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The Role Of Religion In Tennessee Politics

By Kleinheider Posted on July 16, 2009 at 1:51 pm

It wasn’t always in the fore and it will only stop when we decide it should:

It’s interesting how Tennessee attitudes toward religion in public life have changed. In the original state constitution, Article IX, Section 1, preachers are forbidden to serve in the Tennessee General Assembly. That’s because “their profession dedicated to God and the care of souls ought not to be diverted from the great duties of their functions…” It was sound advice then and it’s sound advice now. Not that preachers ought to be banned from public service, but rather the attitude that if your mission is to care for souls and serve God, you don’t need to be doing it in politics.

Sin is not the exclusive province of either political party. What most of us find disturbing, however, is not the sin. We understand it. All have sinned and fallen short, the New Testament tells us. What we find particularly disgusting are politicians who get elected and reelected mouthing Biblical platitudes and family values, and attacking the private lives of others while they are busy getting it on with a staffer or a south of the border mistress.

They do it because it works. They’ll stop when we stop voting for those who use pulpits and Bible verses and sanctimonious testimony in their quest for public office.

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Comments

6 Responses to “The Role Of Religion In Tennessee Politics”

  1. common sense writes
    July 16th, 2009 2:04 pm

    Just be like Zach Wamp and keep it all a big secret…

  2. David Oatney writes
    July 16th, 2009 2:10 pm

    Atheists are also forbidden to serve in State office, and in terms that are as strong or stronger-but we do not hear that being discussed.

  3. MCO writes
    July 16th, 2009 3:49 pm

    It doesn’t concern me that atheists politicize their faith. It concerns me greatly that Christians politicize theirs.

  4. David Oatney writes
    July 16th, 2009 4:17 pm

    If it is bad to politicize one, it is equally as bad to politicize the other.

  5. Tom Paine writes
    July 16th, 2009 6:25 pm

    They’re not competing denominations, Oatney.

    Christians politicize their faith when running for office because they know Christians are in the majority and they often want public policy to take a Christian worldview.

    Atheists simply raise their voices when (usually) Christians try to frame public policy to a religious world view.

    Christians believe since they’re the majority, public policy should be formulated with them in mind, atheists believe the Framers put in the Establishment clause of the Constitution to keep any one religious view from oppressing others.

    To simply say “they do it, too!” belies a gross misunderstanding of the separation of church and state.

  6. Wintermute writes
    July 16th, 2009 7:09 pm

    I just stopped by to say excellent blog post. Oatney, where’s YOUR citation?

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