Most people know that democracy is a Greek concept. Most of us have seen the etymology "Demos" = "people"; "cracy" = "rule." That's not what I'm talking about.
American Democracy is characterized by our two party system--Democrats and Republicans always assume office, and everyone else just takes up space on the ballot (mostly). When we register to vote, we are encouraged to select the party with whom we agree most. When we vote, we often do so along party lines because we figure they've done the hard work of thinking it all out for us. Let's hold on to that thought for a minute.
It used to be that the church you attended really said something about your beliefs. Baptists (of every sort), Methodists, Lutherans, Nazarenes, all knew what they believed and all knew they had it "more right" than anyone else. I dare say that your denomination was a factor in your identity.
The ancient Greeks had a different idea. Their religion was not as much about faithfulness or righteousness as it was about results. You pray to the god that helps you, and when the results are not what you want, you move on to another and try him/her for a while.
I see a shift happening in American politics. In case you didn't notice, "conservative" and "Republican" look less alike every day. The so-called "conservative base" didn't vote and McCain lost--even though he was "their candidate." From what I hear on conservative talk radio, voters are ready to leave their denominationalism behind and vote for what they think will work. This is not a result of the people abandoning their principles, it's the politicians that have left their foundation and begun building on sand.
I think we're going Greek.
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