The Politics of Religion | OPINION
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The following is an opinion contribution and reflects the author’s views alone.
Religion and politics are inescapably intertwined. Religion forms peoples’ values; politics implements them. People cast their ballot for their preferred candidates and, by extension, the policies that implement their values. Since the United States of America remains a majority Christian country, both Democrat and Republican candidates attempt to appeal to Christians by explaining how their values align with Christianity’s. Currently, Christians maintain an overwhelming majority of Republican voters, while, in the Democratic party, they make up only slightly over half of the electorate. Most of the time, Republicans can simply point to their stance on social-cultural issues, such as the issue of life or issues of religion, to sway Christian voters.
Very few people will dispute that, on cultural issues, Republicans offer a stronger appeal to Christian values. However, many Democrats believe that their party holds the moral high ground on other policy issues, such as economics. Studying the values espoused in the Bible and comparing those to each party platform will reveal the complexities in that claim.
In recent days, Congress has been examining a Democrat proposed “wealth tax.” According to proponents of the new code, the wealth tax is simple: it takes money from the wealthiest Americans and puts it in the hands of those who need it the most. Some may even argue that this policy aligns with Christian values. After all, Christian teachings suggest that those who are more fortunate have the responsibility to help out those in need.
Many variations of this argument are used to suggest that Democrat’s redistributionist policies align with Christian values. In reality, however, the opposite is true. A “wealth tax” and similar policies are antithetical to Christian teachings for two main reasons. First, the Bible makes clear that stealing is a sin. There’s no footnote that makes exceptions for when stealing supposedly goes toward a good purpose. And since this redistributionist world view focuses on taking the wealth of others, it is illogical to suggest that it is aligned with Christian values. The second reason these policies are inconsistent with Christianity requires studying specific teaching surrounding Christian’s obligation to others. Indeed, it is true that Christians are instructed to help out those less fortunate. But that’s exactly the point. Christians are instructed that they, themselves, have an obligation to help others. Corinthians states that “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9).
The Bible never suggests that Christians should force Jeff Bezos to give his money away or that they should advocate for policy that does the same. The commandment is that they must work and take time out of their own lives for others (Mark 10). Viewing Democrats’ preferred economic policy from this perspective reveals just how inaccurate it is to suggest that they better align with Christian values on these issues.
Another issue that some Democrats use to suggest that their platform better aligns with Christianity is the issue of climate. Most Christians would agree that it is their job to protect nature and the world we’ve been given. And since the climate is a big issue for Democrats, at the surface, it would seem that their policies make sense from a Christian perspective. Once again, however, the reality is more complicated.
The most popular climate proposal in the Democratic party is the “Green New Deal.” This policy purports to solve the climate problem, as indicated by its name. But it also radically changes the energy industry, the housing and healthcare industries and sets up universal basic income and universal child care. The Democrats have made it clear that when they talk about the “climate,” they don’t actually mean “climate.” They mean restructuring the American system and rewriting the contract between the individual and government. On the other hand, many Republicans support regulations to keep the environment clean. Perhaps this wasn’t the case in years past, but modern Republicans have expressed concern about these issues. What they do not support is the massive, radical shift that Democrats want. From a religious perspective, it is clear that, once again, Republican policy aligns with the Christian teachings that encourage good environmental stewardship. However, the Democrats’ ideas on climate include so many other policies that the focus isn’t even on the climate anymore.
While Democrats may claim a moral high ground on economic and environmental issues, this is not actually the case. Redistributionist policies are tantamount to stealing and do not accurately reflect the Bible’s ideal of charity. Moreover, Democrats cannot fairly claim to be the only party interested in preserving the climate since many Republicans have made the environment an important issue. Furthermore, the Democrats’ Green New Deal is as much an attack on American industry as an attempt to solve climate change. By studying how religious texts relate to policy areas, it becomes clear that the belief that the Democratic Party better represents Christian values lacks sufficient biblical evidence.
