We all know the old adage about not talking about politics or religion. These subjects elicit strong feelings in nearly everyone, and the chance to create an argument is great. To keep the peace, we should rather talk about the weather, or movies.

What has been exposed in this election, although it has surely been around for decades, is politics AS a religion.

A few days ago, talk show host Michael Medved took a call from a tearful woman. She was extremely upset at how Medved was "ridiculing" such leaders as Al Gore, Bill Clinton, and Hillary Clinton. As a loyal Democrat, she took attacks on these icons as attacks on herself. There was little that Medved could say to convince her that her feelings were misguided--to say the least.

At first blush, one could compare this woman to those deluded TV fans, who would send mail to "Marcus Welby" star Robert Young seeking medical advice. But, upon reflection, it is clear that something more is in play here. Simply put, it is pure idolatry.

For those who believe in God, the proscription in the first commandment--You shall have no other gods besides me (Exodus 20:3)--is clear enough. For those who don't believe in God, a large hole in their heart remains, only to be filled with something else.

Perhaps this "something else" starts out as a vision; an ideal, if you will. For many who became impoverished during the Great Depression, the New Deal offered by Franklin Roosevelt was such a vision. Although his "new deal for the forgotten man" campaign rhetoric was diametrically opposed to the traditional American concept of laissez- faire, and embraced Fascist notions of the government controlling private industry, the public ate it up.

Soon enough, the ideal and the man became one and the same. Those who worshipped at the altar of the New Deal were not likely to abandon their god, even when he sacrificed more than 2,300 of their brethren at Pearl Harbor. Did Noah lose his faith after the Flood?

But, that's the problem, of course. Whether it's the non-reaction as Ronald Reagan remained mute while Robert Bork was being skewered, or the silence of the Fems amidst the cacophony of harassment (and worse) accusations against Bill Clinton, the true believers become strangely taciturn.

In all of these examples, I'm sure that many of the faithful recognized that their god had let them down. Some would even abandon him. Yet, most of them would emulate Simon Peter and the rest of the original Twelve, as other disciples abandoned Jesus.

When asked if they also wanted to leave, Simon Peter, speaking for the Twelve, answered Jesus, "Master, to whom shall we go?" (John 6:68)

Much as a devout Roman Catholic and devout Muslim could never marry, a fervent Socialist and fire-breathing Libertarian would be similarly impeded. Nonetheless, with all the parallels we might draw between politics as a religion and traditional religion, our atheist politicos hold a compelling advantage these days:

They don't have to worry about the so-called separation of Church and State. When their party is in power, the Church is the State.

The comparisons to theocracies in medieval Europe are as obvious as they are frightening. We've already seen their latter day plagues and inquisitions. I'm praying for the Renaissance.