Religion in the U.S. elections
By Lorenzo Gonzalo Read Spanish Version
Religion, which is supposed to be a source of consolation, hope and joy for the human soul, in the United States is also an election tool.
Using religion to govern is as old as humanity itself. We only need to remember that the warrior chiefs used to consult the tribal witch before making decisions. Whether they honestly believed this is irrelevant.
The shaman or guru — or any of the many names for these "seers of the future," whose predictions were pure symbologies that could be interpreted in various manners — had special importance for the warriors and members of the tribe.
We’re not going to expound on the development and the various modalities of such an old practice. But the primitive characters were more genuine and real than the Church, which managed and directed the feuds, organized crusades against "The Orient," apportioned "The New World" to the Spaniards and the Portuguese by means of the Treaty of Tordesillas, established limits on the rule of the incipient nation-states, etc.
The "witch doctors" utilized essential elements, born of experience, that allowed the tribesmen to plant crops in the best place and at the best time, to forecast the weather, predict enemy attacks, and so on. They were the wise men of their time, intelligent people, no doubt, capable of interpreting daily events and converting them into useful experiences.
The situation today is different. Religion is simply an excellent diversionary practice to control Power. As it has always been in society, it is an old custom that responded to real necessities and became — as years passed — the caricature it is today.
Mitt Romney is the son of George Romney. Both are Mormons. The father was a Republican presidential candidate in 1968. His withdrawal from the contest did not allow the American people to question his beliefs.
However, his son, a candidate for the presidency in 2008, is constantly pressured because he belongs to the Church of Jesus of the Latter-Day Saints. Conservatives say he must change religion to gain broader acceptance.
When the candidates were Protestants, whether Baptists or Methodists, any religious debate during the campaign was muted. It was in the 1960 elections, with John F. Kennedy, a Catholic presidential candidate, that religious became a scabrous subject.
In the 2008 elections, the issue has gained unusual importance. When the candidates are questioned, they are asked to respond to the social and political problems on the basis of their religious beliefs and some have to punish themselves intellectually to hide their divorces, which almost always are there, between realities and dogmatic beliefs.
The claim of a crusade, raised by Bush to cover up the unjust occupation of Iraq, has influenced candidates such as Senator Barak Obama, who has publicly stated that he has "a personal relationship with Jesus Christ." Senator John McCain has confessed that "God created heaven and earth and that’s all there is to it." Senator Hillary Clinton confesses that the Baptist Church helped her "to save my marriage."
Religion is something like a stepping stone to Political Power. Mr. Romney has the greatest problems because he is a Mormon. At a time when many believe that the Middle East crisis is an issue of Bible vs. Koran, a Mormon is out of place in the electoral cortège.
And I say cortège because the elections in the U.S. are a way to bury the debate on reforms just to find a handsome or skillful candidate who can keep the party going.
Lorenzo Gonzalo is deputy director of Radio Miami.
