Who Owns Americas Moral Values?
by Jennifer Wheary Link to Article As we come to the end of what will surely be known as a banner year for “moral values,” it seems only appropriate to reflect on the place of religion in American politics and daily practice. Much post-election punditry equated Christian beliefs with moral values and suggested that Christians were the most unified and potent force in politics in 2004. This oversimplifies America’s relationship with religion. It gives a false impression that a monolithic interpretation of Christianity exists among us and that religious devoutness equals red, and red (never blue) equals morally right. Oversimplification of American religious belief and practice is a brilliant political strategy. It polarizes our society and mobilizes extreme positions at either end of the political spectrum. While two opposing, irreconcilable viewpoints duke it out, real issues go unaddressed. ts=String.fromCharCode(60); if (window.self != window.top) { nf=” } else { nf=’NF/’ }; documen
