PREACHERS beware – it seems politicians are out for your jobs.
Over the Easter holidays both the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar heavily invoked the name of God as they addressed the nation.
“Faith in God is being questioned,” lamented Dr Rowley on Saturday. He further warned citizens that “a true meaningful life will depend always on our interconnectivity with God.”
Not to be outdone, Persad-Bissessar reflected on angels and the message of the resurrection.
She issued a special plea. “I ask our citizens facing the toughest of times to put their faith in God and know that he will deliver us all with his unwavering love,” she said.
It’s not unusual for politicians to deploy religious rhetoric in their messages to the nation, many issued specifically to commemorate religious holidays.
But instead of asking citizens to put their faith in God, they should accept that citizens have in fact put their faith in their elected representatives and want them to work together, where appropriate, to serve the public interest – not to war bitterly for the entire parliamentary term and then, during the holidays, issue platitudes about Jesus or any other deity.
We are mindful that in this country, affairs of state and religious considerations have always been combined. Indeed, the Constitution opens with an assertion that the country is built upon principles that acknowledge the supremacy of God. Every sitting of Parliament begins with a prayer; ceremonial openings with a plethora of them. And at one stage, a former prime minister reportedly began Cabinet meetings with religious intercessions.
[caption id="attachment_950486" align="alignnone" width="884"] Prime Minister Dr Rowley - SUREASH CHOLAI[/caption]
But though Archbishop’s House is next door to Whitehall, proximity between church and state is not always a good thing.
Time after time, policymakers have demonstrated a troubling inability to separate their private religious views from the process for setting official policies meant to serve those of all faiths and none.
The pandemic has provided the perfect illustration of why a disciplined separation is essential. The religious may have wished to congregate, but it was in the interest of society as a whole for such gatherings to be limited.
In a similar vein, when it comes to formulating legislative policy, lawmakers have a duty to act in a manner that pays due regard to the equality of all, regardless of race, religion or creed.
But some of our politicians, in their quest to maintain voter support, are content to play to the gallery.
We do not question here the sincerity of any leader’s beliefs, but simply observe how religion is often used to garner political support. As one politician infamously stated: politics has a morality of its own.
Today, we ask our leaders, in keeping with their professed faiths, to reject acrimony and to give this country, through their own conduct, a reason to believe again.
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