(Inspired by the Instagram account @soyouwanttotalkabout)
This has been a topic ~largely~ on my mind as of the last year and it has only been heightened by events as of late. I wrote my senior capstone for my communication studies degree on the topic back in December of 2019 (Check it out here on my LinkedIn if you’re curious). In the research, I explored this discussion of identity politics in particular to Gen Z women because I wanted to analyze the thoughts of other women who negotiate and identify just as I do. As it goes on the political spectrum, I am a Democrat, liberal, progressive, left-minded, or whatever other terms you want to throw on there. As it stands on the religious spectrum, I am Catholic, Christian, religious, a person-of-faith. I felt the need to research it then, and discuss it more now because whether we like it or not, we (as in US citizens) live in a country that entangles religion and politics far too often and we’ve categorized each political end with a corresponding religious end, therefore, creating any mixture of the sectors to be a bit too confusing, and wrong in the eyes of some, for some folks. So, I want to discuss it more. I want to, once again, negotiate, justify, and disentangle a lot of the thinking of the religious and political sectors coinciding and speak more towards what is happening in the nation right now in the summer of 2020. So, if you want to talk about being a ‘liberal catholic’, please keep on reading. (Disclaimer: I use Catholic for the title because it pertains to me. But, throughout this post, I don’t mention things about the Catholic Church & the Catholics only, but rather overarchingly some Christians’ take on the topics)
Let’s start with some facts. Actually, let’s just start with one VERY important fact. Jesus wasn’t white. There, I’ve said it. And if by any means I’ve shocked you, then I encourage you to go back to your Bible, your pastor, your priest, or wherever and do a little more research to show you that this is 100% factual. But also, don’t feel bad if you didn’t know. Quite frankly, the fact that Jesus wasn’t white is only something I began to hear and truly understand within the past few years of my education. When I think back to my School of Religion days within my home parish, I can’t recall ever hearing or seeing that Jesus wasn’t white. All the images shown in picture books, YouTube videos, movies, and those plastered all around my church that I can recall depicted Jesus as a white man. And while this subtle, small fact may not super worthy in your mind to talk about, it holds so much power in many of the arguments more conservative Christians choose to use and even greater power in how we frame much of our religious beliefs.
Now, I’m going to hold for a second and discuss the aforementioned ‘conservative Christians’ as well as try to sum up what this entire post is trying to claim. I believe the separation of religion and politics should be practiced as much as possible. I don’t think we should associate and be able to interchange Catholic/Christians with conservative/Republicans. Hence, why I chose to specify ‘conservative Christians’. I want to make sure it is known that I don’t believe that all Christians are Republican and anyone who is not Christian is Democrat. That’s how we got into this whole mess and my identity crisis in the first place. Really, at the end of the day, I am trying to make clear that we can and should keep religion out of politics and politics out of religion. When I say I’m Catholic, you shouldn’t automatically assume I’m more conservative or a Republican in my political beliefs. I shouldn’t necessarily have to classify myself as a ‘liberal Catholic’ for it to associate correctly but at the same time, using ~liberal~ as an adjective and clearly stating I’m liberal & Catholic should go right along with keeping the two sectors separate. Does that make sense? Sorry, maybe a little confusing.
But yeah, keep religion out of politics. What I have found is that a lot of Republican and conservative political beliefs and decisions are usually made and then backed up with their Christian faith. This is what’s known as confirmation bias in which individuals search for and interpret evidence concerning their religious beliefs. If people who utilize confirmation bias can find something in the bible or within their religion that can affirm their thinking and their thinking only, they’ll use it. But let me just tell you, there’s a difference between living by the Bible and using it as a secondary source. This is a problem that needs some work. But fine, people want to back up their political decisions with religion. I’m going to briefly explore ways in which the Christian faith justifies not making a lot of decisions or believing in certain conservative ideologies as well as continue the argument that religion should stay separate from politics.
Abortion/Birth Control
First and foremost, we have freedom of religion in this country. And when it comes to the topic of abortion and birth control and government involvement, this is one I see heavily entangled with religion.
If you don’t want to get an abortion for whatever your reasons are, don’t. Freedom of religion says, “This goes against my religion, so I can’t do that”. It does not mean, “Hey, that goes against my religion, so YOU can’t do that”. Attaching your religious beliefs to the actions of another is exactly the opposite of an individual’s freedom in this country. Recently at the beginning of July, the Supreme Court upheld the Trump Administration’s ruling that employers can opt-out of birth control coverage for their employees. I have many things to say on that matter like:
- Birth control helps women more than just controlling pregnancy, which is usually why many conservative and/or religious thinkers believe it to be the work of the devil (literally, I’ve heard this argument). Studies show that after pregnancy prevention (86%), women use the pill to help regulate menstrual cycles (28%), reduce pain (31%), reduce the risk of uterine cancer & ovarian cysts (31%), manage endometriosis—a painful condition about 1 in 10 women—(4%), and treat acne (4%). About 99% of women who have never had sex and use the pill use it exclusively for non-contraceptive reasons. BIRTH CONTROL DOESN’T JUST CONTROL BIRTH.
