Why Does The Use Of Religion To Support A Social Gospel And Preemptive Wars Go Unchallenged?

{Editor’s Note: This is the 28th installment of a series of articles attempting to address the 32 questions posed by Ron Paul in his recent farewell speech given in front of Congress. Check out the previous installment, “Why Don’t More Individuals Try to Influence Through Intellectual Conversation Rather Than Force?”}We do not discuss religion or spirituality very much on this website.  This article is going to break from that trend, but we are doing this for good reason.  Firstly, if you read the note from the editor above, we are answering the 32 questions posed by Ron Paul during his farewell speech to congress.   Secondly, this is an opportunity to expose some misconceptions regarding both religion and politics.Religion can be a very divisive topic, which often causes a strong reaction in favor or against religion or spirituality.  The mission statement of this website is to advance the ideas of liberty.  As it relates to religion, we promote a society where people can practice the religion of their choice.  This is essential to advancing the cause of liberty.The ideas of liberty bring people together from all walks of life and belief systems.  As long as you are not harming another individual or destroying their property libertarians should not discriminate. It does not matter if you are Atheist, Christian, Jewish, Antagonistic, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, or if you worship a hybrid Santa Easter Bunny Clause – all faiths are welcome in a free society.  Personally, I am a believer in Christianity.Most people believe that the founders of the United States outlined separation of church and state in the Bill of Rights in order to protect government from being influenced by the church.  In contrast, the opposite is a more accurate reason why the founders desired separation of church and state.  They wanted to protect the church from being co-opted by the government and exploited to advance the agenda of the state. The term didn't exist back then, but today we would call this fascism.Today religious beliefs are intertwined with politics and used to justify preemptive wars, marriage laws, drug laws, and many other assaults on liberty.  Many of the religions of today do not approve of gay marriage or getting high on drugs or alcohol.  These same religions do not teach or advocate seeking assistance from the State or lobbying the State to exert force to influence the actions of others.  Why are so many Christians easily tricked into voting for a candidate simply because of their claim to end gay marriage, get tough on the war on drugs, or go after terrorists?This is exactly the type of interaction between church and State that the founders were trying to avoid.  Politicians are not stupid, or at least they normally do not surround themselves with stupid people.The livelihood of the politician is tied to their ability to get reelected or to get elected to a higher office.  Religious people are the perfect target for politicians because they wear their beliefs on their sleeves.  Everyone knows, at least at a high level, what believers of the world’s most popular religions are taught to believe.  Politicians cherry pick a couple of those beliefs and say, “Hey, look at me, I’m just like you and I want individuals in society to act the way you want them to act.”The reason why religious types are attractive votes to politicians is the same reason why they are attacked so viciously by those having opposing beliefs.  Due to their beliefs being known by others it is easy to detect hypocritical behavior and hold them accountable.  For example, Christians that advocate preemptive war lose credibility when they claim to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ which instructs to “turn the other cheek.”Why does the use of religion to support a social gospel and preemptive wars, both of which requires authoritarians to use violence, or the threat of violence, go unchallenged? Aggression and forced redistribution of wealth has nothing to do with the teachings of the world great religions.For the most part, people that live their lives in accordance to the world’s great religions are good people.  They do not understand the level to which they allow themselves to be manipulated into comprising their principles by politicians and others seeking to profit from their support.  Many of these people of faith do not consistently apply the principles of their religion in all aspects of their life, especially with interactions with the State.This is not to claim that somehow I am able to perfectly apply the teachings of Christianity to my life consistently.  I cannot and it is not feasible to expect others to accomplish this feat completely.  IT is possible is for Christians, and all religions, to apply their belief structure to interactions that occur with government, factor these beliefs into their political decision making process and remind others to do the same.As a practicing Christian I try to live as best I can by the teachings of Jesus.  One principle he taught his disciples was not to steal.  Ephesians 4:28

28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

If Christians would apply the commandment of “thou shall not steal” to interactions with the government, then in order to not be hypocritical, they would have to be against taxation.  Taxation is theft.  It would not be approved of by Christians if people started going to their neighbors demanding a third of their salary at gunpoint in order to pay for their food, medical care and retirement.  But this is exactly what they endorse, as long the government in the one redistributing the wealth.All religions generally endorse the golden rule, “treat others as you would like to be treated.”  Yet, we live in a country that elects a government that bombs other nations  often killing innocent civilians, sexually assaults citizens (including the editor-in-chief of this website) under the guise of “national security”, illegally detains citizens without charging them with a crime, and confiscates our income at the point of a gun.The problem is not that religion is affecting politics in this country.  The issue is politics operating without any respect for morality or spiritual beliefs and our religions are allowing them to get away with it.                              Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!