God in Government

Infobox Film
name = God in Government

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image_size = 300px
caption =
director = Sarah Lambert
producer = Alvin H. Perlmutter
Graham Judd
Elena Mannes
Sarah Lambert
Miles Roston
Veronique Gauvin
writer = Sarah Lambert
narrator = Larry Keith
starring =
music =
cinematography =
editing = Girish Bhargava
distributor =
released = 2004
runtime = 56 min.
country =
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website = http://www.godingovernment.org/
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0438062

"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.

ummary

"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.

Production

"God in Government" was produced by the Independent Production Fund and shown on PBS. *cite web
title =God in Government
work =
publisher =Independent Production Fund
date =
url =http://www.godingovernment.org/
accessdate =2007-08-14 ]

Reception

Notes

References

*cite web
title =God in Government
work =
publisher =Independent Production Fund
date =
url =http://www.godingovernment.org/
accessdate =14 August

*cite web
title =God in Government
work =
publisher =Media Rights
date =
url =http://www.mediarights.org/film/god_in_government
format = 14 August
doi =
accessdate =

ee also

*United States Congress
*First Amendment to the United States Constitution
*Christian Coalition
*United States Constitution

External links

* [http://www.mediarights.org/film/god_in_government MediaRights review of God in Government]
* [http://www.godingovernment.org/ "God in Government" official website]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0438062/ "God in Government"'s IMDb page]