions and Christian involvement in the reconciliation process have been embraced in the contemporary Australian politics. The differences between the indigenous and non-indigenous Australians have been influenced by the absence of knowledge, respect, and understanding. According to the analysis of the theological principles involved in reconciliation, forgiveness and truth are the most paramount virtues of the Christian ways. The aim of the Christian involvement in the public reconciliation domain is to develop a truthful public relationship. Public theology helps in explaining the responsiveness of the indigenous perspectives concerning diversified policy matters. This paper aims at discussing some of the theological principles applicable in the indigenous reconciliation in Australia as well as the lessons that Christians derive from participating in public reconciliation debates. Reconciliation in Indigenous Australia The theological principle of forgiveness has been embraced in the political platforms as a way of ensuring reconciliation. The catholic and the Methodist churches have proposed forgiveness as a way of achieving a conflict free society among the indigenous people. The churches mentioned have also accommodated a large number of people with whom they have connected the secular politics. Forgiveness and truth values have been essential in increasing such reconciliation attempts...
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... Religion and War Since the dawn of time people have raged war. Many could argue that politics, power, or natural resources are the cause of war. But many people miss the underlying factor: Religion. Throughout history religion has been the prominent cause of wars. Religion has many conflicts in the history of the world. In ancient times civilizations believed that if they won a war it was because the gods favored them. The wars may have been over land or power but it was believed that it was their religion that won their victory. The bible says, "Some rely on chariots, others on horses, but we on the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, But we stand strong and firm. Lord, grant victory to the king; Answer when we call upon you"(Psalm 20: 8-10). The key test is to see who wins. If God is really on your side, then you will win. One might face enormous odds against them, but this doesn't mean anything when God stands on one side. One of the major examples where religion caused war would be the Crusades. The Crusades were fought in the 11th century. The Crusades were a series of Holy Wars between Christian and Muslims, which was centered around the city of Jerusalem. In 1065 the Turks took Jerusalem and massacred 3,000 Christians starting a chain of events, which lead to the start of the Crusades. However, some researchers say that the massacre of the 3000 Christians which caused the crusades to begin and not because of differing religious beliefs. The Crusades...
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...the prophet in 632 to that of Ali in 661 marks a golden era after which political history is conceived as having degenerated. However, Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz (717-720) from the Umayyad dynasty is often seen as part of the rightly-guided Caliphs and defines what is often dubbed the “5th caliphate”. He exemplifies the possibility of being a pious and just ruler in times of corruption.” (Zeghal, 2012) The above reference was used by Jebali and was taken out of Islamic past to state about political renewal within an Islamic saying. Representatives of al-Nahda insisted that the reference was symbolic, and did not question al-Nahdha’s commitment to the regime and people’s will as foundation for government. Also, in Tunisia they talk about politics differently. For fifty-five years liberal democracy was used in authoritarian context, and the first months Tunisians have freedom to express themselves in the street, new media, written press, radio and television. This is new for Tunisia, and Islamic tradition will be combined with new...
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...Incompatible Collectivity Mathukumilli Siddartha 1.At first glance, it is curious that Machiavelli, a committed Florentine republican, would write both The Prince and Discourses. Upon closer look, perhaps they are not incompatible. Argue how and why the ideas and values of the two texts complement one another. Niccolo Machiavelli can be described as a cunning critic of political reason. He is the famous author of two books about politics, The Prince and Discourses.The Prince is concerned with autocratic or monarchical regimes with flexible morals , where it is necessary to maintain public favor to retain power.Which favor or support is advised to be maintained using limited generosity , appearing religious ,not persecuting citizens and decisiveness.In the Discourses, Machiavelli extolls the virtues of a republic.The theme of Discourses is that popular rule is always better than that of princes.Emphasizing a strong role for the populace, Machiavelli suggests that political debate and conflict with the appropriate balance of power can actually serve to strengthen a state. As with the Prince he maintains a...
