A Very Vocal Minority

U.S. Catholic bishops are defending their direct involvement in congressional deliberations over healthcare reform, saying that church leaders have a duty to raise moral concerns on any issue, including abortion rights and health care for the poor. Do you agree? What role should religious leaders have—or not have—in government policymaking?

During the Reagan administration, the Christian right urged Americans to become politically active on issues they felt important. The Moral Majority influenced policy issues in Reagan’s first term—particularly around school prayer and abortion—but in his campaign for re-election, strong involvement of the religious right had a negative effect. It was clear that the American public did not want one specific religious group having an active say in politics.

But we’ve come a long way since the 80s. President Obama’s Office of Faith-Based Initiatives expands previous administrations’ faith-based programs in several ways. In addition to funding social programs of faith-based initiatives, this office offers policy guidance as well. And instead of the strong evangelical orientation of the Bush administration’s office, this one includes a panel of faith leaders from Judaism, Islam, mainline Protestant, and Catholic traditions, as well as representatives of secular organizations. The goal is not to favor one religious group over another, but to allow many faith leaders to have an equal voice in helping to make change in our communities and in helping to shape policy.

The U.S. Catholic bishops’ claim that church leaders have a duty to raise moral concerns on any issue is a flawed argument, though. The government is not in the business of legislating morality; instead its charge is to create an ethical code of conduct that affects society as a whole—and to come to a consensus about ethical guidelines through consultation with many faith leaders, not any one tradition. The issues the government—and its partner faith organizations—should be addressing are general questions related to fairness, justice, rights, obligations, and benefits to society—not questions about personal, individual morality.

Religious leaders of any faith tradition should care deeply about government policy. The U.S. Catholic bishops are confusing responsibility for the well being of the community with personal morality. Their role—any religious leader’s role—in policymaking should be limited to helping our leaders discern what is ethical, just, and fair—What is right and what is wrong?—for the nation as a whole. The question of What is right and wrong according to God? goes beyond the expectations of culture and society and should be left to religious leaders and believers to discern within their own faith traditions.