The Faith Lives of the Members of Congress

On this day when we'll hear much about Senator Romney's lone Republican vote to find President Trump guilty, I have a whole set of questions that might not be reflected in the news media.  I'm interested in Romney's faith and how that may have strengthened him to make this stand.

I also have questions about the faith lives of those who did not find Trump guilty, but that might be a post for another day--or maybe I don't want to spend time with that kind of negative energy.

No, I'm much more interested in the faith lives of those who do the unpopular thing, but the morally upright thing.  I'm interested in Romney's faith community right now, as well as the faith communities that surrounded him (or didn't surround him) as he grew up.  What I'm really saying:  how often does he go to church?

I think that many of us grow up knowing the right thing to do.  Change the rules of the game with little children if you don't believe me--they have a fierce sense of fairness, and they will let you know when you have behaved unjustly.  Is it possible to keep that sense of fairness as we grow older?  Is it possible to keep that sense of fairness and justice when money is on the line?

For most of us, it's hard to do that alone.  And it's hard to find people who will support us when we do, especially when money is on the line.  In an ideal world, our faith communities will do that.  In an ideal world, our friends of all belief systems will also do that.  In an ideal world, we've been formed by our families too.

Clearly, we're not living in that ideal world.

I'd love to see a work of journalism that explores the faith and attendance patterns of those who serve in higher office.  How often do they show up at houses of worship?  Are they a participating member of those communities?  Do they serve on the governing bodies of those communities?  Do they go to potluck dinners and holiday pageants?  Do they sing in choirs or do interpretive dance?  Do they stay for coffee hour?  Do they stay to do the clean up after coffee hour?  Do they count the money?

And then I'd like a deeper dive into the data, a dive informed by history, sociology, and psychology.  It's not a book I want to write, but it's one I'd like to read.