PR

 P and R. There is a difference between politics and religion. A religion is something people make a decision to practise. Their lives are directed by their chosen religion and they find comfort in the friends they have and the dedication they set their lives to in the company of such persons. They hope to see their closest others also decide to take up what they love and what has become parts of their very lives. Politics are what also we do in the company of others but they are done to determine our leaders that we can trust in to make decisions that effect and affect the outcomes of our broader society. While religion is a serious enough commitment with principles one uses to set a pattern in how we live our lives, politics is  a tool in keeping a social economic order in our lives. The latter presents order that is flexible from time to time according to how our political structure is formed. We can change it according to how it works, if it works. Religion is deeper. It sets a pattern for our personal lives and it, too, while a choice  can be  adjusted or changed according to our needs. It doesn't or shouldn't cause emotional or physical harm and should never cause harm to others. It has nothing much to do with economic matters. Religion is something on top of the skin but shouldn't go so skin-deep so that reason and truth don't become confused. Its leaders are there to suggest, not to dictate. There is a difference between a religion and a cult that is more dictatorial.  Religion is a kind of uniform we don that can be changed as we see fit. Never, should it become the skin of our being itself. If that happens, we are in a dangerous situation because the leaders of it could step over their boundaries and  become dictators in our lives and not just advisors. We would lose our human freedoms to make decisions to live our own ways. Spiritual leaders can be strong in their guidance but are not there to punish. That's not their work. Politicians have even less power even though they are part of a body that makes punishing laws but those are only laws that are approved by electors who put the politicians there. Most politicians enter their field out of a belief they intend to do the will of those they have been elected by. They shouldn't, though often they eventually fall into the trap of believing they can rise above their mandates, begin to carry out the law themselves. Fortunately, elections are spaced to avoid this human weakness that can occur sometimes among those who hold  influence but go too far beyond their  legal powers. While religion has no true legal power, it does have a powerful influence by those who enlist in its structures. Political power is legal and thus safeguards are placed to prevent politicians from overstepping their roles, ones that may affect those who elected them. They have a time line to follow and many laws to hold them in check. Their decisions do directly influence how we live since the economics in our systems determine many aspects of our everyday lives. This influence is why we have to take our votes to elect political leaders very seriously and make sure that we vote with deep thought about which direction we want our very lives to go. We need vision of a kind so that we and our predecessors will be kind and safe and well guided. How we vote matters, and matters crucially. To not vote is to not care about the future of our world, the one and only place that we are responsible for.