What Role Does Religion Play In Political Parties

Religion in politics is a big topic of discussion and I think it will always be a topic of discussion. Like a lot of decisions in life, religion is a personal opinion, and you are either going to believe or not and no one can judge you. I have always followed the saying, “Don’t talk about politics at a dinner

Reformers aimed to take down the party organizations that were thriving on the votes of immigrants. The role that religion played in the reform against the party machines was that religious moralist protected the state and law by abolishing prostitution, liquor sales (Prohibition Era) and gambling which generations of immigrants were scandalized to be doing. This would make many immigrants either break the law, making them face the harsh consequences, or be forbidden of doing something that they have always done and are not allowed to do anymore. The role that civic groups played in the reform against the party machine was selling their message to other members of the middle class (middle class voters) to oppose the party organizations that

For most of my life I have not had a relationship with religion. I did not grow up where going to church was a priority. I knew my parents were Catholics, but they were not practicing Catholics. I would say I was forced to attend CCD (Continuing Catholic Development) every day after school and make my first communion, but I have always respected its practice and learned about its history. Since I enjoy history, I have known how religion was one of the big factors in our country’s history. When kids say the pledge of allegiance and say “One Nation under God” I don’t get insulted or offended, I simply understand that is the heritage of this nation. That is why I am going to argue that faith groups and institutions should be allowed to form political parties and gain influence in the workings of government. Whether I classify myself as Atheist (believe in no god) or Agnostic (claims neither faith nor disbelief in God) it doesn’t change the fact that a great majority of this country and billions across the planet have deep religious faiths that help guide them through

Lofgren points out that republican leaders are often encouraged to share their religious views and feelings regarding their respective faith, and as of relatively recently, “the republican party has reignited the kinds of seventeenth century religious controversies that advanced democracies are supposed to have outgrown” (Lofgren, 2012 p. 129). More so, there appears to be a cookie-cutter mold which major candidates must adhere to, to have a successful career and impact on their constituents. Despite the prevalence of religious opinions and faith-based values aired out to the populace, Lofgren does point out the unique points that we [as a nation] are lucky that our foreign policies and national decisions are not based on one’s adherence to faith or religious scriptures, and that we should keep it this way. In doing so and in letting “someone’s tendentious reading if the bible” dictate test for office or formation of legislation, our great nation will be destined for demise (Lofgren, 2012 p.

I think American’s view the importance of religious beliefs in their presidential candidate highly. Their beliefs can ultimately affect the policies and laws they put into place during their time in office. Most of the hot topic issues in politics that are discussed today such as gay marriage, abortion, the death penalty, war on terror, can be viewed differently by people of various religious backgrounds. Therefore, I fell many people seek the faith of who they vote for to align more closely with their own personal and spiritual

American voters are swayed heavily by their upbringing. People tend to share the same political beliefs as their parents; however, religious background gives parental influence a run for its money. In the United States, 78.3% of Americans are Christian making it the most common religious affiliation (Hackett & Grim, 2012). Christianity is rooted in truth and love— love for yourself and others. So when it comes to voting for the next president, many Christians seem to be at a crossroads, because the presidential candidates seem to lack truth, love, or even both. Both candidates use ruthless rhetoric attacking these Christian values. Hillary Clinton is portrayed as a lying murderer, while Trump is painted as a xenophobic entitled ass. Despite core Christian values differing from Donald Trump’s rhetoric, Christian voters are still choosing Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton, because Republican values mirror Christian values.

However, that preference didn’t apply equally to all religions. In a study conducted by the Center, 17% of Americans in 2012 thought that Barack Obama was Muslim, while 49% knew that he was Christian. Out of those who thought he was Muslim, 65% of people expressed discomfort with his religion, while only 12% of people who knew he was Christian expressed discomfort. Meanwhile, in the same year, 60% of the population surveyed knew that Mitt Romney was Mormon and 61% of the sample were comfortable with it. This shows that Americans are comfortable with and favor religious presidential candidates, provided that religion is Christian and that Christianity itself is more important in an election that the denomination as significantly less than 61% of the population is Mormon. Ultimately, as it is Christian presidents who are being elected to office, Christianity serves as an influence on the country they are representing. Likewise, as many of America’s earliest presidents were Christian, their religious ideals had an impact on their work, no matter how

