The first Republican Presidential debate took place on the 6th of August at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, and aired on over 24 million televisions across the nation. However, aside from presenting their visions for a “Greater America” and tentative plans to increase the GDP, reduce unemployment, and in Trump’s case, deport over 11.3 million illegal immigrants residing in the U.S., each candidate was asked about their views on God. More specifically, they were asked if they had received “a word from God on what they [the candidates] should do and take care of first.” Not only was this question followed by a slew of clichéd statements from each runner attempting to showcase their devotion to Christ, and perhaps pick up a few more supporters in the form of the devout Catholic, it was essentially a direct violation of the separation between church and state. Moreover, such a question induced a regression to the early ages in which individuals wholeheartedly believed in the power of divine interventions.
The Republican Party has notoriously and historically been founded upon the teachings of the Bible. “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination” Leviticus 18:22, abortion as a violation of the sixth commandment – “thou shalt not kill”, and so forth. Consequently, how can we as a people expect to uphold our devotion to the concept of separation between church and state if our leaders are more devoted to the church than their nation? I realize that much of the latter is a large generalization and should be taken with a grain of salt, as not all Republican supporters are entirely conservative, or are religious individuals. However, the underlying message is still one we must be aware of – religion must not blind the one who leads us from the deeper issues present in running our country.
I am by no means condemning any one’s dedication to the church, or the freedom to practice religion, but the church simply does not have a place in modern day politics. Yes, it is true that our nation was founded on Christian precepts and our politics are therefore inherently ingrained with some aspects of religion, but a line must be drawn between what is acceptable and what is not. What is not acceptable is the fact that our country expects all inaugurated presidents to swear into office over a Bible with the words “So help me God.” Not every individual invested in politics follows Christianity, and the imposition of such expectations only defers those who could be great leaders from announcing candidacy. Ben Carson, a current Republican Presidential hopeful, stated that a Muslim would not make a good president because Islam supposedly does not uphold “American Values.” The degradation of others based on religious practices to further a Catholic agenda for our state is far from ethical and not what any person should want from their nation’s leader.