God in Government
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| God in Government | |
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| Directed by | Sarah Lambert |
| Produced by | Alvin H. Perlmutter Graham Judd Elena Mannes Sarah Lambert Miles Roston Veronique Gauvin |
| Written by | Sarah Lambert |
| Narrated by | Larry Keith |
| Editing by | Girish Bhargava |
| Release date(s) | 2004 |
| Running time | 56 min. |
| Language | English |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
God in Government is a 2004 documentary about the overlap between religion and politics in America. The film briefly examines the how religion and politics have played themselves out in India, Israel, and Iran in order to gaining a better understanding of America's situation. With interviews from leading politicians and top political annalists, the documentary asks how hard the line that separates church and state should be and what direction the nation is headed.
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[edit] Summary
God in Government states that America's religious freedom is essentially anti-democratic. In a true democracy, the majority decides. But according to the First Amendment, a religious majority in America never has the right to impose its will.
It also suggests that the more a government forces religion on its people the more the people reject it. For example, in Iran, essentially an Islamic theocracy, only 9% of women and 14% of men go to mosque regularly. An Iranian Muslim in the film explains, “religion is like love,” it can't be forced upon someone.
Even though Americans enjoy freedom of religion, the President still has enough power to legislate based on his faith. So what exactly does that mean for the nation? President Bush has been both criticized and adored for allowing his religious values to inform his politics. One political annalist in God in Government suggests that not since Eisenhower has a President been as faith-friendly as Bush. His proposed ban on same-sex marriage, ban on partial birth abortions, and desire to put the Ten Commandments back in schools all point to how his faith has affected his leadership.
One of the most publicized and controversial way in which the President brought God into the Oval Office is through his language regarding the war against terror. Critics of the President argue that he's made it into a holy war by defining the Middle Eastern enemy as “evil” and the war itself as a “crusade.” Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright criticizes his vocabulary, pointing to the narrow mindedness that results from a “God belongs to us” mentality.
[edit] Production
God in Government was produced by the Independent Production Fund and shown on PBS. [1]
[edit] Reception
[edit] Notes
- ^ *God in Government. Independent Production Fund. Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
[edit] References
- God in Government. Independent Production Fund. Retrieved on 14 August.
- God in Government (14 August). Media Rights.
