Religion ! is it Really an Important Issue for the White House in 2012?

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Is Religion an Important Issue in the election of 2012?

It appears that religion has hit Broadway, Madison Avenue, and just about every highway and country road where religious conservatives and liberals live and work.

The question then becomes, is it fair game, it is, if the candidate has made it an issue, or if a particular political faction, or religious organizations have chosen to make it so.

The public will address the religious issue in their own way and in their own time. According to the Public Religion Research Institute over 70% of Republicans and more than 50% of Democrats say ” somewhat or very important for a presidential candidate have very strong religious beliefs”.  A common perception of America by many religious folks as well as leaders is: 1. It is secular and the Media is going after Perry and Bachmann because of faith.  It is not the major media networks who are going after both candidates.  There are numerous religious, ethics, and media outlets who are researching the Evangelicals who make up the Dominionists, the New Apostolic Reformation, and related religious philosophies.  It should be noted that President Obama has had to deal with a form of bias as to, name, birth or religion during and prior to his being elected. The political conservatives of the right still do not accept the fact that he is Christian.  For anyone to question, why Perry and not Obama when it comes to religious views and actions it would appear to be obvious, Perry has made Evangelistic Christianity a part of who he is, and thus the scrutiny, whereas Obama and his religious position appear to be bias motivated.  It is also important to remember that Obama went through his own questioning concerning his pastor in Chicago. 2. Atheism is on the rise, so says the religious right. Is it? There is no doubt that there has been an increase in challenges to rulings, laws, acts, those challenges need to be debated and handled through the courts.  Some challenges are frivolous while others are with merit and need to be handled judiciously. There is no conspiracy between atheism and the mainstream media. 3. Gay Rights again is the issue that seems to determine the survival or destruction of our society.  The religious right has every right to believe in the teachings of the Bible on their perspective. However, if the religious interpretation of the Bible leads to a belief in control of all aspects of society by one religious group or faith then we have crisis in the making. The Evangelicals, and the conservative Catholics have a voice in our political process, but in  our system of government unless there is a violation of law or the Constitution each and every American is protected. The opposing of conservative Christians by the Gay community does take on pose a challenge especially  when the candidate has indicated that he or she would restrain or curtail the rights of Americans because of their sexual orientation.  Voters as well as candidates fit into political and social factions that influence voting patterns. They will vote their conscience.  4. The Rise of the Internet appears to be a threat to the candidates because of the availability of information on the candidates and their positions. We all know that the information on the web can be both reputable or dishonest. The voters must do their homework  on the candidates. Since this blog is on religion then it is essential that he or she must research the many resources; from religious, ethical, political, and biographical and obtain the knowledge to judge for themselves. 5 Islam; was in the closet prior to 9/11 as referred to by Answers For the Faith.  I find those choice of words ironic. Perhaps they were. Are Christians so afraid that they are becoming biased and prejudiced to the extreme.  The Muslims of America have been targeted and profiled as potential terrorists.  Is there a possibility that a young man could turn out to be a terrorist? Of course.  However, in this great nation, I am sure we can establish some form of convention in which our religious leaders of all Faiths can come together to preserve the very essence of who we are.

Answers For The Faith has indicated that the idea of ‘Dominion Theology” is something made up by the various media. Answers For The Faith make light of the ties between Dominion Theology and Governor Perry and Rep. Bachmann.   A question, can a Mormon be elected to the White House?  It would appear that the answer is no only because of the religious distinction between the Mormon faith and the Evangelicals.  The Lutheran Church that Rep. Bachmann belonged to is anti- Catholic and Fundamentalist. The Evangelicals, the Religious Right, and many Fundamentalists believe in the idea that they have mandate to establish God’s Dominion on Earth beginning with the US. The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)  is the central religious organization with many other Dominionist type organization within its umbrella or loosely associated.

There are numerous organizations and web sites monitoring the NAR and other similar groups such as: ethicsdaily.com, theocracywatch.org, alternet.org, The New Apostolic Reformation: The Evangelicals Engaged In Spiritual Warfare : NPR, talk2action.org, Salon.com.

Religion is a subject of complexity, simplicity, anxiety, confusion and contradictions, but for many it is who they are.  At no time in our history has religion been such a catalyst for anger, dismay, and political intrigue.  We have had numerous events throughout America’s history that have met one religious crisis after another and been successfully dealt with.  However, this time  it could be quite the challenge. Evangelism with Dominionism could be new force that is awakening.

It is essential that not only the voter be mindful of the NAR and associated organizations, but so should the mainstream Protestant, Catholic, and Evangelical Churches.

A valuable resource for Dominion Theology is C. Peter Wagner’s book Wrestling with Alligators, Prophets and Theologians

I asked the question; Is Religion an Important Issue in the election of 2012? I believe the answer is yes, and it cannot be ignored.

Related articles

• Rise of the Religious Right in the Republican Party Part 2 (yumaprogressive.wordpress.com)
• Spiriting away Democracy (slacktivist.typepad.com)
• 5 Facts About Dominionism (huffingtonpost.com)
• Dominion Theology, Christian Reconstructionism, and the New Apostolic Reformation (chasdarwin.wordpress.com)