Either way, my intent was not to explicitly discuss the role of religion in government, though one can be free to discuss that here, but rather to muse about the possibility of God playing some more direct role in the affairs of the world at present.
I understand that. I merely wanted to make my original statement. I can't say I'm keen on turning it into a multi-page discussion however. Heh. That said, I doubt I'll post anymore other than the elaboration below. If you feel inclined to reply to anything specific, I'd be more than happy to hear your viewpoint as your posts are always well thought-out if nothing else.
I would agree with most of your statements in the seconds post. Perhaps I misunderstood
exactly what you were getting at initially. Certainly, politicians that use one platform to achieve opposing goals (or even abandon their original platform for one that is simply more popular) are not only wishy-washy but liars and exactly the kind of scum that continually erodes America's government. If however, (and this is what I thought you meant at first) a politician makes his religious beliefs clear yet acts in a politically secular manner, I would not
necessarily consider that wishy-washy.
In a perfect world, that's how it should and would work with everyone. Certainly, politicians should make use of any experience they have (whether it be spiritual or academic) to help them come to a decision. That does not mean however, that one should let their own personal views influence policy making. I think that a key element in any politician is their ability to separate personal views from what will be fairest for
everyone. And that is not limited to religion by any means.
Now, to give you some idea of where I stand; I'm a particularly spiritual person myself. I don't claim any specific denomination, as I have developed my own beliefs over what has been almost two decades. I personally think that anyone who allows themselves to be told what they believe is inherently just following and not actually choosing. This is a problem that any religion has, as parents often times (unknowingly) force faith upon their children from the very beginning. There is, of course, a fine, and not readily visible line between teaching your offspring your beliefs and effectively brainwashing them while they're young and ripe for influence.
My own views developed, ironically enough, from playing a pagan while I was younger. Being a Wiccan and freaking people out was "cool", but I grew out of it like most teenage girls do. That's not to say that I completely abandoned the ideology though. It, like most paths, promotes harmony with ones self and others. I personally still don't believe in any specific deity, but instead use ones from many different pantheons (you could call me polytheistic, I guess) for the abundance of
meaning that they all possess. It's the same for "rituals". Many of them may look to be primitive displays, but it is the symbolism that is important. They act as reminders of why I do the things I do, hopefully giving me some personal value or meaning in day-to-day life. It's really no different than anyone's holiday festivities, except that perhaps I know the meaning behind the tradition and not just the marketing campaign.
I have customized and/or entirely tailor-made every facet of my belief system (though I am hesitant to call it that) because I would feel as though I wasn't doing
myself justice otherwise. I understand that such a drastically spiritual life isn't for everyone, yet I can't help but feel that those people who simply grow up only half-knowing the one system that they were told to believe in as a child are missing out on precisely why people once found it to be so important. Ironically, those are typically the people that will defend their religion as the only answer and refuse to recognize merit in anything else. Or conversely, those people that have no guidance (whether it be a god or personal code) and thrive on a selfish existence.
It all really boils down to a general lack of acceptance, regardless of what side you are on. That is why I believe strongly in a separation of church and state, as thought of by todays "revisionist" standards if you will. It has nothing to do with wanting the destruction of any or all religion, but rather to preserve the freedom that people have to exercise whatever faith they prefer. And not only that, but more overtly political freedoms as well. I may be particularly liberal in the majority of my views, but I feel no bias when I say that many of the people who use religion as their sole tool of influence in todays America would be more likely to limit personal freedom than others. This is seemingly because a lot of people have turned their faith into (or have had it turned into) a system of fear and hate. You hear a lot about the "culture war" today, and I think that it is a fairly valid assessment. Stereotypically, you have the superficially religious side wanting to limit freedoms by imposing
their personal views upon others for so-called victimless "crimes". Not only is that unfair to the people who would be affected by said limitations, but also unfair for anyone of faith that do not use it as such an instrument, as it makes them look bad by loose association.
I'm fairly sure that, when laid out plainly, just about anyone can agree with what has been said. Believe what you want to believe, but don't expect others to. I know I don't, but I'm always receptive to those who think differently, so long as they are not condescending toward me for disagreeing. And that goes for everything, not just spirituality. A general lack of goodwill toward our fellow man is perhaps the biggest problem that the world suffers from today (or yesterday). It is misfortune that I don't believe will ever go away, especially as people seemingly become more greedy and more selfish every moment that passes.
Anyway, thank you for allotting me with the opportunity to offer up a little insight into myself. It felt a lot less awkward than I initially thought, even if I didn't go very far into specifics. Having it all typed out is, of course, different than verbally speaking of it as I'm accustomed to.
