Bernie Sanders (Religion)

Sanders's Religion (section page):

Separation of Church and State

Bernie Sanders has been a proponent of a clearly defined separation between church and state, keeping with constitutionally-grounded American political stances.

The most tangible display of this allegiance came in 2001, when Sanders voted against the Community Solutions Act. This proposal, which ultimately died in Congress, would have given the federal government the ability to provide funds to private organizations that would exercise operational practices openly influenced by religion. The most salient example of such practices lied in the hiring process, where any company receiving funding under the CSA would have, theoretically, been able to discriminate against certain candidates on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender, or religious affiliations.

More consistently, Sanders has held a firm stance against the government's expression of support for "traditional", Judeo-Christian values. In other words, Sanders is committed to keeping religion, and the moral beliefs that accompany the faith, out of public policy. This is evidenced by his voting record against the funding of schools whose curricula allow the teaching creationism (among other religiously inclined/based teachings), against government subsidies of religiously inclined organizations, against tax exemptions for churches/ other communities of worship, and against religious interest groups interference with campaigns or or legislative proceedings.

Sanders' voting record has earned him a score of 0% on the Americans United voting scale, which measures how politicians votes either maintain or butt the separation between church and state. This score indicates that he has an effectively spotless voting record in support of maintaining the separation.

Israel

A New York Jew by upbringing and culture, Sanders embraces his heritage, but keeps his personal religious beliefs relatively obscured. His views on the Israeli-Palestinian seem to be unaffected by his heritage, as he believes the United States should mediate a two-state solution, ensuring that both Palestine and Israel are given deals that would create and uphold a homeland for both parties.

Despite being a member of AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), Sanders has never been exorbitantly pro-Israel. In fact, he currently has a +2 voting record from the AAI (American Arab Institute). Sanders' most notable acknowledgements of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have been few and far between, and do not definitively suggest that he takes a side. After endorsing Jesse Jackson's, who is notoriously pro-Palestine, 1988 Presidential campaign, Sanders shed some light on his stance in the matter. This address, which was delivered on the heels of the first intifada's beginning, criticized Israeli violence against Palestinian civilians inhabiting Israeli-controlled settlements. Later in this address, Sanders remarked, “If the United States goes into the Middle East and demands a reasonable, a responsible, and a peaceful solution to the conflict that has gone there because of its clout because of the tremendous amounts of money that it is pouring into that region I think we can do it.” This idea has, to date, been the thesis under which Sanders directs all of his votes, policies, and rhetoric as they relate to Israel-Palestine.

More recently, Sanders voted in favor the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, otherwise known as the Iran Deal. This Deal, which was crafted with the idea of inhibiting Iran's access to nuclear weaponry while lifting or ameliorating the sanctions against Iran. On his campaign website, Sanders cites the Iran Deal as a necessary means of ensuring Israel's safety while concurrently avoiding another military campaign in the Middle East.

In a nutshell, Sanders' stance is neither pro-Israel nor pro-Palestine. Sanders is, for lack of a better term, pro-negotiation. Bernie firmly believes that the United States (and the rest of the world) should be more interested in having suits at a table, rather than boots on the ground.