Prayer and Politics

“Agitate – Educate- Legislate!” This powerful slogan can be heard and read throughout American communities since 1874. In the 19^th century Christian women congregated in order to protest saloons and other establishments that supplied alcohol in their neighborhoods, and fight for the American families values. The Women’s Christian Temperance Union was founded in 1874 by American women who sought to provide education, and to promote legislation that would ban all alcohol consumption along with tobacco and harmful drugs. The use of religion as a foundation in the formation of special interest groups such as the WCTU, helps create a common ground of membership along with the shared theme of morality and family values. The WCTU is an example of how religion and politics are directly related by creating a movement that connects faith with political issues. Today I will argue that the formation of 19^th century religiously motivated special interest groups such as the WCTU have paved the way for not only women to enter the sphere of political participation but also demonstrates the incredible power that religion has over political communication in American communities.

The Women’s Christian Temperance Union was centered around the ideas of American purity through religious education and abstinence from anything that would contaminate the soul. The importance of this radical group was that for the first time, women were able to assemble and converse about political issues, but also because these women produced powerful protests that influenced their communities to prohibit alcohol consumption. The women would use the persuasion of prayer to influence saloon owners to stop serving their neighbors alcohol. According to the WCTU’s website, “in three months the women had driven liquor out of 250 communities, and for the first time felt what could be accomplished by standing together.” ("Women's Christian Temperance Union") Through the use of religious rhetoric the WCTU was able to convince their communities that alcohol was morally wrong and the consumption of liquor completely went against American family values. In the 19^th century, religion was a very important aspect of family and cultural life, and nobody wanted to be considered “sinful” or “impure.” The women used this religious fear in order to push their political agenda for the protection of women and children. “The WCTU adopted this as a policy, which came to mean that all reform was inter-connected and that social problems could not be separated. The use of alcohol and other drugs was a symptom of the larger problems in society.” ("Women's Christian Temperance Union") By supporting religion and prayer, the WTCU incorporated tainted cultural issues into their fight for family rights, and because women did not have the right to vote or the protection of property in the event of a divorce, women were virtually powerless and were not able to protect themselves or their families. In response the their lack of individual power they attempted to change society in order to support their personal agendas. If their husbands were not legally able to go out and drink, they were less likely to come home drunk and beat their wives and children. Religion served as their foundation of morality, but their determination is what predicted and influenced change.

By 1894, the Women’s Christian Temperance Unions’ main focus had turned to women’s suffrage. They fought for the right to vote and became one the biggest and most powerful women’s and religious organization in the country. The WCTU continued to encourage family and moral legislation. In 1920, when women received the right to vote they became one of the most influential voting demographics in the country and this legacy continues today. The WCTU in the 21^st century continues to support the same family values they did 135 years ago. Their website demonstrates their support for religious education in order to promote abstinence from drugs and alcohol in teens and young adults. They work to convince their audience to indentify with social problems that alcohol causes. The WCTU delivers staggering statistics to persuade readers how appalling alcohol can be and the problems that can grow from consumption. Did you know that 350 people die everyday from alcohol related issues, or that 31% of high school age teens admit to binge drink each week, or how about that fetal alcohol syndrome is the number one of preventable birth defects? ("Women's Christian Temperance Union") They argue that through the teachings of the Bible and religious morality young people can lead a more fulfilling life of purity and sobriety. The WCTU is still very much involved in political issues and communication. They sway toward the right side of the political spectrum by promoting the injunction of medical marijuana and same-sex marriages. They support the outlawing of alcohol, tobacco, all drugs, pornography, and gambling. WCTU encourages religious families to embrace the language and teachings of the Bible and use these values in their political decisions and communication with the purpose of promoting the spread of morality throughout society.

The early culture of The United States of America was filled with religious influence and rhetoric. Our cultural was formed around puritan ideals of morality and conformity, and throughout our political history voters have struggled to find the line between politics and religion. Groups like the Women’s Christian Temperance Union mix politics with religion and the use of guilt to pressure people into believing that in order to be faithful to God, we must always vote using religious undertones. I come from a very Catholic family that was extremely active in our church and our community. I would consider myself extremely faithful and I am encouraged by leaders in my church to illustrate my faith by opposing anti-Catholic legislation. However, should God or His literature have any effect on how we communicate politically in 2009? Should we as voters be influenced by literature that was written thousands of years ago, as well as be expected to apply it to our modern political decisions? No. In religious communities it is important the draw the line between social issue and political issues. The WCTU promotes political support for the abolition of alcohol and tobacco in order to lead a religiously pure life. This is a waste of their powerful resources! American political cultural in 2009 will never support the abolition of alcohol or tobacco, and educating abstinence to children because the Bible says so is not preparing them with the tools to enter modern society. The WCTU is a positive organization because it empowers women to become educated and stand up of their beliefs, but their use of strict religious policies hinders their ability to influence voters and traps them in the 19^th century. This organization is a perfect example of why progressive politics can’t be mixed with religion because of the old traditional values that no longer fit in our modern society.

Although American society was build on the establishment of religious society and organization we must learn to separate our political identity with our religious identity. I feel that is possible for me to be a Catholic on Sundays and a Republican on Mondays and even though I identify with my strong traditional faith, I use my modern education and experiences to make important political decisions. Groups like the Women’s Christian Temperance Union are important to our political society because they provide women with the ability to openly discuss politics and promote voter participation, but their use of religion in political communication is very outdated. When the tradition of religion is combined with contemporary political culture, our political system is weakened because of the outdated ideals of religion have no relevance to our current political issues.