This election is an endorsement
of separation of church and state, and complies with the First Amendment. The
November ballot has produced two clear outcomes: A loss of control and start of
Armageddon countdown for conservatives. And the beginning of freedom enshrined
in our constitution for the moderate majority – Mike Ghouse
Before we move away from the
election, I would like to ask you another question stemming from last week’s
results:
What do the outcomes at the
ballot box mean for people of faith?
That question may sound broad,
but look at some of the issues:
Not only did we have a president
reelected with an agenda of middle-class economics, but we had states both
ratifying and defeating gay marriage amendments and approving and disapproving
the use of marijuana. We also had two Senate races determined in part by the
way candidates talked about God and rape.
What’s more, we had a Mormon
heading a ticket for the first time. We had one party in the unusual position
of not having a Protestant running for president or vice president. And we had
minority voters who once had been on the fringe of society sharply shaping the
outcome of a presidential election.
Mercifully, we had little
religious skirmishing during the general election. But there were plenty of
religious-themed issues in play.
MIKE GHOUSE, President,
Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas
This election is an endorsement
of separation of church and state, and complies with the First Amendment.
The November ballot has produced
two clear outcomes: A loss of control and start of Armageddon countdown for
conservatives. And the beginning of freedom enshrined in our constitution for
the moderate majority.
The idea of end days is common
among Christian and Muslim fundamentalists, but no stranger to other traditions
either.
Abortion is a major issue, and
it is appalling to many conservatives that we are going against God and
listening to Satan. Seven candidates lost election on this count. We may
disagree with them, but that is their belief and we have to honor that, as long
as it is not imposed on others.
Same-sex marriage continues to
be a difficult issue and every conservative has his own understanding of Sodom
and Gomorrah at the tip of their tongue. And a few of them have blamed Katrina,
Haiti and other disasters as God’s punishment.
The moderate majority sees this
as reaffirmation of our Founding Fathers dream: “ We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and
the pursuit of Happiness.”
As a pluralist, I don’t see it
as liberals ganging up on conservatives, but rather seeking their God-given
freedom to live in pursuit of their happiness, without imposing it on those who
believe otherwise.
Even God did not impose his will
on Adam, he gave him the choice to eat the forbidden fruit or not, and when the
choice was made, God did not slap Adam or Eve for making the wrong choice.
Thank God for that, I would not have wanted to miss experiencing the joy of
living on the earth.
My religious beliefs are for me
to practice and not impose on others. Each one of us has to live by our own
moral compass.
This vision was expressed by
President Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address: “This nation, under God, shall
have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people,
for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Did Lincoln ever mean
government of clergy for the people?
. . . . . .
The
Texas Faith blog is a discussion among formal and informal religious leaders
whose faith traditions express a belief in a transcendent power – or the
possibility of one. While all readers are invited to participate in this blog,
by responding in the comments section, discussion leaders are those whose
religion involves belief in a divine higher power or those who may not believe
in a transcendent power but leave room for the possibility of one. Within this
framework, moderators William McKenzie and Wayne Slater seek to bring a
diversity of thinkers onto the Texas Faith panels.
MikeGhouse is a speaker, thinker and a
writer on pluralism, politics, peace
making, foreign policy, Islam, interfaith, and
cohesion at work place or social settings. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers
pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a strong
presence on national local TV, Radio and Print Media, and is a frequent guest
on Sean
Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he
contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas
Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other
periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything
you want to know about him.
