I’m with Olivia Pierson on the importance of separating church and state in government. Politics is messy enough without adding the two-edged sword of religion into the mix and separating voters into Christian and non-Christian.
You’d think any sensible politician would shy away from arguing religion but, for whatever reason, they keep doing it. Perhaps they think the Big Man Upstairs will look more favourably on their endeavours if they give him the credit? Who knows, but the fact is, there are many more Christian factions out there than political viewpoints, thus limiting the broad appeal of a Christian party.
The New Conservatives will stand or fall on their policies, and if they do achieve government will have to produce an outstanding performance to stay there. Whether they know it or not, religion is the nag guaranteed to toss them to the ground and trample them in the mud in a political race.
Parties that play the Christian card are doomed to fail, as amply demonstrated by Colin Craig who displayed too much money and a lack of common sense.
I can only imagine what God thinks about Christian politicians who use him to endorse their party. I find it offensive. Craig spectacularly and publicly fell on his face and so will Brian and Hannah Tamaki’s Destiny Church derived Christian party if they follow suit by relying on their religion and wealth.
Politicians who claim they have the Almighty’s seal of approval are cringe-worthy. Republican Senator Mitt Romney embarrassed himself and incurred the wrath of his team by being the only Republican to vote for Trump’s impeachment on Article One, which was the abuse of power. Romney said his Christian conscience directed him, so we can assume he thinks he was following God’s instructions to vote against his party.
“Does anyone seriously believe that I would consent to these consequences, other than from an inescapable conviction that my oath before God demanded it of me?” he said.”
Business Insider
Yeah, right! Romney thinks he has a hotline to God when he describes himself as “deeply religious” and thereby demonstrates his choice of religion over politics. He put the church ahead of the state, making him a dangerous and unpredictable politician.
Unsurprisingly, Romney did not mention in his speech to the senate his on-going political opposition to Donald Trump. Instead of admitting his bias, he wallpapers over the top of it, effectively saying, “I have God in my corner so I must be right about Trump!”
But Trump also argues that God is on his side.
“In his first public appearance since the strike that killed Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani of Iran, President Trump rallied his evangelical Christian base of supporters on Friday, portraying himself as the restorer of faith in the public square and claiming that God is ‘on our side.”’
New York Times
Who is right? Whose side is God on? I think Trump and Romney cancel each other out in this argument but Trump wins the fight based on his performance. Trump fulfilled the promises made to the voting public before he took office, meaning his success has more to do with implementing good policy than any claims that God is on his side.
Romney is a Mormon and represents Utah, the Mormon centre of the world, which raises suspicion about his political motives. Was this his last-ditch tilt for the presidency after failing in 2008 and 2012? If it was, Romney just banged the final nail in his career coffin and he should pack his bags and go home before voters do it for him. His colleagues now trust him even less than they did when he voiced his strong opposition to Trump in 2016.
Voters are not stupid. Policy and performance are the yardsticks they use to measure the man, and politicians cannot survive without applying themselves to both.