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...of the Nigerian society are interested in the political future of the nation. However, this interest is approached from various dimensions. A major interest in the Nigerian polity is the relationship between religion and politics. The Nigerian society is religiously pluralized and this significantly influences political decisions and policies of the nation. On the other hand, there are people who hold the strong opinion that this relationship should not be stressed and that religion and politics should be allowed to operate separately without one interfering with the other. Those who hold this view argued essentially from the position that religion mixed politics is mostly like to imbibe various vices associated with politics. Also that politics may not be properly and dispassionately played if mixed with religion. 1.2. DEFINITION OF TERMS For a better appreciation of the objectives of this paper, it is perhaps good for us to attempt definitions of some key terms 1.2.1. Religion The Oxford Learners Dictionary explained religion as the belief in a super human controlling power that is entitled to obedience and worship. It goes further to state that it is a particular system of faith and worship that one is entitled to. 1.2.2. Politics Politics is about the...
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...UNRISD U NITED N ATIONS R ESEARCH I NSTITUTE FOR S OCIAL D EVELOPMENT Religion, Fundamentalism and Ethnicity A Global Perspective Jeff Haynes UNRISD Discussion Paper 65 May 1995 UNRISD Discussion Papers are preliminary documents circulated in a limited number of copies to stimulate discussion and critical comment. The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) is an autonomous agency engaging in multidisciplinary research on the social dimensions of contemporary problems affecting development. Its work is guided by the conviction that, for effective development policies to be formulated, an understanding of the social and political context is crucial. The Institute attempts to provide governments, development agencies, grassroots organizations and scholars with a better understanding of how development policies and processes of economic, social and environmental change affect different social groups. Working through an extensive network of national research centres, UNRISD aims to promote original research and strengthen research capacity in developing countries. Current research themes include: Crisis, Adjustment and Social Change; Socio-Economic and Political Consequences of the International Trade in Illicit Drugs; Environment, Sustainable Development and Social Change; Integrating Gender into Development Policy; Participation and Changes in Property Relations in Communist and Post-Communist Societies; and Political Violence and Social...
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...first, about how those practicing different religions, especially those of a Middle Eastern origin, can affect foreign politics in ways we may not even realize, at first. When members of the Senate, Congress, or even the President himself, visit with politicians and diplomats from the Middle East, they are first schooled on some basic rules involving such interactions. Many things that may be considered acceptable by Christian beliefs, or, by those of an American origin, could be at best, misunderstood, and, at worst, considered offensive to some Buddhists, or Middle Easterners. Even simple things such as the way you greet someone with a handshake or a hug, may be inappropriate in certain company. Also things as small as a hand gesture like a thumbs up, can me misconstrued as something else by one who is not accustomed to our traditions. When considering foreign policy, one must also remember that the roles women play in American politics may not be considered commonplace by other religious beliefs or cultures. In America, it is not uncommon for a female to hold a high government office. While those of Buddhism, Hindu, and other such beliefs may be respectful of this in American and Christian ways, it is almost unheard of by their core traditional practices and rules. Why these types of things may not be considered major issues in the grand scheme of World politics, never the less, they are things that must be remembered and respected. In terms of the societal impact of Buddhism...
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...Running head: RCP DIVIDE Religion Plus Castes Equals Political Divide In India, religion is an integral part of the lives of the population. The writers at asianinfo.org claim that, “For the majority of Indians, religion permeates every aspect of life, from common-place daily chores to education and politics.” No part of Indian life exists without the presence and influence of religion. Over ninety percent of the Indian population state that religion plays an extremely important role in their lives. India is the founding place of four major religions; which are Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Hinduism, and the country has remained religious even during and following modernization. The religions practiced may have shifted a bit, nevertheless, the country remains deeply religious. Among all aspects of Indian life, religion also plays an important role in the politics of India. A political party’s support greatly depends upon the religion the group acknowledges. The two main religions practiced in India are Hinduism and Islam and each religion has parties from whom support is given. Often political support rallies can become so animated that the participants have the need to take action against other religious and political groups. The purpose of this paper is to highlight religion and the caste system of India and explain its impact on Indian political structure and lifestyles. Of the two religions, Hinduism is overwhelmingly more popular. Eighty-two...
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