Thursday Thinking - Divided by God

Divided by God
New York Times - April 7
By ROSS DOUTHAT

Ross Douthat is an Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times. This very thought provoking op-ed column appeared in the New York Times on April 7 and was adapted and excerpted from his new book, Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics.

In the column, Douthat makes some astute observations that are helpful in sorting out the ways American religion has come to shape the nation's political tensions and discourse. The opposite direction of influence is also worth considering, and Douthat's insights shed light upon ways our national civic experience is influencing the general mood and perspectives of religious groups in America.

Here are a few short excerpts from the piece to spark your interest:

Barack Obama, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum all identify as Christians, but their theological traditions and personal experiences of faith diverge more starkly than any group of presidential contenders in recent memory. These divergences reflect America as it actually is: We’re neither traditionally Christian nor straightforwardly secular. Instead, we’re a nation of heretics in which most people still associate themselves with Christianity but revise its doctrines as they see fit, and nobody can agree on even the most basic definitions of what Christian faith should mean.
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But there are costs to being a nation in which we’re all heretics to one another, and no religious orthodoxy commands wide support. Our diversity has made us more tolerant in some respects, but far more polarized in others.
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Americans have never separated religion from politics, but it makes a difference how the two are intertwined. When religious commitments are more comprehensive and religious institutions more resilient, faith is more likely to call people out of private loyalties to public purposes, more likely to inspire voters to put ideals above self-interest, more likely to inspire politicians to defy partisan categories altogether. But as orthodoxies weaken, churches split and their former adherents mix and match elements of various traditions to fit their preferences, religion is more likely to become indistinguishable from personal and ideological self-interest.

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