My Take: When it comes to 'God' in our political platforms, less is more

[rug]

Editor's Note: Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar and author of "The American Bible: How Our Words Unite, Divide, and Define a Nation," is a regular CNN Belief Blog contributor. I first heard that God had gone missing from the Democratic Party platform from a Facebook friend who rejoiced in a godless platform as a triumph for the First Amendment and the separation of church and state.

September 6th, 2012
12:27 PM ET
By Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN

I first heard that God had gone missing from the Democratic Party platform from a Facebook friend who rejoiced in a godless platform as a triumph for the First Amendment and the separation of church and state.

I was surprised, however, because since the loss of John Kerry to George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential race, Democrats have gotten religion.

President Obama used the word God five times in his inaugural address. And according my search of the database of The American Presidency Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara, he has used it thousands of times more during his presidency.

In remarks at annual National Prayer Breakfasts, Obama called us “children of God” in 2009, spoke of “God’s grace” in 2010, quoted from the Book of Job on “God’s voice” in 2011 and invoked “God’s command to ‘love thy neighbor as thyself’” in 2012.

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/06/my-take-when-it-comes-to-god-in-our-political-platforms-less-is-more/

[enlightenment]

1. Not a bad take, overall -

when consideration is taken as to the author. I do disagree with this assertion (emphasis is mine):

As a matter of tradition, Americans have always mixed church and state, but they have almost always tried to do so in ways that were respectful of adherents of minority religions and of citizens without any religion at all. So what our two religious parties are doing today runs in the American grain.

I have never found the mix of church and state respectful in any way, to any faith and most certainly not to citizens without religion. Mr. Prothero is sugar-coating that reality a bit.

[2ndAmForComputers]

3. I agree, although "almost always" is WAY too generous.

[Jim__]

2. Politics and purity don't go together.

Still, I can't help but feel that the now-obligatory references to God in virtually every presidential speech and every party proclamation are more about pridefully asserting one's godliness than humbly asserting one's faith.

Yes, it's pure politics. I'd rather see a somewhat hypocritical Obama re-elected than an ideologically pure Obama defeated.