RELIGIONS AND POLITICS IN UNITED STATES

Religions and politics in United States

Religions and Politics in United States

Question 1: In what ways do religious communities - Jewish, Christian, and Muslim - overlap with the political order?

Religions and politics in the US certainly play a significant and important role in several ways. However, the main religions established in the US, namely the Christianity, followed by Judaism and Islam does play a major role in specific conditions while making any laws and amendments. These amendments certainly reflect the political and religious framework on the US political structure. Intuitively, US democracy would be a unique case where these religions would certainly integrate the public sphere. This intuition is based on the fact that the early Puritan settlers have directly influenced the founding fathers. This view nevertheless is wrong. The US republic, essentially secular, is based on two fundamental principles namely the state neutrality in terms of spiritual and religious freedom. However, throughout the history of this country the current Conservative Protestants have tried in reversing the gains of secularism. Thus, the US has existed throughout the history of two contradictory tendencies who try to take over on one another. This is the spirit of secularism that defines a position where the state must remain neutral and the spirit of religion that wants to put the civil order under the guidance is Christianity.

The architecture of the US federal system promotes religious influence in politics. Indeed, the primacy of the elections and federalism is an open door to mobilize religious voters. The majority voting system to turn multiplies the influence of religious groups made politically. Candidates cannot display their faith.

Religious groups are organized into lobbies. For example, Baptists organized in the 1830s. They create a party in 1850 to defend the so-called Protestant identity threatened by the massive immigration of Catholics. Closer to home, the movement called Christian right hang over the political life. These religious movements have various impacts. They imposed religious requirements and play a role in public debates. This has been the case of black churches in the 1950s and 1960s who acted against segregation, with the support of Protestant organizations.

Religion is an admixture of public debate whose weight can be important depending on the period. However, this influence must be tempered by the diversity of these churches. Indeed, there is not a united religious bloc that has set the tone in politics. Religious pluralism has a strong presence in the US and may go against the influence of a Church on politics. In addition, churches are also crossed by this pluralism within them. Fractures between liberals, conservatives and orthodox are found in each. Federalism is also a counterweight to that influence. Finally, these religious groups organized lobbies may represent millions of votes. This is true of evangelicals or fundamentalists in the 1970s. The use and recovery policy of religion in the US are an important phenomenon. The use of religious terms and references by politicians is ...