Religion and politics in United States elections
Americans value religion. This is undoubtedly reflected in the role that it plays in politics. In fact, the influence is so much amplified to a degree not seen in other developed countries. This is seen mostly in presidential candidates who, to have the slightest chance of winning, must publicly declare their religious views. According to Schulman, “it’s almost impossible to win the presidency without some show of serious religious commitment.”
In the aerly 1970s, Evangelical churches were barely involved in politics. But in the past decades, this has taken a paradigm shift, and religion has become a powerful and key tool in shaping American politics. A recent study revealed that 65 percent of the Americans agree that religion is important in their daily activities compared to 19 percent of Danes, and 17 Percent of Swedes.
For instance, If Thomas Jefferson vied to the presidential seat today. He would definitely lose with a big margin. His unusual religious views would render him weak in today’s politics. He was also in the frontline advocating for the separation of the state and church. It is also believed that John Kerry lost the 2004 elections because he was not much outspoken about faith. Presidential Candidates are expected to play the faith card in the upcoming elections to gain a greater following.
Previous efforts to separate the church from the state has been unfertile because, as Adam Hamilton says, the two are deeply intertwined. A national candidate cannot give a simple speech without invoking religion. The president is forever asking God to bless the United States and sending prayers to victims of disaster, and many religious leaders are also politically involved. This form of devotion to religion is not seen in Europe.
There are several reasons that explain why Americans value religion compared to other developed countries like Europe. One reason might be due to the immigrant group. This part of the population mostly comes from poor and undeveloped countries. Feeling economically insecure is often associated with religion. Again, Life in the U.S is more difficult than in Europe. Economic issues such as health related problems and increased crime rates make American s feel less secure. This creates a perfect ground for religion to flourish.
So, religion is basically embroiled in American politics, and this clearly shows how important religion is to the people. This explains why political leaders speak so much about God during campaigns. They know that publicly embracing a strong faith is a technique to attract more votes.

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