Our calendar — Holy Week mixed with politics

Many of us will be observing Holy Week soon. With Palm Sunday on March 29^th, Passover beginning April 1^st, and Easter Sunday on April 5^th there will be a heightened focus on religious observances in our days ahead.  (I’ll note for my Greek Orthodox and other Eastern Orthodox friends, they have an extra week to observe Lent before their Easter Sunday celebrations.)

This time of year has an interesting overlap for those of us who work in and around state politics.  The calendars usually align with the last week of the Georgia General Assembly.  This year the calendar was arranged so that April 1^st will be a work day for committees to conflict as little as possible with Passover observances.  The last day of session will be Thursday April 1^st, with the state’s legislative business wrapping up in the wee hours of Good Friday.  

The juxtaposition of the highest of holy days with the peak frenzy of state politics often has me questioning both at the same time. I’ll add my usual disclaimer here for when I delve into writing about religion. My perspective is that of a Christian. I write knowing I am a sinner and fellow traveler, not a saint.

The extent to which we mix our religion with our politics has been a question since we were a loose collection of colonies. How we mix or separate the two has long been a moving target.  

We have some who believe the answer is absolute. There is a group that believes freedom of religion is freedom from religion. There are others who will state quite confidently that “America is a Christian nation” and that the founding fathers, writing constitutional protections for citizens who had just fled an oppressive church-nation state, somehow just forgot to state this.  

If pressed, many of these well-intentioned but misguided folks will open things up to say we’re a “Judeo-Christian nation” before returning to their biblical basis for the Constitution. They will then in separate conversation wonder why their candidates are not getting the Jewish vote, without any self-awareness that their entire thesis pushes them and their religion out of the founding documents. 

After decades of the religious right trying to monopolize Christian voters, it both somewhat amusing and equally sad to see the rise of the religious left. Some of this is now institutionalized, with many large denominations now demanding the government use its power and largess to do the charitable work churches are called to do. 

It should be noted that many of these same denominations get hundreds of millions of dollars from the government to do this work. It’s helpful to remember that it was during holy week that Jesus turned the money changers tables over at the Temple. 

I’ve been somewhat intrigued by the ongoing “No Kings” protests, held not just here at home but in nations across the world. I’m sure King Charles got a kick out of the one in London. 

When Jesus road into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, the crowds greeted him as their new king. Jesus rejected an earthly kingdom in favor of a crown of thorns. The week between Palm Sunday and Easter wasn’t about building a government. It was about something much bigger.

It is extremely important to note the culpability and fallibility of man in this story. Those cheering for a new king sentenced him to death just days later as part of a frenzied, fickle mob. The only time Jesus ever appeared on a ballot, Barabbas won the election. 

Collectively, we’re no smarter now. We have entire industries dedicated to moving popular opinion. Some sell us products and services. Some create awareness. And some seek to divide us from ourselves and our fellow citizens. 

My thoughts on religion and politics change over time with the examples of the day, but generally remain fixed on two guardrails to help keep me between the lines.

One: I used to think that those who used religion as a litmus test for partisan purposes cheapened my politics. I now realize that politics too often cheapens my religion.

Two: For those who chose religion to divide and exclude, there is a quote from Abraham Lincoln that stands the test of time. “…My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”

I do not wish to have my religion guided by the power of the state, nor the whims of the electorate. Nor do I want citizens to practice religion out of any sense of duty to or fear from the state.  

God’s gifts to us don’t require a pass through at any capitol. They can only be fully accepted and appreciated without a government’s participation or coercion. 

The hard part for those of us who profess this faith is understanding that free will permits rejection of these beliefs. The hardest part is that if and when we understand that the government won’t do our recruitment and compliance for us, then we have to do the work ourselves to market the path to salvation.

That’s a tough lesson in reality for Holy Week. I will acknowledge it is one where I fall far too short. It’s also why I’m grateful of the gift of Easter, for the sinners and not the saints.