During the current election season and the never-ending discussion of the separation of state and church, various candidates have no qualms about making their religious views or lack of them a major issue in an effort to alarm those present of the dangers in choosing any other candidate for the office of president.
A candidate who must continually hammer home his religious viewpoints takes away from his all-important political intent, where he must deal fairly with all citizens.
What if this scenario were reversed and during the search for a new leader of a particular congregation or church body, elected officials began showing up at regular meetings of that group with admonitions about which potential leader to choose, because of his or her political alliance?
Would not the members of such a congregation, sect, parish, etc. feel resentment toward the interference by anyone holding public office?
Oddly enough, the non-members or unbelievers may have more sympathy for the targeted group than in current circumstances when the church faithful tend to rally around a candidate who speaks their language and misconstrues the hidden agenda of stressing religious viewpoints or the lack thereof.
It goes back to the old adage of divide and conquer and that is a serious threat to both church and state.
H.M. Finnie
Lucerne