I don’t think religion has any place in politics, and certainly should not play any important role in government or politics. But America’s conservatives are obsessed with religion, with these GOP candidates perpetually attempting to “out-Christian” each other. It’s quite common to hear conservatives rant about Obama not being “Christian enough” for their liking. Why, then, are they all clamoring to get Trump elected? Trump has been divorced twice and married three times, and recently made some controversial remarks about his Church visits.

The United States of America has the most diverse religious population in the world. In places like Iraq, Syria, Israel, Afghanistan, Yemen, and other countries too numerous to mention, countless lives are lost over religious differences. In America, a Protestant can live happily next door to a Jew, who might live across the street from a Muslim, or a Catholic, or a Sikh, or even a Humanist! This is in no small way attributed to the fact that the US Constitution’s First Amendment includes what is known as the establishment clause, which states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” effectively separating affairs of religious institutions from secular,

I started my search based off my long held interest in politics, and the issues that affect the way we govern. So I boiled that down to the entities that decide when and what we govern. Political Parties. After I had my subject I looked at the three things I believe political parties play a role in. The three areas of interest I chose were our political parties role in our history, economics, and religion, and what factors in those areas determine how political parties’ function.

A person’s faith, assuming that they actually stick to it, says a lot about what that person would do and what that person would defend and protect. It also says a lot about what character the person may have when it comes to truthfulness and kindness. Because of this, a person’s religious beliefs and whether they hold to them may cause me to vote for

It is difficult to develop a Christian view of politics because scripture has not given an exhaustive outline. Christians will routinely have different beliefs on political issues since scripture does not straightforwardly address all areas of the political sphere. Some have contended for total separation. While others see a Christian role within society. However, this group has often times created a dichotomy between Christ and the world. This dichotomy between Christ and the world experiences such extremes that redemption is not necessary and at times feels impossible.

A leader is a person who influences a group of people towards the achievement of a goal. The types of leaders vary but in this case, we will be dealing with the religious and political leaders. A religious leader is one who is recognized by a religious body as having some authority within that body while a political leader is a person actively engaged in politics especially a full time professional member of a deliberate assembly. A political leader can also be a person who is experienced or skilled in the art or science of politics, government or government administration.

Religious factors have had a great deal of influence on politics in Latin American countries. In most countries religion has helped to set the value structure of their society by helping to frame what the citizens should expect out of their lives and what they should expect from the government. Today here are a variety of religions practiced in Latin America including Catholicism, Protestantism, Voodoo, Santería, Judaism, as well as indigenous religions. In order to combat religion’s influence on Latin American politics the anti-clericalism movement began in colonial times. Anti-clericalism is defined as the opposition to the clergy for its real or alleged influence in both political and social affairs (Britannica, 2009). It should be noted that although anti-clericalism is often associated with anti-Catholicism, anti-Christianity, anti-deism, irreligiosity, and atheism they are not the same. Butler (2009) noted that we could hold the Catholic responsible for encouraging the association between anti-clericalism and anti-Catholicism to their followers. Secularism is also often associated with anti-clericalism, which rejects all forms of religion in civil affairs. Fallaw (2009) notes that it is hard to tell where anti-clericalism and secularism began and end. According to Bantjes, 2009 anti-clericalism’s target was the privileged status of a clerical “caste” who are viewed as hypocritical and immoral. Historically religion and politics have been intertwined in government in

Although the connections between religion and politics may be controversial to some, it really isn’t surprising that they overlap. For many people, religion and politics are significant parts of their ideology and morals; they both shape ethical decisions and certainly influence how we view society and the interactions within it. Politics and religion, along with ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation, are important identities that shape how others see us, and how we see ourselves. Thus, it makes sense that religious beliefs may influence a person’s politics or vice versa. While I believe a mix of these identities, and thus personal experiences, has the greatest impact on politics, religion clearly is a significant influence