Why A Candidate's Religion Matters

"Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's" (Luke 20:24). This famous instruction by Jesus to his disciples is often used to justify the need to separate church and state. This may be a difficult task for us today when deciding which candidate to vote for in the upcoming Presidential elections, particularly since so many have such strong or controversial convictions of faith such as Mitt Romney (Mormon).

Charles Haynes, Senior Scholar at the First Amendment Center tells us Romney's values may very well be "shaped by the candidate's faith, even if his policies are not dictated by any formal church organization," Religion Is An Issue (Feb. 2007), and we can see a hint of what may come of this in Bush's current "Faith-Based Initiative" battle in the courts. It appears those who are not of any religious persuasion feel government money should not be provided to religious charitable organizations, despite the good they do, because of the clear-cut separation of church and state.

When we take a closer look at the Biblical reference above, we can begin to understand what exactly Jesus was saying about religion and civic duty and why a political figure's faith (if put into action and hopefully it will) is absolutely an issue in the upcoming election.

First, as to whether believers should pay taxes, Jesus asked the disciples to look at the silver denarius coin's likeness and inscription of Caesar for an answer. It is interesting to note that the denarius equaled a full day's average wage (approximately $100 today). If we look at a modern day equivalent symbol of enlightenment, we would be staring into the face of Benjamin Franklin on a hundred-dollar bill. He was the father of the Declaration of Independence and the words "In God We Trust" now appears on our currency. What exactly are we expected to be rendering unto our political leaders?

Why is choosing a great leader so important in the first place? First Peter 2:13 tells us to "submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution" be they governor or king. For this reason Christians are very weary of who it is they might be in submission to and further, we are told not to hold our faith "with an attitude of personal favoritism" (James 2:1), which means we cannot be so arrogant as to assume our leaders believe as we do or for that matter will do as the majority hopes. This is particularly relevant when considering a candidate who might not be of our particular religion or race such as Barak Obama.

Athough every American citizen loves and respects their Constitutional right to liberty, a Christian elected official is held up to be "one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer,...." (James 1:25). Candidate Rudy Giuliani (former Mayor of New York during 9/11), Sen. John Kerry and Republican Sen. John McCain (former valiant soldiers), as well as Sen. Hillary Clinton (wife of former Pres. Clinton) certainly have shown us fortitude, resolve and reliance upon faith and exemplified this into action. As to whether a candidates' qualifications or gender matters: "If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down, all alone - these together ought to be able to turn it back and get it right side up again; and they is asking to do it. The men better let 'em." (Sojourner Truth 1851) as cited in Beyond God the Father, (Daly, page 98).

Bush is simply following the same evasive path as Pontius Pilate did. When Pilate "saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting," he washed his hands of the whole affair saying to the multitude, "see to that yourselves" (Matt. 27:24). So we must look into the future and decide which candidate will best resolve the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan plus any potential future conflicts. The candidates' faith, religion, beliefs, inherent truths, conscience, and other "habits of the heart" will most certain play an essential role in how the election and future of the US will play out. More importantly, by the peoples' support, it will show what the majority of eligible voters currently believe or will tolerate.

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