religion in politics?

Due to this being election time, there has been some talk of whether it is appropriate for a politician to use his/her faith as a filter for decisions he/she makes. That is an interesting question when you think on it deeply.

How do you make a decision in the first place? Here are some options.

1. You take prior information that you have processed, you seek out the wisdom of those with expertise in the area of concern, and you compare all of this with possible actions you could take. After careful consideration, you decide.

2. You decide quickly using your “gut” instinct

3. You think about what would be to your best personal advantage, and you decide on that

4. You find out what most people would think and you go with that

Only the first option seems right and reasonable. So, prior information and the wisdom of others is your filter. Then the questions become what and who? What prior information and whose expertise?

Everyone has a worldview they use as a filter. If your worldview is “keep religion out of the decision” then you can’t decide. Everyone has a “religion”; a filter through which they view the world.

If you are of the “no god” variety you are simply filtering through the “no god” faith. Most “no god” folks have faith in some form of Darwinian evolution. Their decisions are then of the classic “survival of the fittest” variety, and they would logically use number three from above to make a decision and we know that would be wrong for public policy.

So, the only option for sound decision making is to use a worldview of some sort and arrive at a decision. “Religion” in political decision making is then absolutely essential. It is just a matter of competing worldviews. Which worldview is most reasonable? Put your ideas on the table and let’s decide.