Democrats and Religious Language
"It would be nice occasionally if religious Democrats just said:
'We believe everyone is equal in the eyes of God and under our Constitution. Our policies are motivated by a desire to secure the common good for the entire nation and equal dignity and rights for all people.'"
John Halpin, The Liberal Patriot "
Paris is worth a mass."
King Henry IV of France
Joe Biden is a "Cradle Catholic" A cradle Catholic means someone born and raised in the Catholic faith, with Catholicism so thoroughly a part of the person's upbringing and culture and religious practice that they never chose the faith or came to Jesus from outside it. They are Catholics the way children born in a typical American neighborhood speaks English. English is their native language. Catholicism is Joe Biden's native faith. Americans barely know that Joe Biden is religious, or if they know it they don't really believe it. Trump and Republicans are the brand associated with triumphal Christianity.
Democrats have a problem with religion in politics. They seem afraid of it, as if it would make them sound like a Republican. I hope Democrats re-integrate religious language into their discourse, and I write as someone who is not religious. The moral language Democrats feel comfortable using is the language of academics, policy, and politics. They make moral values concrete by talking about "income re-distribution," "systemic racism," "micro-aggressions," and correct pronouns. Such language has purpose. It reflects the moral value of religious tolerance and respect for the non-religious. It reflects hands-off separation of church and state. The language come across as morally sterile. It is prose, not poetry.
Fairness and kindness are natural human moral instincts. The justification for acting other than as rational, game-theory, marketplace maximizers of advantage is the moral dimension. We understand from our earliest childhood play with others and instruction from parents and other authorities that it isn't fair to cheat people, it isn't kind to disrespect people, even if one can get away with it. That little voice in our heads--or God in the sky--knows it is wrong.
For most Americans, the language of morality is the language of religious texts and traditions. People brought up in a faith tradition learned words that shape their moral instinct. For example, "income re-distribution" finds expression in the command "Thou shall give the workman his hire lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee," (Deut. 24), and "the workman is worthy of his hire." (Luke 10). Public benefits translate into Matthew 25 feed the poor, clothe the naked, that which you do for the least of these brothers of mine. Those words have power.
Democrats under-perform in votes of regular church attendees. Some of this is the abortion issue. Some churches decided that life begins at fertilization, and that has been made sacred, and therefore non-negotiable. It goes beyond that. Democratic thought leaders and spokespeople have been dominated by the educated left progressives--mostly secular people--not the spokespeople of communitarian Catholics, liberal Protestants, or the Black clergy. That is a problem for Democrats. Public policy is done for the benefit of the common good, and consideration of the common good is a moral choice. Most people are moved by the familiar language of morality.
I predict that the Democratic candidate who unifies Democrats and the nation will speak in moral terms. Martin Luther King did not lead the Civil Rights movement by saying that the policies would be clever and effective. He said they were the right thing to do. I also predict a successful Democratic leader will freely use language from the Bible, because that is the common denominator of moral language.
Won't leftist non-religious people like me be put off by religious language? Most will not. The religious language will reflect values we share. We are accustomed to religious language and some of it is lovely.