Politicians' anti-God portrayals draw flak

IN THEORY

Politicians' anti-God portrayals draw flak

Q: Senate Republicans have been accused of exploiting religion for partisan gain by aligning with conservative religious leaders against Democrats who have used the filibuster to block President Bush's judicial nominees. Sen. Bill Frist has even taken part in a broadcast with religious leaders reportedly portraying Senate Democrats who used the filibuster against the appointees as anti-God and against people of faith. Even though a compromise on the judicial nominees was reached this week, should religion be used this way? Is this fair ground in the political process?

A: It used to be motherhood and apple pie. God was what you battled and fought wars for. Remember? More people have died in wars waged in the name of God than for any other reason. Obviously, God's agenda was not pushed by those battlefield casualties, and neither is it being advanced today by politicians who need to quench their thirst for power even by sacrilegious means.

The climate is ready for heightened religiosity in this country. Moral and ethical absolutes are gone, and a melding of religion and politics is being sold to fill the vacuum. In a parable, Jesus likens the faith of some to seeds that land on rocky ground. Without much soil, they sprout quickly, but when the sun rises, they are scorched and wither away, because they have no roots.

We have to be incredibly skeptical and careful of politicians who use religion as a means to advance their own agendas. (Let us not forget the tyrants, despots and dictators of history who all rose to power with a god on their side.) They use religion to polarize people rather than to unite them around common themes, which build communities and society. Their roots are superficial, and once scrutinized, they wither away.

God's children include Democrats and Republicans, left and right, young and old. God's agenda is not a political one. It calls for peace. It strives for harmony. It works for justice. It operates with love. This agenda is pushed in the most sacred of institutions: inside the human being. If the agenda can be advanced inside each of us, the politicians can argue and filibuster all they want. Society is strengthened, and we win.

FATHER VAZKEN MOVSESIAN

Armenian Church Youth Ministries

Glendale