That question is not new. It runs through centuries of history.
Religious belief has inspired movements for abolition, civil rights, reconciliation, and care for the vulnerable. At its best, faith calls individuals to humility, service, and moral courage — often standing in quiet resistance to unjust authority.
But history also teaches another lesson. Religious language, symbols, and identity can be harnessed for political purposes. When that happens, faith can become less a source of conscience and more a badge of tribal belonging.
The issue is not Christianity itself — or any other faith tradition. The issue is the fusion of faith with partisan power.
In democratic societies, that fusion carries risks.
When political movements claim divine endorsement, disagreement can be framed not merely as political difference, but as moral or even spiritual betrayal. That is a dangerous place for any society to be. It narrows discourse. It hardens positions. It discourages thoughtful dissent.
In Canada, we are fortunate to live within a constitutional framework that protects both freedom of religion and freedom from religious coercion. Those twin protections are not hostile to faith; they are safeguards for it. Faith flourishes when it is chosen freely and lived authentically — not when it is pressed into service for electoral advantage.
This is not a criticism of churches or people of sincere belief. It is, rather, a call to mindfulness.
Citizens of faith — of any denomination — should remain alert to the ways political movements attempt to harness religious identity for partisan ends. Political leaders, on all sides of the spectrum, are tempted to wrap themselves in moral language. That temptation is hardly confined to one ideology. The danger arises whenever faith becomes a tool rather than a guide.
Moral conviction should not be reduced to party loyalty.
A healthy democracy depends on pluralism — the recognition that citizens of good faith can hold differing political views without questioning one another’s humanity or devotion. When religion becomes a political brand, both faith and democracy are diminished.
Faith, at its best, calls us to humility. Politics, at its worst, calls us to tribalism.
Mindfulness — about the language we use, the alliances we form, and the causes we endorse — may be the quiet discipline that preserves the integrity of both.