Of Elections, Religion, and Lawyers

• Publication year: 2005
• Pages: 21
• Citation: Vol. 34 No. 2 Pg. 21

34 Colo.Law. 21 Colorado Bar Journal 2005.

2005, February, Pg. 21. Of Elections, Religion, and Lawyers

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21

Vol. 34, No. 2, Pg. 21

The Colorado Lawyer
February 2005
Vol. 34, No. 2 [Page 21]

Features
CBA President's Message to Members
Of Elections, Religion, and Lawyers
by Steve C. Briggs

The great dangers to liberty lurk in
insidious encroachment by men of zeal,
well-meaning but without understanding

- Justice Louis D. Brandeis1

Much has been written about the role "moral values" supposedly played in the last election. Some have concluded that religion should be blamed for polarizing our citizens Others are concerned that those in power will use government to favor one religion over another. These conclusions and concerns, as well as some underlying assumptions, deserve closer scrutiny

Of Religion and the Last Election

Because of a single exit poll, much has been written about "moral values" as the "dominant" concern in the last election.2 Many have assumed that "moral values" were code words for the viewpoint of the "Religious Right," and then concluded that this viewpoint dominated in the last election. Despite what you may have read in the press, neither the assumption nor the conclusion is necessarily true.

First, only 22 percent who participated in the exit poll in question listed moral values as their primary concern, slightly more than those who listed the economy or terrorism.3 Second, another poll, taking a closer look at the values issue, showed that moral values was not necessarily a catchphrase for Religious Right values, such as opposition to abortion and gay marriages. In this poll, 33 percent of respondents identified "greed and materialism" as the most pressing moral issue facing the nation. Thirty-one percent listed "poverty and economic justice." Only 12 percent named same-sex marriage. In response to another question, 42 percent said the war in Iraq was the "moral issue" that most influenced their vote. Only 13 percent cited abortion and 9 percent listed same-sex marriage.4

Certainly, a small segment of voters who identify strongly with a single issue can be determinative in an otherwise evenly divided election. This does not make that single issue "dominant," nor does it mean that the single issue is lacking in its own complexities. To jump to the conclusion that religion was the dominant issue in the last election is to prove once again that, for every complex phenomenon, there is a simple explanation that is wrong.

Of Evangelical Christians and
Stereotyping

Of more concern is a possible underlying assumption that is more invidious: evangelical Christians are united in trying to take control of government and use its power to help them impose their views on others. At work here is an unfair stereotype.

Just as "moral values" was an undefined, vague term in discussions after the last election, so was "evangelical Christian." In North America, "evangelical" does not have a unique meaning that is acceptable to all. As one religious scholar has noted:

-Various individuals define it as a specific conservative Christian system of beliefs, or a religious experience, or a commitment to a proselytizing activity, or as a style of religious service, or as a "walk with God," or as a group of denominations. There are probably as many different definitions of the Christian term "Evangelical" and "Evangelicalism" as there are Evangelical Christian congregations.5

In short, the meaning of "evangelical Christian" depends on who is using it and for what purpose. The one thing that no accepted definition of evangelical Christians includes is the use of government to impose their beliefs on others. It may be true that some who seek and obtain power in government describe themselves as evangelical Christians. It may also be true that some seek to use the power of government to favor their religion over others.6 However, it is equally true that many evangelical Christians are suspicious of government involvement in their personal affairs, including their religious practices.

One example is a friend of mine since childhood...