Religion has been used as “a story with culturally formative power that functions to direct the life and thought of individuals, groups, or societies”1 by politicians for centuries around the world. Citizens have been privy to the use of religion in politics through the passing of legal legislation, persecution of individuals, and famous inaugural speeches, which were all ultimately influenced by a politician’s religious ideology. Could it not be argued that this type of coercion has influenced groups of people to vote and elect a candidate into political power based on their particular religious standing?
People familiar with the above mentioned quote would recognize it as the definition for the word “myth”. Therefore it is possible to say that individuals have been led to follow certain leaders for their religious beliefs, which were arguably based on mythology. A myth (used here synonymously with the word religion) may be fiction, semi-fiction, or a historical story and has stemmed violence and unjust treatment of people, all under the guise of religious right. Wars have been waged against those of differing religious views and lives will continue to be lost if the marriage of religion and politics endures.
It is interesting to consider why the majority of voters in this poll believe it is important to have more religion in politics. It could be argued the majority of these voters are people who themselves follow some type of religion and thus hope for their politicians to reflect their particular religious beliefs. Or maybe it is a desire for any amount of religion to be present in politics to encourage honesty and truth from political leaders as is commonly preached for all people who belong to religion.
Politicians should not be elected solely or in part for their religious beliefs, and there should not be more religion present in our politics at all. Political decisions should be made and carried out in a neutral way that does not include or rule out any particular religious belief.
The differing religions present in societies around the world should not dictate the way in which people are governed. Since religions can be argued to be that of myth, how can punishment or the requirement of truth (swearing on oath) hinge on something of that nature?
Mythology should not be part of the doctrine used by politicians to persuade or govern the societies of today.
Natters #349
- Irving Hexham, Narrative Paradigm, RELS 349 – 01.
Understanding World Religions 
Great article! You really bring light to the fact of how influential religion is in politics today. It is amazing to think how large of an impact religion has on everyday decisions that authorities and officials make each day. Even though religion is a big part of everyday society it should not be used to anger others and cause havoc.
Thank you for a great read and even though it was a short article i learned a lot!
After reading this blog post, I cannot help but agree with what the author had to say. Along with the writer, I too believe that political figures should not be elected solely on the basis of what religion they practice. However; I do see validity in why people vote based on religious views. Religion shapes a persons understanding of the world, as long with their values. Because of this, people would be more likely to vote for someone who practices their religion, because their values and beliefs would be in line with one another. To conclude, there are people who vote blindly, just based on the sole factor of a shared religion, which is an idea I am opposed to. Those who vote should do so with thought put into their decision, I just believe that one is more likely to be in line with someone of their own religion.