Although men throughout our history have tried to tie religion to politics, they are in fact two distinctly different entities.

While they do share a few similarities, they are completely stark types of logic, and it is essential that the application of them be separated. Political thought is for the betterment of one’s country; religious thought is for the betterment of one’s self. There are some on the right out there today, like my fellow communist Brittany Jordan, who would have you believe oppositely, and that politics is a means to give certain religions a “voice” in the governing of our country.

They are shamefully wrong in thought and in practice.

First off, can anyone tell me what it’s called when religion and government are mixed? That’s right, when religion and politics are mixed, as some on the Right would like, a Theocracy is created.

But wait a minute, aren’t most of the countries in the Middle East theocracies? But our media criticizes their governments them constantly for their instability and human rights abuses. Many conservative leaders in our country have spoken out against this type of government; people from all sides of the spectrum can see that this mix is dangerous and doesn’t work well for anyone.

The same politicians who advocate for a bigger “Christian” voice in our government are the same ones who condemn religious governments abroad. I guess it’s only okay if it’s Christianity. This train of thought is markedly contradictory, but it’s suiting, considering how many contradictions there are in the Bible.

Another thing some on the right tend to forget when attempting to squeeze religion into politics is that both are entirely based on interpretation. I cannot stress this enough.

One major issue in the Republican Party these days that is hurting their voter appeal is all this ridiculous infighting amongst candidates, which was demonstrated in the last election. Labeling something as “more Christian” than another is ludicrous and stupid.  There is no formal measuring stick of Christian-ness. The Bible is just a book, whether or not you see more in it is up to you.

Republicanism is the same way. There isn’t a checklist of what makes a Republican, it just so happens that many of them share common traits. We as humans love to categorize things because it makes life so much easier, yet this leads us astray from the only truth about religion and politics, which is that it’s all about individual beliefs. It’s what you believe, not what some man on a platform says you believe.

Let me be frank: if the Republican Party steers further right to appeal to supposedly large religious audiences thirsting for more “Christian” candidates, they will never win another major election in this country. Indeed, they would be moving in the completely wrong direction, as they have been in recent years.

You need to come the other direction, my friends. As much as you may hate liberals, you’re going to have to start moving left or you’re going to shrink faster than John Boehner’s credibility as a politician.

Brittany was correct when she noted that the Republican Party is disenfranchising a significant portion of the population. However, she, like many of the top heads in the GOP, fails to recognize that it is the centrists that they aren’t appealing to. I hate to break it to you, but America is fuller of centrists than your church-going brethren.

As demonstrated in the last election, the American public is tired of your archaic social policies. They’re not even going to church anymore, so they aren’t as scared when you drag religion in as a Bogeyman to shame the liberals. Frankly, the only reason you stood a chance is because the Democrats continue to pretend that we have money to burn.

It’s time to wise up, GOP, and quick. The public isn’t super happy that you held our government hostage because you couldn’t have your way, and religion doesn’t matter anymore.

Shape up or ship out.

Sean Kennedy is a freshman with no declared major who likes to pretend that his Green Party will get someone elected someday. Send love & hate to letters@collegian.com or @seanskenn on Twitter.