To avoid conflict, it is suggested that friendly conversation omits three things: money, politics, and religion. However, it’s no secret that in current Washington discourse two of these things seem to be indefinitely intertwined. I’ll give you a hint — it’s not “money and religion.”
In the past decade, the intimate relationship between money and politics has infiltrated the public sphere at an alarming rate: corporations set public policy agenda items, super PACS have unlimited reign over campaign finance, and just 0.4 percent of the U.S. population is responsible for funding 63 percent of candidate campaigns, political parties, and PACs.
But what do money and politics have to do with religion? Patrick Carolan, Executive Director of Franciscan Action Network (FAN), explained last week to a group of faith leaders at Catholic University why faith, money, and politics are interconnected.
“As a Christian I am told I am supposed to participate in politics in order to serve the common good and I can assure you-a politics of money is not a politics of common good,” he said.
Money in politics may seem like a distant and confusing issue for congregations within the faith community. However, a group of 18 interfaith organizations in Washington, D.C. have created a coalition, Faithful Democracy, to focus on getting big money out of politics.
"People of faith experience firsthand the results unlimited money in politics has on almost every issue. No matter what issue we work on, issues like immigration reform, climate change, gun safety, one of the things we've discovered is every one of those issues is connected to money one way or another," Carolan, one of the leaders of Faithful Democracy, said.
As Christians, we are called create a beloved community and care for those on the margins. Yet, the current influx of economic influence on the American political system dilutes theses commands almost completely.
It becomes impossible to create a loving community when the partisan divide in America is fueled by intense attack ads funded by private interest groups. A beloved community cannot be created when corporate funding supports the systematic building of the private prison system or denies legislation that could regulate greenhouse gases. A beloved community is not one where only wealthy voices are heard; it is not one where money determines what is valuable for the common good.
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus said, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors...But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.”
As Christians we are called to care for those whom society deems as outcasts. In the current state of the political sphere, people on the margins of society are not invited to the table because they do no not have economic power to influence campaigns or policy.
Last week at Catholic University, Rabbi Justus Baird, Dean of Auburn Theological Seminary, was one of many voices to speak on why people of faith should care about money in politics. Rabbi Baird’s words were simple and clear.
“If you take away the voice of the people, you take away the voice of the divine,” he said.
When corporate money sets the agenda in Washington, the voice of the common people gets omitted and the divine dignity of each human is essentially forgotten.
In Matthew, we are reminded, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
The current U.S. political system only serves the golden calf of money. As Christians, we must hold our political system accountable by standing for the voice of the common good in the public sphere.
Kaeley McEvoy is Campaigns Assistant for Sojourners.
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