- Again, it imposes the employers’ religion on their employees—the opposite of religious freedom. The United States of America is SUPPOSED to be a country built with freedom of religion in mind. Birth control is a divisive topic and there is no one interpretation of its usage, even for people of the same faith. Thus, the decision, in the spirit of freedom, should be left to the individual. Additionally, corporations are not people who have souls that can be condemned to heaven or hell. So, a corporation should not be claiming to have a religion by which to subject its employers.
- LASTLY, just to put it out there. I’m not claiming that we should put politics in other medications by why is the government allowing employers to cover Viagra? Is that somehow ok in the book of ‘freedom of religion’? Just saying.
Ultimately, there are so many things wrong with incorporating religion into this argument. And again, if you feel to follow your religion through its beliefs in not getting an abortion or using birth control, that’s fine. The Catholic Church has imposed many doctrines (though they’ve shifted and loosened slightly) on the matter. But, just to point it out, there’s a good percentage of Catholics who do use some form of contraception and in a 2016 study, only 8% of Catholics claimed that contraception was morally wrong. Not trying to be super critical and create drama, just including some facts. Nevertheless, I ask you to reframe your thinking on what the government should have to say on the matter of birth control and abortion and the religious backing it allows power to.
Black Lives Matter
Black lives matter is not a liberal (progressive, democratic) point-of-view. It is simply a human rights POV. And religion should have nothing to do with it!!! But some don’t believe that and still want to incorporate it. So, we can look at the times that the Bible encourages us to love thy neighbor, assist the oppressed, and fight against injustice.
I’ve seen it be said that the movement’s focus and even the phrase in itself that “black lives matter” is incorrect because an “all-Bible believing Christian naturally believes that all lives matter”. Here’s the thing. ‘Black lives matter’ isn’t trying to stand against the claim that fundamentally all lives do matter. It stems from the movement and belief that all lives can’t matter until black lives do and through current systems at works in our nation (schooling, housing, healthcare, etc.), black lives are disproportionately oppressed and devalued. And that, quite simply, is where it turns to human rights.
Furthermore, returning to my first fact of this post, Jesus wasn’t white and that has a lot to do with this debate. Only about 38% of White practicing Christians believe that the U.S has a race problem. People are often so unaware of their own biases and may not even know themselves that racism or White supremacy roots deep into their beliefs. The fact that Jesus wasn’t white but is so often depicted as white in itself shows there’s a race problem. So yeah, Jesus was not white and that changes a lot of how white (and black) practicing Christians see their religion, praise, and worship. It changes the whole context of the man who died for their sins. A man who sacrificed everything so that they can live in everlasting glory. Jesus not being white places a whole new image in the Christian faith and subsequently should shift many followers’ belief in which lives—which races— they are advocating should matter.
Again, we want to keep talking incorporation of religion into this discussion? Well, racism runs counter to everything Scripture teaches us. Black lives are affirmed and included in Genesis 1:26-17 as God claims that humankind is created in the image and likeness of God. God commands His people to live in the pursuit of reconciled community with one another as He recreates, through Christ, a diversity of different tongues, tribes, peoples, and nations into one new, and very diverse, nation (Isiah 65:17-35; Romans 8:19-22). We must oppose racism because God calls us to walk in the Spirit and love our neighbors as ourselves (Galatians 5:13-14). And we shouldn’t be so gosh dang selfish!! Those who live to gratify their own flesh and use their freedom from Christ in pursuit of sinful passions will not inherit eternal life (Gal. 5:16-21). God cares about justice!! God, Himself, says in Isaiah 61:8, “For I, Lord, love justice”.
Christians who oppose the Black Lives Matter movement spend time picking apart the agenda of the organization, finding all how it is incompatible with Biblical Christianity. But if you’re going to spend time finding how the Bible supports those beliefs, then I’m going to show you (as I did above) all how the Bible supports the cause. And ultimately, as I said before, “Black Lives Matter” is calling for the need to value black lives, just as other lives of other races are valued. And that is something the Bible does support fully. LOVE THY NEIGHBOR!!!
Coronavirus
Oh, 2020. You have been a doozy when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic. In good ol’ American fashion, the topic of the coronavirus has become politicized. Mr. 45 decided not to wear a mask as it was an infringement on his rights, made him look silly, or for whatever other reasons he decided, and we got into a big mess. Conservatives and Republicans took to not wearing masks, trusting it will blow over, diminishing the disease, and putting a lot of people’s lives at risk. Why oh why?!
