Republican versus Democrat Religion

In an email conversation that took place following the previous blog post, “Proposition: Would you become my slave?”, it quickly turned into an argument about presidential religious practices. While answering a question, the difference between Republican and Democrat presidential religious practices suddenly dawned on me.

In a nutshell, Democrat presidents pronounce a belief in faith and openly go to religious services on a regular basis. However, they also claim their religious beliefs have no bearings on the decisions they make as president.

Republican presidents, on the other hand, not only pronounce a belief in faith and go to religious services on a regular basis, they are also truthful in stating their religious beliefs influence the decisions they make as president.

This is where the trouble starts.

No matter how much one tries, their belief or non-belief in a faith is going to influence their decisions. As much as President Barack Obama wants to claim the twenty years he spent in Rev. Jeremiah Wrights Church does not influence him, he is either lying outright or he slept through every sermon.

No other president has proclaimed his faith quite as much as President George W. Bush, with reports that he openly expressed that he was instructed by God to invade Iraq. According to a report on Beliefnet.com, Bush has referenced a higher power an average of six times during his inaugural or State of the Union speeches. Next in line behind Bush was President Ronald Reagan with 4.75 references per speech (inaugural or State of the Union).

Reagan, especially in the later years of his presidency, was found to not only believe in God but also in astrology. He was known to consult with an astrologer almost daily and it is believed that he picked George H. W. Bush to be his vice-presidential running mate based on the advice of astrologer Joyce Jillson.

Whether one believes in a God, Christian or otherwise, or believes in astrology, crystal ball gazing, or Tarot cards, you have to know the beliefs of the person that occupies the highest position of power in the free world. If that person cannot be open about their beliefs and how it influences their decisions, can they truly be open about anything else, especially things more down to earth?

The Democrat religious viewpoint is one of political expediency. Pronounce a belief in faith to draw in the voters that are religious, but denounce the thought of religion playing any role in presidential decisions to draw in the atheist voters.

Everyone may not agree with the religious beliefs of Republican presidents, but you always knew what they believed in and how it guided their decision making process.