Religious Belief Shapes Political Destiny

As Christians, how are we to respond to our culture? Support? Resistance? Or a little of each. Go with Caesar here and God there? Some would say politics and religion shouldn’t mix at all. It may depend on how you see the nature of our faith.
In his classic book, The World’s Religions, Huston Smith argues that all religions tend to divide into camps over several basic questions. One is whether we see ourselves as interconnected in our achievements, or masters of our own destiny. Those who believe in individual achievement prefer a strong system of order that protects them and their property. Those who believe in a common destiny are more likely to see the wisdom in God’s admonition to the people of Israel that they not come proudly into the Promised Land, drinking from wells they did not dig, harvesting vineyards they did not plant and then sit back self satisfied and say, “Look at all I’ve accomplished.”
It’s easy to see how this difference plays out on the modern Christian landscape as we separate into opposing views: order vs. freedom of expression, judgment vs. compassion, individualism and free will vs. collective responsibility for each other. Each side seems to find ample justification in their reading of the Bible.
Because Christianity holds such strong sway in American culture, these differences form a battleground in the debate over what kind of America we want. If we are masters of our own destiny it’s easier to dismiss the suffering as getting their just deserts. In his farewell to his disciples Jesus said they would be known as his followers by the way they treated each other—not by their individual achievements. If we apply this belief to the social compact of our political structure, aren’t we required to choose a system that answers “yes” to the question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”