The most important way that religion has influenced my political beliefs is that the separation of the state from any one specific religious doctrine is extremely important. The state does not and should deny religion; for example, I believe we should keep ‘In God We Trust’ on our money as the vast majority of people in the U.S. believe in one God and the phrase is not specific to Christianity, Judaism or Islam, so it only encompasses one of the most basic tenants of monotheistic faith. However, on important human and civil rights issues, the government cannot support a particular religious doctrine, and I say this as someone who is very religious. I am Catholic and was raised in house that was very pro-life on the issue of abortion. I personally don’t agree with the choice of a woman to have an abortion unless the pregnancy resulted from rape, incest, or poses a risk to the mother’s health. However, in terms of my political stance, I recognize that reversing Roe v. Wade would have severe consequences; a woman’s right over her body was given under the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Constitution, and that decision should be respected. My personal religious and moral beliefs do not make me someone that would want to overturn this ruling.
Half of my family is from Egypt, where Sharia Law (Islamic law) is now becoming central to the judicial system and the newest constitution. My family is Christian, so how could they or any other non-Muslim Egyptians expect to receive justice in a trial or other legal proceedings if the system supports religious values that disadvantage Christians and other minorities? Sharia Law also does not offers any protection of equality between men and women, so it produces a system of justice that is fundamentally unjust to fifty percent of the population. The affects of theocratic rule can be seen in the persecution of religious minorities, the subjugation of women, and the lack of political representation for minorities and women across the Middle East. My family’s personal experience with this kind of political oppression has undoubtedly shaped my own beliefs that government cannot be tied to religious doctrine. Two of the most important rights in the U.S., freedom of speech and freedom of religion, are protected by the fact that our government does not favor one belief system over another, and so I believe theocracy is fundamentally incompatible with democracy.