In this article in the Chicago Tribune, William Daley, the co-chairman of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign discusses a growing trend amongst the “Catholic hierarchy” in the U.S. where Catholic officials have been unnecessarily mixing religion and politics. Daley points to a recent event where President Obama was invited to speak at the University of Notre Dame. Cardinal Francis George reacted to this invitation, claiming that it “is an embarrassment to Catholics because the president disagrees with church doctrine on abortion and stem-cell research.” Daley responds to this comment by stating that George’s response is an embarrassment to Catholics and “furthers the divide among the church, its members and the rest of America.” Daley suggests that in today’s world, it’s in appropriate and unproductive for one religion to be so close-minded about its view of “morality” that it actually prevents its followers from gaining a broad education that can help them understand the issues in the world around them. According to Daley, “this requires that Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and atheists sit down together and explore their common interests, concerns and dreams for the future.”

Although being true to one’s religion is critical in following its teachings, it’s unfair to discredit anyone’s word, be it the President or a neighbor, because they have different beliefs. George’s reaction, for example, is ridiculous because not only is it unlikely that Obama would have even mentioned stem cell research or abortion (two of the issues over which Obama’s beliefs and Catholic teachings clash), but hearing from someone whose views differ from yours can be an even more enlightening experience than learning from someone who’s views mirror your own.

In this blog post, Amit discusses the same issue, and questions whether or not it would be a good idea to have Obama speak at Notre Dame. Amit points out that the student’s support for Obama was may be due to the fact that they were less religious, but as several of those who commented on the blog pointed out, it’s more likely that the students are simply becoming more open-minded. According to Daley, this is a good trend because it reflects his idea that a nation can be both moral and religious, but the two don’t have to be exclusive. People of different religions can and should recognize and seek to understand each other’s beliefs in hopes of creating a general, nationwide sense of morality. The only question is which generation will win this struggle. Will the older Catholics and other religious leaders who close-mindedly believe very strongly in their religions still hold sway over the younger, seemingly more open-minded generations? Or will the sense of open-mindedness spread throughout the adults as easily as it has through the kids? I don’t think there’s any way this willingness to cooperate, comprehend other religions, and to put aside differences in beliefs in order to establish a common sense of morality and “form a more perfect union” of the people could possibly be detrimental to the nation.