Want to win? Put Religion In The Back Seat

At the urging of several people on this site who have suggested that I do so, I have read the Constitution Party’s platform. In my opinion, it is top heavy with religious content and isn’t going to be a winner for that reason. No party which has as its basis a core set of tenets, directly attributed to the Holy Bible and thereby, subliminally, making the adherents to that faith a perceived elite, is going to be successful. That is not to say in the least that many, many more people do not share those core political and spiritual beliefs. It’s just that they don’t wish to have the faith, per se, thrown in their face. Such a platform is akin to the members of that party telling would-be members of that party, “if you are not a devout Christian and you don’t believe all these things which our bible supports, then you are not one of us. But it’s okay. We’ve provided for you anyway.”

For better or for worse, at the present time in our national culture, strict religious dogma is frowned upon by a significant percentage of our population, particularly many of whom we would like to win to our side in secular matters, by far our most pressing immediate concern.  No, I'm not referring to Liberals, but rather conservatives, Moderate Republicans and Independents too. In establishing a party which will win over disaffected Republicans and independents, we must appeal to those people.  By "appealing" to them, I do not mean to pander to their views as distorted by the press.  What I do mean is to take the conservative agenda directly to them, always staying on message, until they understand that our message embodies the ideals by which most of them live their lives anyway.  But, It’s vital to understand that they are people of all ages and backgrounds.  They are Americans of today, not two centuries ago.

The bible’s role in the formation of the United States and its constitution is unquestionable. However, to enjoy the fruits of life under such a constitution, one need not necessarily be a practicing Christian, nor be a practicing Christian to realize the sources of those fruits and the need to maintain them intact. The Constitution Party’s platform in effect, restates that there shall be no religious tests for holding office, religious freedom for all and etc. However, to one reading it for the first time, it appears to be a somewhat grudging acknowledgement given the context and the preamble.

Today’s Americans worship when and as they choose, if at all, which does not preclude them from either possessing what would be called a “Christian morality”, or of practicing the ten commandments in the conduct of their daily lives, whether or not the source of those instructions is the Old Testament of the Holy Bible.

The immediate task before those of us who are disaffected Republicans is to first stop the erosion of our nation’s founding principles. Having stopped that erosion, we must then return this nation to sober, sensible management with a federal government fully accountable to the people. Our task is not to establish some religious orthodoxy nor to put Christianity in the spotlight, if only as a written basis for our law. Our Declaration of Independence recognized our “Creator” and “nature’s God”, not Christ nor the bible. Those who are devout in their faith and their worship, for the time being, may practice as they wish. However, if we continue in the direction we’re presently traveling as a nation, that freedom would appear to be in jeopardy. If they wish to insure that they are able to worship as freely and earnestly as they do at the present time, they had better recognize that the solution lies not in converting everyone to their faith, an impossible task. They might consider their own reaction to someone trying to convert them to a different faith or a different way of viewing their faith. They would do far better to work the strictly secular aspects of politics, understanding that many, many Americans who are nowhere near as devout in their faith as those Constitutional Party leaders nonetheless share their political views and, but for the fear of the appearance of establishing a religious orthodoxy with themselves in a religious “underclass”, would love to participate alongside them.

The Constitution Party’s platform contains some wonderful thoughts and ideals, most of which should be brought into practice, in my opinion. It’s essentially a re-affirmation of our constitution with some excellent revisions. In looking for a replacement for a Republican Party which no longer serves its people and which leadership is in the iron grip of those who won’t permit it to do so, we must have every advantage because the task will be challenging. We therefore cannot afford to shoot ourselves in the feet by appealing to too narrow a segment of our population because of spiritual beliefs which will, in being too prominently and directly involved, turn many away. We must stick strictly to secular matters to win this battle and once it is joined, be very careful to produce a winning team.

The spirit and the mankind of 1776 exist today, but it is not 1776. Though mankind is the same as it was in 1776 in terms of our basic human needs and wants, our methods are very different socially today and we must account for those changes in order to win…and we must win.

Jeff Dover
July 5, 2012