Certain constitutional structures created in the United States have historically been models for the world: separation of powers, Bill of Rights, peaceful transitions between administrations, separation of church and state, etc. Other countries around the world saw our success with liberal government and they were inspired to follow our example.
Now, as my friend Sam Felder wrote this week, even our allies look at our political system as an example of what not to do.
In a discussion over the role of religion in British politics, both religious and political leaders seem to agree: they don’t want to be like America.
The dialogue in the United Kingdom was sparked by a Catholic prelate’s comments. In the midst of a heated election season, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor praised the opposition Conservative Party’s proposal to limit abortion to 20 weeks from the current 24, according to the BBC.
This clerical foray into the relatively tame debate in the U.K. over abortion sparked criticism from all sides and prompted the church official to clarify his remark.
Murphy-O’Connor, the archbishop of Westminster, defended his statement as “perfectly legitimate” but reminded them that he “certainly was not saying that Catholics should vote for any one particular party.” He rejected what he called the “specter” of an American-style blending of religion and politics, reported the Associated Press.
So, in England — which has an official state church — religious and political leaders look “across the pond” and see a system where the president asks churches for their membership rolls and church leaders want to deny communion to parishioners who vote for Democrats. For some reason, they perceive this as a model that should be avoided at all costs. Go figure.
Prime Minister Tony Blair responded to the discussion by noting, “I do not want to end up with an American style of politics, with us all going out there beating our chest about our faith.”
A political system that believes it’s “a bit unhealthy” to exploit religion for political purposes. What a concept.