A Religious Test for the Presidency
More, man.
I was just listening to a guy, John Harrington- identified as a Catholic, on a Washington Post video, "The Mormon Question" make the following interview statement:
Formerly I was a Bush supporter; and- but when I've seen what President Bush has done with regard to, say, stem cell research, um, because he has such strong beliefs, uh, from a religious standpoint, I think he's using that to sway, uh, his thought processes when it comes to being the President of the United States and I really disagree with him in that regard.My question back to Mr. Harrington is, "Why should it matter whether beliefs are religious in nature and origin, or secular?"
I believe that if...uh...Mr. Romney did start to sway too much toward his religion and his religious beliefs and if I had an indication that he would use those beliefs in running the country, it may sway me away from him a little bit, yes.
Beliefs are beliefs, and we all have them. It doesn't matter whether it's liberalism or Catholicism. What we should want in a candidate, are shared values. Mr. Harrington should not support President Bush because he perceives President Bush as not supportive of embryonic stem cell research; not because it is his religious convictions that is non-supportive of embryonic stem cell research. One could just as well be arguing that a President's secularism is preventing him from objectively quantifying the issue.
And since it's been brought up, my own feeling in regards to President Bush's positioning on the stem cell issue is that he hasn't "pushed" his evangelical beliefs upon the country. There isn't a "ban" on stem cell research. What he has done is seen that the nation is deeply divided on the issue, and taken the middle road, refusing to support further federal government funding of embryonic stem cell research.
Labels: Election 2008, George Bush, Mitt Romney, Mormons, political cartoons, religion, stem cell research
posted by The WordSmith from Nantucket at 12/06/2007 10:03:00 AM
8 Comments:
Word, good post....I didn't see the phrase,"Render unto Caesar the things that are ceasar's and to God the things that are Gods'" That would have been appropriate, I think.....The only problem I have about any religion is it's prohabitions. Like,, No one but Mormans can enter the tabernacle. Why...Secrets????? I have been to Salt Lake City and went into the building where the choir was performing and they were the most outstanding Choir, I have ever heard, bar none.....But still I didn't enter the Tabernacle. Just something with me.....Nothing against the religion. each to his own, but questions remain.....stay well... .
Really? No one but Mormons can enter the Tabernacle? I wonder how I got in??? I don't remember because I was only nine-years-old, but I have definitely been inside the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. I wasn't a Mormon back then either. I was a heathen. LOL!
Good post, Wordsmith. Love the cartoons. :)
I see we're on the same page here, Word. Great cartoons, too.
I would take Mitt for president over any of the secular, Muslim and the religion of liberalism candidates that the dems are sporting any day of the week.
I listened to Mitt's speech and I think he is a man of good integrity. He's not perfect but he is pretty darn good. My vote won't be worth a hill of beans though when it comes to the primary. By the time Pennsylvania has it's primary it will already be decided. That's wrong. I have had no say in any presidential primary I have participated in. Things need to be changed. I will vote for Mitt with good conscience if he wins the nomination by the few.
As the only OUTED Mormon I know on Sparks I can say I will not be voting for Romney. He is too liberal for me. But I do agree that he is better than Billary or Osama. And if he is running against one of them, I would probably vote for him (gasp!!).
As for Tapline's comments about the Tabernacle, you may enter at any time. Same with any Church building. The Temple is a whole other story though. You need to be a member in good standing with a Temple Recommend. What Tapline deems as secret, I deem as sacred. Tapline could probably look around on the internet and find a version of this "secret" he refers too.
Mitt's candidacy should be a matter of whether or not he is a good man and will make good decisions. "By their fruit you shall know them...." Mitt does seem like a good man. I certainly would not vote for him just because he is a Mormon (me being a Mormon too). Gotta be based on something other than his religion. There are plenty of bad Mormons out there (along with every other sect).
tapline,
Welcome!
gayle,
I wasn't a Mormon back then either. I was a heathen.
I've always ever been a heathen. But a pro-Christianity one, at that.
karen,
We seem to be on the same page quite often. Great post from Karen, for any interested.
jennifer,
I will vote for any Republican, except for perhaps Ron Paul, over any of the Democratic candidates. And yes, this is a principled position.
mormonbradybunchdad,
Excellent comment! Thanks for weighing in. I too would not vote for a candidate simply because the candidate shared my heathenism, ethnicity, birthdate, hair color, favorite past-time, etc.
But I would most likely vote for a candidate who shared my political affiliation, because I belong to the political party who bests represents my values and issues I care about.
I listened to Romney's speech as well and it was magnificent.
However he should'nt have had to give a speech about his religion.
He should be accepted for who he is and how he would Govern this Country instead of his Religious beliefs.
Tapline,
Does it bother you that in Catholic churches, you're not allowed in the section farthest from the door (I'm not Catholic, so I don't know the proper term, maybe the altar)?
Each religion has its sacred places. Don't fret yourself so much about the Mormon temples.
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