Today is Election Day, and for many Temple students, this is their first time voting and participating in the political landscape.
In recent years, politics have become more divisive, with candidates curating their platforms around the beliefs of their party’s most radical constituents.
There has been an increase in religious ideologies informing a candidate’s political platform, especially regarding topics like LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights and education. Religion in modern American politics seemingly abandons the constitutional philosophy of separating church and state.
On Election Day, students must be aware of religious nationalism — the ideological concept that America is a nation for and by a singular religion. Students should be informed about how candidates may be using religion to their advantage by appealing to evangelical voters.
In America, half of the Christian nationalist adherents and 40% of sympathizers support the idea of authoritarian leadership to keep Christian values, according to a 2023 survey by the Public Religion Research Institute. It’s dire for students to be aware of the policies a candidate stands for and the risk the integration of religion into politics poses to their civil liberties.
Safiya Totesau urges her peers to familiarize themselves with the state of politics in the United States, especially amidst such a divisive election season.
“The election is coming up, so everyone has their views and things they want to say, which they have the right to do, however, I just think it’s important to do your research, especially in certain settings,” said Totesau, a senior media studies and production major.
Elected officials’ religious beliefs often bleed into their political stances, but Americans are split on how much influence the Bible should have in politics. Forty-nine percent of Americans believe that the Bible should have at least “some” influence on U.S. laws, according to a 2024 survey by the Pew Research Center.
In the U.S. the Bible is used for a religion 29% of Americans don’t practice, according to a 2023 Gallup poll. It’s unjust and damaging to force a religion upon everyone when a high percentage of the population doesn’t believe in it.
In Louisiana, a law was recently passed requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed clearly in all classrooms for K-12 and publicly funded universities starting in 2025. In Oklahoma, the state’s superintendent directed all public schools to teach the Bible. Both directives blur the lines between church and state and have been met with lawsuits claiming violations of the Constitution’s freedom of religion provision.
The implementation of these mandates are measures taken by Christians and politicians to counteract the Establishment Clause, which prohibits a national religion in the U.S.
Ralph Young says it’s in the best interest of Americans to be aware of the rhetoric some politicians may use, especially as they push religious agendas.
“Perhaps a lot of these religious people should be taken seriously, but these politicians that are using those ideas and arguments are using it for their own personal careers, hoping to get more political capital, more political success, to get reelected,” said Young, a history professor.
A major concern for the rise in religious nationalism is the push for Project 2025, a policy proposal created by the Heritage Foundation and championed by conservatives. In Project 2025, religious ideologies are expressed by stating that the biological reality is men and women and that American society should maintain a biblically and science-reinforced idea of marriage and family.
Although there is no direct connection between Project 2025 and a political candidate, more than half of the leaders of the project were members of Trump’s campaign, transition teams or his administration, The New York Times reported.
Project 2025 promotes radical ideologies that threaten Americans’ right to bodily autonomy and constitutional rights. These threats to democracy should concern young Americans, who must vote against obstacles and candidates threatening their civil liberties.
Dominick Harris encourages other students to take action, stating that idleness is not an option in protecting their American rights.
“If young people are challenging the status quo, if they’re petitioning their politicians, if they’re going out to vote in numbers similar to boomers, things will change,” said Harris, a junior political science major. “If you do nothing, if you literally sit at home and just watch it happen, you will watch all your freedoms be taken away, as in a way we kind of already have.”
Voting is an important step to be politically engaged, however, practicing the First Amendment is crucial in securing American rights. Secularization, especially through religious nationalism and favoritism, will continue past Election Day and it’s in students’ power to be active in preserving American freedoms.
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