Religious rejection of politics, sometimes known aspolitical quietism or simplyquietism, is a philosophy that can be found in a life of contemplation of nature. Adherents to this way of life find it preferable, while someascetic schools ofHinduism orBuddhism also reject political involvement for different reasons.
InChristianity, some groups likeJehovah's Witnesses, theChristadelphians, theAmish, theHutterites, and theExclusive Brethren reject politics on the grounds that Christ's statements about his kingdom not belonging to this world mean that earthly politics can or must be rejected. Not all forms of political participation are necessarily rejected, however, as different sects interpret this requirement in different ways. For example, among theOld Order Amish, running for office is not allowed but voting is only discouraged, not forbidden.[1]
Others, like those of theBaháʼí Faith, do not take part in partisan politics. They neither endorse particular candidates, nor join political parties. They are told to vote their consciences as individuals. If required to register in order to vote, they tend to do so as independent.[citation needed]
In other religious systems, political quietism can relate to a rejection ofnationalism or even the concept of anation. In certain schools of Islamic thinking, nations are seen as a creation of Western imperialism and ultimately all Muslims should be united religiously in theummah. Therefore, Muslims should be inhijra, as nations, in the Western sense, are basically deemedapostate.[citation needed]
There are some aspects of the early days of the radicalTakfir wal-Hijra that hint at this. Likewise various Christian denominations reject any involvement in national issues considering it to be a kind of idolatry calledstatolatry. Most Christians who rejected the idea of nations have associated with theChristian Left.Satmar Hasidic Judaism rejects the state ofIsrael being created before the return of the Messiah, therefore members of this group refuse to vote in Israel. This group does not reject all politics, but it does reject participation in Israeli politics.[citation needed]
Lastly, some religions do not specifically reject politics per se, but believe existing political systems are so inherently corrupt they must be ignored. In some respects the view of governments as apostate relates to that. In the early stages of theNation of Islam, for example, many adherents rejected the idea of voting because the US political system was rejected in strong terms. In recent decades, however, this view has declined in popularity among Nation of Islam adherents or been rejected outright.[citation needed] InHellenism, voting in elections deemed 'non-democratic' is not permitted and namely affects believers in theUnited States, theUnited Kingdom, andRussia.[citation needed]
In the United States, a 2006 survey indicated that 2% of those who did notregister to vote cited religious reasons.[2] The same survey reported that 22% of voting-age Americans are not registered to vote, meaning that 0.4% of all voting-age Americans did not register to vote for religious reasons.[2]
| Religion | Adherents | Largest national membership |
|---|---|---|
| Jehovah's Witnesses | 8,200,000 | United States |
| Baháʼí Faith | 6,000,000 | India |
| Rastafarians | 600,000 | Jamaica |
| Old Order Amish | 318,000 | United States |
| Hellenism | 120,000 | Greece |
| Shaykhiya | 100,000 | Iraq |
| Christadelphians | 50,000 | Australia |
| Exclusive Brethren | 40,000 | Australia |
| Doukhobors | 3,000 | Canada |
| Purist Salafis | — | Saudi Arabia |
| Tablighi Jamaat | — | India |
| Nurcu | — | Turkey |