The Holy Vote: The Politics of Faith in America

by Ray Suarez

Book Overview

Not since the Civil War has the United States been so polarized, politically and ideologically. At the heart of this fracture is a fascinating, paradoxical marriage between our country's politics and religions.

In The Holy Vote, Ray Suarez explores the advent of this polarization and how it is profoundly changing the way we live our lives. With hands-on reporting, Suarez explores the attitudes and beliefs of the people behind the voting numbers...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060829982
• ISBN13: 9780060829988
• Release Date: November 2007
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Wholly Reasonable

Suarez is a well-known reporter and anchor on the PBS News Hour (for those who watch PBS anyway). He is a Catholic and sincerely religious, but also concerned about the current friction in our society and political system which has accompanied the ascendancy of Evangelicals in the GOP (the Republicans have become, as John Danforth says, "the political wing of a religious group" and the "party of the religious right"). In this balanced and reasonable consideration of the problem, Suarez criticizes those of us who rant about the threat of imminent theocracy, even as he points out that complaints about the war on Christmas and other perceived persecutions of Christians is more than a little overblown. If the rancor and polarization of the past seven years have become too much for you, and if you are especially concerned about the role of religion in our divisive culture wars and disfunctional politics, then this book by Ray Suarez will provide some light. Intelligent, well-researched, insightful and always moderate and reasonable in tone - Suarez makes a powerful case for religious people to bring their values into the public square, but to refrain from making their beliefs the center of the debate. He calls on religious people, who comprise the majority in America, to express their values in actions that unite us, and that enable us all to have a conversation, rather than in words that divide us and make dialogue an impossibility. Although Suarez clearly is a believer himself, and clearly believes that religious belief is a positive force in society, his book will challenge the thinking of believers more than we secular types. In the end, in a country where nearly 90% admit to a belief in God - and the vast majority accept the divinity of the carpenter's son - the key to finding common ground lies in the restraint of the majority, in the respect of the rights of the minority - what used to be called "tolerance" but in fact looked a lot like a secular approach to public affairs and processes. Ultimately, Suarez is asking us all to play down our separate identities - the things that prevent dialogue and progress - and to emphasize actions and decisions on the merits. He claims this is not so much about the exclusion of God as a more civil way of expressing our values, but I doubt that the followers of Pat Robertson and George Bush will see it that way. I recommend this book. It may not change your mind, but if you're like me it may make you a little more sympathetic for the other side in the culture war. Neil

Religion & Politics: finding a place to begin the conversation

When religion is explicitly used in crafting public policy, we become divided into those who hold such beliefs, and those who do not. However, general moral principals can give us a framework for a debate. They should not be asked to give an exact answer. A common set of moral principals, faith based for some people, not so for others, can allow us to make laws that presume from the beginning to be for us all. Mr. Suarez's book reaches this place to have the public policy conversations by wading through every area of the culture wars in the news - separation of church and state, abortion, gay marriage, and public school issues -reviewing instances, interviewing people of every imaginable point of view. His tone is conversational and sincere; his perspective is respectful and clear-eyed. I found The Holy Vote to be very much a help in understanding the present political discussions in our country - or lack there of - and my own reactions to them, and to re-forming my own opinions

"Now I Know"

Excellent explanation of what drives people of extreme faith to do what they do in America to influence others. Ray Swuarez is a gifted writer who knows how to lay it all on the line. I learned so much from reading this book, and highly recommendd it to others who want to become knowledgeable on this subject.

So good, I gave it to my pastor!

My pastor is one of the wisest, smartest, and best-read people that I know. But I was pretty sure he had a copy of THE HOLY VOTE---and he didn't, so I gave him mine. I finished reading the entire volume in about two days! I've been a fan of Ray Suarez for a long time (devout NEWSHOUR guy here), and I have found him to be balanced, fair, and thorough. His book is the very same. He addresses most of the hot buttons in today's society, and in today's church. I was particularly impressed with the introduction he made to his work, and with the quoting of Romans 12 at the beginning. I would only hope that every "thinking Christian" takes a good read of this important work. Suarez reminds us that regardless of how "thin" the issue may be, it always has at least two sides. Terrific book.

WHAT DRIVES YOUR VOTE? A CONSIDERATION OF TODAY'S ISSUES OF FAITH!

Four VERY IMPORTANT Stars!! Written by Ray Suarez, senior correspondent for "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer", this fact-laden, opinion-driven book investigates the juxtaposition and intersections of religion and politics in America. Mr Suarez states he wants "to alternately infuriate and intrigue you". And so he does! In many ways, it's a series of topical essays which are energized by years of interviews and many quotes. In fact, it is as much a brief history lesson as a survey of religion and politics, revealing many finer details of our historical background and the personages that have populated our history. If you missed the importance of religion to politics or believe it doesn't exist, this book will drive home the point from Mr Suarez' point of view. Indeed, some religious blocks are claiming more and more that they are determining the outcomes of elections from the local level to the White House. This book is not a demographic-driven study of the voting habits of the religious in America with charts and graphs showing the past votes and future trends from sea to shining sea. Perhaps in this form it's ultimately more conversational and readable. He states that some claim the origins of the moral decline in our country can be traced to the Supreme Court decisions dealing with limiting school prayer. He, however, sees the country as having grown into one that is more religious and religiously diverse. Even so, the author feels many of the bedrock ideals of our past that may have been taken for granted are now the subject of open conflict and negotiation. While admitting "the Constitution is a political document, not a sacred one" and "Ours was not founded as a Christian country", he sees the USA as the country with "the largest numbers of religious believers, active congregants, and people who merely say they believe in God." He tackles a number of topics that revolve around the topic: religions that took root in America. The beliefs of our earliest leaders. Tracking secularism and religion amid the westward expansion, thru the "Frantic, brutal, bloody nineteenth-century America", thru the 20th century, and into the increasingly diverse 21st century. Age-old questions abound and are examined as he attempts to answer them: "Is America a Christian nation" or just a nation with an abundance of Christians? Is our separation of state and religion unique in world history? What is a "just war"? Other topics impacting on the political realm: the marriage issue, the 10 Commandment controversy, the alleged religious intolerance at a military service academy, the battles over school curriculum and prayer, hispanics and Catholicism in politics, and so on. Since there are no ultimate answers, one may find themselves only a little less perplexed about these issues at the end as when they began the book, but Mr Suarez certainly gives us pause and much food for thought, fleshing out some facts and situations of which we may not have been aware. This