Consonants and Vowels...

Sure, we could do politics on this level. We all like to believe we're right, and we all like to think our righteousness is shared and affirmed by the very highest authorities. So bring on the Battle of the Gods--how much more dramatic and interesting than the battle of the policy wonks!

But as a Pagan and a Wiccan Priestess, (and we'll stack our weird beliefs against anyone's!) we're taught to be cautious about divine revelations, spirit communications, messages from the dead, and all such things. There's a strong bias and often an outright distortion that creeps in on the receiving end. If I already believe something, if I have a vested interest in its outcome, I'm not going to be a neutral, objective interpreter of God's take on the subject.

Moreover, when we claim God's mandate for a political position, an economic policy or a war, we are being deeply disrespectful of anyone who holds a differing opinion or hears a different voice. We verge on violating one of the fundamental principles in the Bill of Rights: freedom of religion. There's a thin line between claiming God's support and outlawing other Gods or interpretations. Our Constitution separates Church and State because the Founders had direct, unhappy experience with the oppression and persecution a state religion wields against dissenters.

For reasons which must be clear to the astute reader, I have a vested interest in weird and irrational religious beliefs not being a barrier to public office. But anyone who might be a heartbeat away from the highest office in the land must be someone we can trust to uphold the Constitution. She or he must be someone who respects the tremendous diversity of religions and spiritual beliefs in this country. And we must test their policies on the hard rocks of reality and merit, not the misty clouds of faith.

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/starhawk/2008/09/god_on_our_side.html