Politics. . .and Faith
Who is John Galt?
And why is this question relevant to the topic of politics and faith? I’ll come back to that
I was planning to do this topic a little later, but as it’s Holy Week, it seems appropriate to
go ahead and dive in now.
Recently, we had a visitor to one of our monthly meetings who decided not to join us
because we started the meeting with prayer. I’ve thought about that anecdote a bit.
And it is not an easy topic.
The thing is that our county GOP organization is NOT a religious organization. All are
welcome, so long as they share our secular values of FREEDOM, PROSPERITY AND
UNITY. No mention of God, Allah, Yahway or any other deity. And yet we start with
prayer.
In some quarters, it is considered controversial to claim that America was founded as a
Christian nation. After all, we have the Establishment Clause in the Constitution. Many
who are hostile to religion like to think that, therefore, we have freedom FROM religion
(as opposed to freedom OF). But the founders were keen that the FEDERAL
government was precluded from establishing a religion – because each of the
colonies/states had their own religious traditions. All were Christian, but a variety of
different denominations.
Take South Carolina, for example. Here is an excerpt from the SC Constitution of 1778
(link):
XXXVIII. That all persons and religious societies who acknowledge that there is one
God, and a future state of rewards and punishments, and that God is publicly to be
worshipped, shall be freely tolerated. The Christian Protestant religion shall be
deemed, and is hereby constituted and declared to be, the established religion of
this State.
1st. That there is one eternal God, and a future state of rewards and
punishments.
Politics. . .and Faith
2d. That God is publicly to be worshipped.
3d. That the Christian religion is the true religion
4th. That the holy scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are of divine
inspiration, and are the rule of faith and practice.
5th. That it is lawful and the duty of every man being thereunto called by those
that govern, to bear witness to the truth.
Well! One can find similar statements in nearly all the early state constitutions. Given
that, it is tough to make the case that our founding was devoid of faith. Our inclusion of
prayer to start our meetings is simply an acknowledgement of that tradition as well as
the fact that many of our members count themselves among the faithful of some version
of Christianity.
And for those who are not Christians, please know that our prayer at the beginning of
meeting is NOT intended to exclude anyone. We invite you to use that moment in a
way that aligns with your own beliefs or values – quiet reflection, gratitude or simply
preparing for the work ahead. What unites us is not a specific religion, but our shared
commitment to the civic values of freedom, prosperity and unity.
All are welcome!
But what about John Galt?
Right. At a recent monthly meeting I was asked to make some remarks, after which, I
took a few questions. One of the attendees asked, “Who is John Galt?” As many of
you will recognize, that is the opening line to Ayn Rand’s opus – “Atlas Shrugged” – one
of the great works of fiction in support of free societies and against collectivism
(Marxism, Communism, etc.).
Rand was born and raised in Russia and so she knew well the soul-crushing
characteristics of Communism. She absolutely embraced the values of Freedom and
Prosperity (she moved to America in 1926). But here’s the punchline: she was an
avowed atheist.
Politics. . .and Faith
So, as I say, all are welcome!
Best Regards and Many Blessings,
Scott Anderson
YCGOP Chairman