REPORT: Notes From… CFR event with Sen. Danforth
[ Another in our “Notes From…” series - short notes by volunteers summarizing various events around the school, to help those of us who didn’t/couldn’t attend. Watch for several other “Notes From…” throughout the year. If you have one, send it in! Or let us know in advance that you’d like to do one; or after the event, too. ]
Below, notes from a special event at the Council on Foreign Relations that a few of our students got to attend through one of our “Offers.” Many thanks to volunteer notes-taker John Whitaker, J2007. Feel free to drop him note or post a comment below (free, one-time registration required).
Notes From… CFR event with Sen. John Danforth
By John Whitaker
E-mail: jcw2137[at]columbia.edu
NYC, SEPT. 19, 2006: Ordained priest and former Republican Senator John Danforth has a message for America: “The use of religion to divide us may be a great strategy, but it cannot stand the light of day.”
Danforth, 70, spoke at the Council on Foreign Relations on September 19, 2006, to mark the release of his book, “Faith and Politics: How the ‘Moral Values’ Debate Divides America and How to Move Forward Together.”
Interviewed by Newsweek editor Jon Meacham, Danforth said the exploitation of religion for political ends has turned religion into a wedge, rather than a means of reconciliation.
The problem, in his view, is that politicians have stopped competing for the center; their efforts to energize the base have only divided the populace. He believes a renewed focus on the center, more open religious dialogue, and a commitment to keep church and state separate would help restore America’s health.
1. On religion:
“Religion is obviously a good part of the problem in the world… I think that it’s worth putting the question to people of all faiths: Do you believe that your religion calls for you to kill in the name of God? What is your view of the concept of just war?
“The purpose of religious dialogue should be to isolate extremist and violent views.”
2. On religion’s place in politics:
“At its best, religion provides a sense of humility and a sense of understanding and a sense that we are not the sole possessors of God’s truth, and therefore an ability to deal with each other… So I think religion can bring a lot to the world of politics. But when it becomes ‘My way is God’s way, and God’s way and my way or the highway’ – which is how it’s presented today – it becomes a bad thing.
“Madison recognized the divisive power of religion; we had seen this in Europe; the framers of our constitution had fought this battle in Virginia.
“There’s a lot to be said for understanding the difference between religion and politics. The church is not the state and shouldn’t become the state.
3. Today’s politicians appeal to the base, not the center
“There has been a trend in both political parties not to try to compete for the center. About a third of the electorate was up for grabs. But now they don’t talk about the center. They talk about energizing the base. The base of the Republican Party is now the Christian right. So it turns out, instead of being the ministry of reconciliation, it is now the wedge.”
Toward the end of his Senate career, during which he represented Missouri from 1976 to 1995, Danforth saw declining interest in bipartisanship: “It became a matter of positioning and taking hard edges in positions so you would have clarity in the next round of 30-second commercials… Republicans saw [their] base as being the Christian conservatives, and they saw the Christian conservatives as adding something to traditional Republicans. They would say that traditional Republicans are losers; that’s our history. They would say this has been great. But once the American people get wise to this, it’s not going to work very much longer.
“So what happened to the center? It fell silent. The time has come for the center to speak…
“I think that the answer to the present state of American politics is greater participation by a lot more people.”
Has George W. Bush’s attitude toward religion been divisive?
“I think that getting into that particular question would not further my efforts.
“What other question can I evade?” Danforth said, to the audience’s amusement.
Meacham rejoined: “The truth will set you free, father.”
4. On Religion and participation in the world:
“I think there’s a religious obligation to participate positively in the world. I think where religion gets into problems is when people think… ‘I am God’s true representative; I’ve got the ability to translate God’s will into my political agenda… So my political agenda is God’s, and yours isn’t.’
5. Recommendation for the United Nations
“There should be a direct dealing with religion, and not pretend that this really isn’t religious or there’s no religious component. I think it’s important to face up to the fact that a good part of the problem is a religious problem. It means trying to create understanding. Where are the counter voices within and without Islam?”
Ted Sorensen, the speechwriter for John F. Kennedy, rose to ask a question. He had been invited to speak at an international conference in Rome, he said, and had asked what he should speak about. “They said, ‘Tell us about the good America,’” Sorensen said. “They weren’t speaking on religious terms. But they were talking about a very different kind of America when the President of the United States said, ‘The world knows America will never start a war.’ When…church and state were separated, religion was flourishing…under our bipartisan foreign policy, which was based to a large extent on our moral authority. Now our foreign policy is based largely on our military power, not our moral power. And now we’re known around the world for torture, indefinite detention. What’s happened to this country?”
Without pausing Danforth responded: “We’re facing a threat that we’ve never faced before, and we don’t understand how to deal with it. And we haven’t really had the discussion internally to face up to it. I think the American people are fair and decent people, but I also think they’re scared. And they have every right to be scared.”
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