Religion is not a hat you can take off…

I found Susan’s post to be an interesting summary of the shifts in political voting some parts of the country is seeing, as it relates to our religious views. 

“Religion is not a hat that you can take off or put on at will. When I voted in this presidential election (and yes, I’ve already voted), I didn’t take my religion off and leave it outside in the care of an election monitor while I did the civic thing and cast my ballot. So, yes, I think there is a religious reason to vote for one candidate and against the other.

For some, voting their religious values means voting on a set of issues like abortion or gay marriage. To me, religion is the sum of all my values, my fundamental conviction that the world is a divine gift and we humans are responsible for receiving that gift with joy and working with God to serve one another and all living things. God loves this world and we are to love God with our whole hearts and our neighbor as ourselves…

My religious reason for voting for Senator Obama is because I believe in hope. I also believe the fear-mongering of Senator McCain’s campaign violated my religious convictions at the deepest level and it was the main reason I did not vote for him and Governor Palin.

But come January 2009, I will not expect any president to do the work of faith for me. I expect, no matter who is president for the next four years, to work side by side with all my fellow citizens to see that we hope for more and we give in to fear less. ”