Middle Age Plus

Politics and religion

Politics and religion. There are few subjects that cause as much energy, as much rancor or as much disagreement as these two subjects. This year, more than any other election year that I can remember, the two subjects got blurred together to the extent that it isn't clear whether we are talking one or the other.

Religion should be a subject that we can be honest about. If it is a deep part of our faith, we should be able to speak about it with openness and acceptance. That doesn't happen very often, however.

There seems to be a tendency to say that if your faith doesn't agree with my faith, then you are wrong. Sometimes the core belief is very similar, or even identical, but some of the opinions reached within that core faith set up barriers to understanding. For example one could believe that acceptance of different life styles is completely acceptable, while another feels that cannot be possible if you really believe.

Political beliefs can also be divisive. On the local level, where we hardly notice what party the candidate is running in, we tend to vote according to what we know about the person running.

A neighbor, a friend, a church member, a relative, or a present or past co-worker means more than whether an elephant or a donkey shares space on the placards. We are privileged to really know the person and feel that our knowledge allows us to trust (or in some cases, mistrust) the person to do a good job.

Unfortunately, when we get to the state or national level we have to depend on publicity, pro or con, for much of our opinions. We get to the point where we feel we don't know what to believe. The media gets a lot of the blame because in order to keep public interest alive the media greedily snatches up any bit of gossip that arises. Disclaimers are made in the story with such words as "reported" or "according to sources." But even if the story becomes proven false, the story is continued word of mouth, or even in the media, as they tell about the mistaken report. Each time we hear a story it makes some impact on our thoughts, and eventually we either believe everything or nothing that we hear.

I sometimes wonder how anyone has enough courage to actually run for office and become open to all the critics that want to find fault. It is so easy for us, as citizens, to sit back and add our voices to those taking pot shots at those in office or who are running for office. Many of us know nothing about the real story behind why a certain vote was made. Often the weird amendments that get attached onto worthwhile bills make a discerning representative or senator vote against the bill. This information isn't often given to the public in the campaign rhetoric.

My parents never missed an opportunity to vote. When they lived in Washington, D.C., before the capital received the vote, they would return to vote at Ellis for the general elections. It seemed to me, as a child, that the issues were more clear-cut in those days. I know that was because I was hearing my parents‚ views on the issues. Today I need to make my own opinions by reading, listening, and asking questions. I wish it could be as clear to me in middle age plus as it seemed to be in my youth.

One thing is clear. I need my religion in order to sustain the political scene.