There should be room for a robust and candid public discussion and debate about religion

Many people are offended by the religious right openly citing religious values and beliefs in the discussion of public policy. Some uncareful critics even claim the religious right is trying to impose a theocracy.

For the most part, social conservatives just want a return to the public policies on abortion, pornography and homosexuality that prevailed in the 1950s. An argument can certainly be made that current policies are better and more compatible with individual liberty than those of the 1950s. However, a serious argument cannot be made that Dwight D. Eisenhower was running a theocracy.

Moreover, political action grounded in religious belief is hardly new in American history, nor the exclusive province of the religious right. The civil rights movement had extensive religious roots, as did the emancipation movement before it. So did many of the reforms in the Progressive Era. Our reluctance to speak candidly and openly about religion is hindering the public discussion and understanding of the issue of our time: the relationship of the West with the Islamic world.

President Bush keeps talking about militants hijacking an otherwise peaceful and moderate religion, following the civic injunction not to criticize the religious beliefs of others. However, a significant part of the current conflict is that Islam by and large has not made the same accommodation with modern secularism and pluralism that other religions have. And there is a current correlation between Islam and violence that largely lies in the history of other religions. The world would be a much safer place if al-Qaida went away, and U.S. interest in the internal affairs of Islamic countries would diminish, or at least should diminish. But relations would still be difficult and prickly.

There should be room for a robust and candid public discussion and debate about religion. After all, there are no more important questions than: Does God exist, and if so, what does He want from me? Those questions have engaged the finest minds throughout human history. They have not become less central or of less interest, even to not-so-fine of minds.Religious belief remains a powerful driver of human behavior and opinions. If we do not directly and publicly discuss differences in religious beliefs, we understand less of the world around us and we move less surely through it.

There should be a way to discuss religious beliefs and differences civilly and respectfully. However, the fact that the public discussion will often be less than civil and respectful doesn't mean that it should be avoided. I probably would have cheered the wheelchair lady mowing down the haranguer. However, there is less reason to cheer our societal reticence to engage in serious public discussions and debates about religious matters. April 10, 2007

Reach Robb at robert.robb@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8472. His column appears Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Read his blog at robbblog.azcentral.com