Check Yourself

What ever happened to the ideological separation of church and state?

Last time I was living in Germany was the first time that I ever had the opportunity to truly look at the United States from an outside perspective.  Not only did I have a different perspective that I wanted to explore, but every time politics came up I was the go to American to answer for all U.S. laws and policy.  If you don't understand the daunting nature of that charge, you are entirely unaware of how our domestic policy and international policy plays into power structures, intellectual arguments, and governmental strategy across the globe.  There are some countries that revere the U.S., some that find the U.S. to be a joke, and others that could give a f$@k, because they are focusing on domestic and regional issues of their own.  How could I possibly come up with an articulate answer that addresses all of these concerns, while illustrating that not every US resident holds the same view point of every political issue, especially not the same religion.

I only feel I need to mention this, because I think it should never have to be a main point in an intellectual, or even a basic conversation, about US politics in which I have to address that not everyone in the US is a Christian.  Because, yes my friends, a lot of the average news media coverage in other countries that even chose to put 1 story about the US in their paper, is usually about right-wing Christians and the movement they are pushing for at any given time.  This is then the vision that is given to most everyday working people in these countries. And why?  Because the US government still has not have had enough sense to clearly draw the line between government and religion.  By allowing right-wing politicians cover the media and the Congress floor in the US, the country is allowing the average woman/man/child/activist/human being in other countries to perceive the US as a flaming Christian enforcer. Thus, misdirected attacks on US officials in foreign countries, and illegal protests against the U.S. Embassy.

As a fellow American, please separate your religious views from your political views, so that I do not have to mention mine when discussing US politics with other international people.