The best of 2008: the politics of religion

Ed Brayton covers the intersection of Church and State

As the primary writer covering the nexus of religion and politics for the Michigan Messenger, I have had eventful year. The presidential campaign was filled with religious controversy, from Barack Obama’s difficulties regarding his longtime pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright to John McCain having to distance himself from megapreacher John Hagee.

As I look back at what I wrote, or asked others to write, I think these are the five most significant commentaries that the Messenger published on the politics of religion in 2008.

5. The ‘Expelled’ documentary (April 25, 2008)

In early 2008, an anti-evolution documentary starring Ben Stein was released in the theaters. That movie, as I documented above, contained a great many distortions and falsehoods.

4. Let’s keep Obama’s minister in perspective. (March 19, 2008)

In this commentary I argued that while many of the views expressed by Rev. Jeremiah Wright are indeed crazy and should be criticized, the response to those things has been out of all proportion to the actual influence he has. There are at least a dozen right wing ministers who’ve said things at least as crazy as Wright and those men hold real power and influence in the Republican party.

3. Controversial pastors: What would the Founding Fathers say? (June 6, 2008)

In this commentary I looked at the history of controversial pastors and their involvement in politics, going back to the election of 1800 when right wing ministers were railing against the election of Thomas Jefferson and pro-separation ministers like Isaac Backus and John Leland were supporting his nomination. There is truly nothing new under the sun.

2. Creationist culture wars, Hollywood style (May 26, 2008)

This was a guest op-ed by Robert Pennock, then-president of Michigan Citizens for Science (Full disclosure: : I have since succeeded Pennock in that position), discussing the deceptions in the Expelled documentary mentioned in #5. He also relates the deception in the documentary to similar deceptions used to promote the passage of legislation that would allow intelligent design to be taught in public school science classrooms. A bill that would do so in Michigan expired at the end of the legislative session last week.

1. Danger lurks beneath pope’s call for conciliation (April 21, 2008)

In this commentary I discuss what looks like a call for religious conciliation by Pope Benedict XVI but which is really a call for passing laws that prohibit the defamation of religion. This is an extraordinarily dangerous idea that is already being pushed by the United Nations.

I’m sure 2009 will turn out to be as interesting a year when it comes to politics and religion.