On the mark of President’s Day, there was something that I wondered when I was doing some reading. Is it important that a president has a certain religion? Should they believe in something, and if so, what should it be? The quick answer to the first question, I would say, is “Not so much.”
Great for the President! But…
If anyone asks me, any religion should make you want to be a better person, someone with a good heart, and that helps others and society to keep growing. Now, many would say “But many use religion as an excuse for horrible things!” And it is true. The KKK is the best example of that, and people will keep doing it. In this case, asking ourselves if our actions are purposefully harming others is the way to go.
Am I disrespecting someone by wearing a pentacle? No. What about a swastika? I hope you know the answer to this one.
If a president has a certain religion, great for those who share the same faith. It’s good to see examples and inspirational figures that are similar to us. This is what happened when Barack Obama was president and what almost happened with the presidential candidacy of Kamala Harris. But that should be it.
A Personal Moral Compass
However, it must not impact the presidency and the policies implemented. One of the things I believe the most is the separation of church and state. It is one thing to work towards the empowerment of underrepresented populations, like black people, women, immigrants, queer people, and so on. However, a personal moral compass should not be an influence in a country, because that’s what a religion is, a personal practice with a moral compass, even if it’s widely shared.
It might influence some decisions, but it should not be the influence because then what happens with the other religions? What about those people who don’t believe in the same thing as the president? Why should this belief be enforced and not the others as well? It’s important to ask these questions because a president is a leader for all, not for some.
“Never say never,” goes the saying, so I won’t rule out that there might be a Pagan president one day, regardless of how difficult and far away that scenario seems. I would expect them to be a champion for environmental change, women’s and queer rights, pro immigrants, but respectful before anything else. Would it be fun to live in a Pagan state? Perhaps, but it wouldn’t be correct, just as it is not correct to endorse and/or support Christian Nationalism.
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