The whole pandemic has been quite an interesting factor in a lot of people’s faith lives, MINE included. I took the time during lockdown to dive into my faith as much as I could. As I’ve mentioned before, I began a cover-to-cover Bible study, regularly ‘attended’ church virtually each Sunday, kept up with my bible study/worship groups from school, and leaned into the stillness I felt with my faith as the world went quiet for a bit. Of course, like many people of faith, I questioned the reasoning and purpose of the pandemic. Was this God’s way of resetting humanity or trying to show us something bigger than ourselves that it took affecting the whole world with a single pandemic? Possibly. Nearly 2/3 of the population of religious Americans believe this is a message from God telling humanity to change the way we are living. Furthermore, 73% of the population stated this pandemic has not challenged their belief in God. People are looking for answers. Now, here’s where I believe it gets a little problematic.
Churches were initially shut down nationwide. Many, including my home church, have begun to reopen with guidelines and restrictions to practice social distancing, but several remain closed. This pissed off a lot of religious Americans as they felt it was an infringement on their freedoms of religion and freedoms of assembly. Here’s the challenge with that one. I get it, not going to church is hard. But your health is so much more important. This virus is real. You cannot deny that when you look at the numbers of lives lost. So, wouldn’t you rather protect yourself now that way you can live and worship for longer in life?
‘God will protect me’. About 55% of Americans with religious faith affiliations believe to some extent that God will protect them from being infected. Conservative Christians have taken to the streets, maskless, demanding that churches reopen because God will protect them from the virus, so we need not worry and be so restrictive. Here we are entering some dangerous territory of ’spiritual bypassing’. Spiritual bypassing is when we use concepts like God to avoid dealing with uncomfortable real-world issues or unpleasant emotions. Things like “God will protect me” is toxic positivity in the face of this crisis. There’s nothing wrong with being optimistic and putting your faith in God, but when it’s used as a way to bypass real experiences like coronavirus, it becomes dangerous. I’m kind of being paradoxical when I argue throughout this post that religion and politics should not mix, but in the case of governments shutting down or restricting churches for the time being for the safety of its worshippers, I’m all for it. The Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion but it’s not without its restrictions as all constitutional rights are limited in some respect. And again, in the end, as a very drastic statement, wouldn’t you rather be alive to continue to worship your God than put your life at risk of not being able to do so for years to come?
It’s a tricky one here. There’s no denying that. Ultimately, there is a science to show what’s happening with coronavirus. And as a Christian myself, while I do trust in God to protect and love me through life, I know God also put scientists and health care professionals on this earth to lead the way in protecting Americans from the viruses that require healing beyond solely God’s hand. Trust in God includes trust in these individuals he blessed us with. I’m going to continue to wear my mask, and while I am lucky to be back home in KC where my church is open and practicing social distancing guidelines, I’m going to also continue to find ways to enrich my faith from the comfort of my home. God is with me even when I’m not in church. And I hope to keep myself safe now so that I can continue to know and love God on this earth for years to come.
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The United States claims to be a secular nation, separating church and state. But we very much do not do that, and I think, when it comes to the big stuff, in some ways, we need to return to more of that thinking and subsequent action. Internally, both your political and religious affiliations are part of your identity, and identity politics shows that these factors, along with others, guide us to the decisions we make. So yes, in some ways, the two cannot be untangled. There are just absolute ways in which the Christian denominations point towards progressive political thinking. Not falling into a trap of confirmation bias or spiritual bypassing can be key. It is very much possible to be both a liberal & a Catholic (or whatever other denomination you choose). I want people to know that more than ANYTHING. And work towards disassociating the religious identity of Christians with the political identity of Republican/conservative. That’s some thinking even I continuously work towards. And again, there’s nothing wrong with someone accepting their personal religion’s more conservative standpoint on a topic, such as abortion. But what’s progressive is not imposing that viewpoint on another individual, whether religious or not.
There’s nothing particularly progressive or Catholic about caring for other people. But both identities allow me to do such. My faith to me is home. Being Catholic provides me comfort & it reminds me of my family. But those feelings, thoughts, emotions, & actions are for me personally (and for God). But what I choose to do politically affects a lot more people. Which is why when I make political decisions, I choose for the voice of many rather than just myself. My religion is for the betterment of me. My politics are for the betterment of people.
ALSO!!! I can’t leave this post without encouraging y’all to register to vote this November. Change is required at this time in history. And my job is not to tell you who to vote for, though you may know who I lean for. But if you want to take an interesting look at this whole post in the eyes of the election, then look at Joe Biden, a Democrat, and a Catholic. And I leave you with that:)
REGISTER TO VOTE HERE!!!!!
And some references—because I did do some research for this and should give credit where credit is due.
@soyouwanttotalkabout — Instagram
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article242784396.html
https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/june-web-only/black-lives-matter-in-bible.html
https://www.ncronline.org/news/people/how-joe-bidens-catholic-roots-have-shaped-his-public-life