Dear Religious Right: It’s My God, Too

sistinegod.jpgI am positively ecstatic about the shift in the cultural tide, away from the stifling narrowness of the neoconservatives. We’re moving towards a more liberal agenda and policies, but we’re also seeing a long-needed resurgence of traditional conservatism with its fiscal restraint and hope for smaller government. While Sarah Palin managed to “energize the base” (whose “base”? “Base” of what exactly?), the backlash has been energizing for the rest of us.

Colin Powell stepped up in support of American Muslims and Jon Stewart led the smackdown on Palin and McCain’s “real America” claims. We’re getting closer, but we’re not there yet. Obama needs to get elected, conservatives need to put forth substantive candidates who don’t pander to the religious right, and the rest of us need to continue to reclaim our country, and especially, our God.

I am not a born-again Christian. Technically, I’m not even a Christian. Neither am I an agnostic. I believe there is most definitely a “God” though I am of the belief that we as humans are too simple to even begin to comprehend the depth and breadth of what God is. I believe we have a sense of God, a palpable sense that we define for ourselves. This definition takes the form of many religions and views. The sooner we come to understand that it’s the same God we all feel, the better, more humble, less punitive, and certainly more tolerant we’ll become.

While I espouse tolerance, I tread the fine line that many of us struggle with: I have no tolerance for zealots. I can’t stand abortion clinic bombers, nor can I bear Jewish or Islamic extremists who sow intolerance and promote war. One thing my palpable feeling of God taught me is that violence is not the answer.

The religious right in this country offends me because, like many religions, they claim to have exclusive coexist.jpgrights to God. That smug, narrow-minded, ignorant thinking, that Sarah Palin arrogance, has no place in American politics, no place in this country where diversity and religious freedom are two of our greatest accomplishments.

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October 24, 2008 | Filed Under Election '08, Perfect World 

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