Introduction
Conflicts between the beliefs of the Christian Right, a group of conservative evangelical Christians, and those of Americans who opposed what they saw as the improper influence of religious values on politics characterized the Reagan period. Two important features characterized the socio-political situation in the USA.
Firstly, it was a time of increasing conservative sentiment in society. As a result, this led to the rise of right-wing political forces, most clearly expressed in the election of Republican Reagan to the presidency twice. Secondly, during this period, there was an unprecedented increase in the role of religion as a factor of political life in the modern history of America. Religious issues were an integral part of the political ideology of President Reagan and many other conservative political figures, including Jimmy Carter.
Reagan’s Approach
Nevertheless, Reagan’s non-preferentialism, like the ideology of American religious conservatives, had its limitations. First, in his rhetoric, Reagan, although he avoided references to individual church denominations as much as possible, was willing to mention the Western, Judeo-Christian religious tradition (HISTORY 02:08). Moreover, based on the sociocultural and even socio-economic views promoted by Reagan, the Republican president automatically deprived numerous and influential Protestant denominations and even part of the Catholic community of the right to cultivate American values (CrashCourse “The Reagan Revolution” 07:20). In the 1970s and 1980s, they declared their liberal attitude towards family values, the problem of abortion and negatively perceived attempts to return religious ceremonies to municipal schools (Corbett et al. 817).
These aspects of late 1970s and 1980s society have been most troubling to conservative Christians (CrashCourse “The Iranian Revolution” 12:13). Most of them opposed compulsory school religious education, which sanctified social problems for children. Thus, the universalism of the president’s religious rhetoric and ideology automatically ended where the sociocultural liberalism of religious communities began.
Carter’s Perspective
Contrary to stereotypes about conservative Christians in politics, Carter was a member of the Democratic Party. Jimmy Carter directed many efforts, together with another Baptist president, Clinton, to create a moderate Baptist denomination in North America (HISTORY 03:57). In theory, this denomination and convention were supposed to unite northern Baptists of various kinds. Carter calls this task one of the most important achievements of his life (J.J. McCullough 03:55). Therefore, his idea about the place of religion in government is that it should be the main instrument of deeds and a measure of the virtue of the adopted policy.
Such guidance of religious norms in governing the country and choosing a political course has given Jimmy Carter a reputation as a peacemaker. Carter was able to secure a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, which significantly improved the situation in the Middle East (CrashCourse “George HW Bush” 04:55). He signed the SALT-2 treaty with the Soviet Union, which continued the previously initiated policy of detente in relations between the two countries (Corbett et al. 834). Later, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 forced Carter to change course in relations with the Soviet Union (CrashCourse “George HW Bush” 07:39). However, guided by religious norms about preserving peace and avoiding military conflicts, Carter tried to improve relations by responding to military provocations only if necessary.
At the same time, Carter’s unwillingness to violate religious moral norms and to use weapons while participating in military conflicts sometimes damaged his reputation. For example, the Islamic revolution in Iran, which brought anti-American forces to power, was a blow to the authority of the Carter administration (Corbett et al. 853). The hostage-taking of employees of the US Embassy in Tehran and the subsequent failure of the rescue operation turned Jimmy Carter into a weakling and a loser in the eyes of Americans (J.J. McCullough 12:32). However, his actions and refusal to get involved in a military conflict were caused by the course of preserving peace dictated by the religious ideology of Baptism, which he adhered to.
Conclusion
Thus, both Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter incorporated religion into their politics. However, their actions and strategies differed due to differences in faith and character traits. Ronald Reagan advocated for an increased presence of the church in the public sphere and favored the influence of religion on political institutions. However, his religiosity in politics was part of a well-thought-out plan. Jimmy Carter, on the other hand, put religious postulates first, which explains his twofold reputation and the indecision in his response policy in the event of a threat.
Works Cited
HISTORY. “What Was the Iran Hostage Crisis? | History.” YouTube, 2017.
J.J. McCullough. “How Evangelicals became Republicans.” YouTube, 2020.
Corbett, Scott P., et al. U.S. History. OpenStax, 2021.
CrashCourse. “The Iranian Revolution: Accelerated Kursk of World History 226.” YouTube, 2015.
CrashCourse. “The Reagan Revolution: Crash Course US History #43.” YouTube, 2014.
CrashCourse. “George HW Bush and the End of the Cold War: Crash Course US History #44.” YouTube, 2014.