There is a long-standing rule in the Pelleymounter household that neither politics nor religion is discussed at the dinner table. However, today it seems that table may be the only place to go to escape religious discourse.

Evident by this university’s own difficulty in coming to a consensus on topics ranging from religious Service Learning to the current discussion of RA-held Bible study sessions, religion is a hot topic.

In short, God is in right now. He’s the jam.

One need only look to the changing American skylines to see how religion has saturated and shaped society in the past 20 years. Megachurches, referred to by some critics as McChurches, began sprouting in the 1980s, and their numbers and influence are rising exponentially. Today, the Hartford Institute for Religious Research estimates there are roughly 800 megachurches in the United States.

These congregations, categorized as having a minimum weekly attendance of 2,000, also differ from how we traditionally view religion in that they aren’t necessarily denominational, according to a journal article written by religious scholar Scott Thuma.

Raised as a Catholic, I am used to the stand up, pray, sing, sit down, kneel variety of churchgoing (and, I’ll admit, this usually only occurs on Christmas and Easter).

However, last Easter, my parents and I attended a Catholic Mass in what could be categorized as a megachurch. Flanking the pews, which didn’t have kneelers, on either side were large projection screens displaying the readings and words to the songs that were performed by a 12-piece jazz band, a sight one wouldn’t typically associate with a Catholic church.

The fact that Christianity is becoming less divided by denominations, even when affiliated with a denomination, undoubtedly adds to its societal and political strength by numbers. Add to this the ability of these churches now to bring in crowds upwards of 5,000 a weekend, and you have a very substantial voting bloc in close races.

A December SRBI/TIME Magazine poll found one in three Americans say they are “very spiritual,” while 46 percent consider themselves at least “somewhat spiritual.”

The ability of megachurches to attract large numbers of parishioners leads one to assume that these churches can expand their role as a spiritual center into a quite powerful lobby group in the political realm. And, politicians have taken notice.

Tuesday’s gubernatorial election in Virginia is a perfect example of the power religion has on who does or does not represent you on the state and national levels in our country.

Democrat Timothy Kaine, the governor- elect of Virginia, won his seat by embracing religion, something Democrats of the past have shied away from.

Kaine’s media strategist, David Eichenbaum, said in a TIME magazine article that his candidates’ appeal to the religious masses had almost everything to do with Kaine’s election.

“We proved that faith in God is a value for all, and that we can all share, regardless of our partisan label,” Eichenbaum said. “We’re trying to show voters that God isn’t a Republican.”

The high probability of both parties using religion to garner votes is disturbing on multiple levels.

First and foremost, the Establishment Clause of the Constitution comes to mind. If we have candidates appealing to constituents based on their religion, there is a likely potential for policy positions founded on that religion.

In addition, those who choose not to subscribe to a religion may be left in the dust.

The number of Americans considering themselves atheist/agnostic/no religion constituted 15 percent of the U.S. population in 2000, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. That’s a very large number of voters to ignore.

Consider America’s current status in the international community.

We condemn theologies and advocate for personal freedoms, including that of religion, but it really is no secret that religion as a cultural devise at least influences, in some way, U.S. foreign policy based on the far-less transparent power of religion on other world governments.

Remember when Bush unwisely used the loaded word “crusade” following 9/11?

Furthermore, if megachurches and political targeting weren’t enough to demonstrate the ability of religion to shape American societal and political cultures, religion now has its own forms of media.

While I don’t judge those who attend megachurches or even those who watch programs such as “700 Club,” what frightens me is the potential of religion having such a substantial, and less transparent, influence on the direction our country is headed.

Pelleymounter is a senior political science and print journalism major and editor in chief of The Spectator.