Mixing religion and politics has long been an issue in the United States, and with the next presidential election upon us, some people are once again questioning the importance or unimportance of the separation or non-separation of church and state.
A recent survey conducted by The Pew Research Center reported the percentage gap between the general public thinking church and state should be separate has increased almost twenty percent over the past decade.
Four years ago fourty-four percent of the public thought the two should be kept separate. Today fifty-two percent say that the church should stay out of social and political matters.
Sixty-three percent say they want their leader to have the same beliefs and faith, but the church should not endorse nominees.
Eric Hankins, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Oxford, said he believes the Church should be separated from politics but Christians should be engaged in the political process.
“Politics is a product of world views, and religion is a belief system,” he said. “More people believe in separation of church and state nowadays because they believe that religion is a private matter whereas politics is very public.”
Hankins said he also believes that Christianity has been much more heavily focused upon in the lives of this year’s politicians and nominees.
“I’m a firm believer of religiously informed decisions,” he said. “Many values influence pubic policy and in turn, I believe in values voting.”
Hankins said he thinks a person should vote for the person who identifies most with their values.
“I don’t believe that someone should vote for a Baptist just because they are Baptist, or, in better words, don’t just vote for a Protestant just because they are Protestant,” Hankins said.
“Be informed with what they have to say and make your judgment on that,” he said. “For example: life and family, these are important issues of belief and are not something you can scientifically pinpoint what is right and what is wrong in different people’s eyes.”
Hankins said although he does strongly believe in informed moral values for decision making, other perspectives may have other insights to influence public policy. He has noticed people seem to be more comfortable with religion, however, especially around the South.
The Pew Forum survey, however, said although fifty-one percent of Americans don’t mind listening to politicians talk about how religious they are, fourty-six percent today say that they are becoming more uncomfortable with it.
In contrast, the survey finds 72 percent of Americans agree with the president having strong religious beliefs.
Thirty percent of college graduates agree it is important for the president to have strong religious beliefs while 27 percent disagree, and only 21 percent of young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 agree and 38 percent disagree.
Kyle Kite, associate pastor of worship and students at First Baptist Church of Oxford, said he thinks faith and religious views do play an important part in politics but believes that a combined church and state would not be a good thing.
“There should not be what you could call a state religion,” he said. “Even though I believe in the separation of the two, I do think that it is impossible to separate beliefs from publics actions completely. Many politicians use their faith to and religious beliefs in their platforms while running for whatever office they might be aiming for.”
Kite said he believes morals and values are important because in today’s society it is easy to get side tracked in the real issues at hand with the media so easily accessible.
“Television has made it easy for people to just watch a politician rather than sit down and read about what the politician is saying. It takes more concentration to sit and read and comprehend something than to sit down and just watch something on television and thinking that person is nice looking so I’m going to vote for them,” he said. “I hope that many people are listening to the individual issues and really thinking about why they are voting and what they are voting for.”
Holly Taylor, an Oxford resident, said she also believes someone should vote for the person who has the same beliefs.
She said she thinks church and politics do not need to be completely separated because that is what this country and nation was built on.
There are a little over 300 million people in the United States with 14,911 living in Oxford. About 11,526 of the Oxford population are 18 years and older and of voting age.
“I believe it is important that we do need to educate our young people in essential and politically important matters,” Taylor said.
She has a son who is near voting age and she wants her child to grow up understanding what is right and what is wrong and to make those intellectual decisions based on his values and beliefs.
Steven Reynolds, who will be ordained as a part-time youth minister at First Baptist Church of Holly Springs soon, said that he thinks church and state should not mix.
“I honestly think they should not mix because I think it causes problems,” Reynolds said. “I do believe that our nation was founded on freedom of religion and if church and state were together I believe our freedom of religion could be compromised. It has no room in politics.”
He said sometimes certain religious aspects are pushed farther than others in politics and all groups should be treated equal in America.
The survey also reveals that most of the increased opposition has come mostly from those who identify themselves as Republicans rather than Democrats. The percentage of Republicans who say churches should keep out of politics has jumped from 37 percent in 2004 to 51 percent in 2008.
The latest national survey also finds social issues still continue to be greatly overshadowed by both domestic issues and the war on Iraq.
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Editor's Note: This article previously incorrectly stated the current U.S. population. The country's current population is a little over 300 million. The article has been edited to reflect the correction. We regret the error.
