Politics as Religion

This weekend, a friend (Brian Warfield) and I were discussing our political climate, namely its vitriolic tone, utter polarization, and totalitarian emphases.  Brian offered a provocative observation, one that has echoed in my mind these last few days.  He said, "It's almost like politics has become a sort of religion in and of itself."

Spring Creek serves as a polling place for our community.  Today, I've been astounded at the number of people who have walked through our facility.  A couple of times, our parking lot has mirrored an Easter crowd.  I began to wonder of today IS Easter for some people, those for whom the political process is of ultimate importance.  Tonight will be the grand conclusion to months of wandering in the campaign wilderness.

In some ways, politics does possess all the trappings of religion.  There are holy days to be sure, including primaries, debates, conventions, and elections.  Tonight, no matter who wins, some people will mourn the end of the world and some people will dance at the arrival of the Kingdom of God.  Each party has its fair share of evangelists, who zealously promote its good news.  These partisan mascots remind me of the old enthusiastic revivalist preachers who were more heat than light.  Party platforms all but confess certain creeds and confessions, deriving from the orthodoxy undergirding them.  Oftentimes, people attach messianic importance to the candidates, elevating them to superhuman status.  The conventions increasingly feel like worship services, with a liturgy comprised of music, testimonies, and speeches (which almost smell like sermons).  Each party has its share of canonized saints (cf. Bill Clinton/ Ronald Reagan).  Furthermore, in a time where religious lines are merging and blurring, political boundaries are hardening and ossifying, producing a society in which political affilitations are more defining than religious commitments.  In some places, one's seat at the communion table is determined more by their candidate of choice than the Lord of their lives.  Maybe Brian is right, politics has become something of a sacred enterprise, filling a void of meaning in a day when religion in its various manifestations is on the decline.  Has politics become a religion unto itself? 
           
Today, I cast my vote as a grateful citizen of a wonderful country, cognizant of the importance of presidential elections.  At the same time, I was reminded that American politics is at best penultimate when seen in the light of an eternal Kingdom which is already here and also yet to come. 

The world will not change tonight, no matter who is elected.  I'm reminded of this, not just on election day, but every Easter when I show up at an empty tomb to discover something more powerful than a popular vote or even the democratic process.  Every Easter, I behold an act of God, a new world, and a true Messiah who can do more than we can ask or imagine... or elect.