Romney, Santorum, Gingrich and Paul — it sounds like a law firm
instead of the Republican candidates who are still standing. The only
one who, if he went back to his roots may not totally embarrass
moderate Republicans, is Romney and while winning delegates he is
still having a hard time galvanizing support. With Santorum winning
Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana it is clear that the Republican
fight for the nomination will continue to shouts of glee from
Democrats.
Looking at the close polls, it would appear that if Mitt Romney had
run as he did to become governor of Massachusetts (embracing his
record, including healthcare reform) he would have had a chance to
beat Barack Obama. He couldn't win the Republican nomination like that
but then this year neither could Barry Goldwater or Ronald Reagan if
they ran on their records. That is something the Republican Party will
have the next four years to ruminate about.
As Americans, we need to take a long look at how to ensure we are
living up to our Constitution. We are a nation born out of the quest
for religious freedom and the separation of church and state was
recognition of that and the desire not to foist one set of religious
beliefs on everyone.
The Republican candidates are defiling the meaning of religious
freedom. They pretend that many religious institutions are still
supported by the generosity of their believers rather than by money
from the government, which is paid by all of us. Consequently if they
hire outside the religion they can no longer expect that everyone
working for them should be obliged to live within the principles of
the religion that operates the institution.
Republicans exemplified by Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum think they
can turn the world upside down claiming that government is impinging
on religious freedom when it insists that a hospital or school
receiving public money allow its employees access to the healthcare
they would have in every other situation. They conveniently forget we
are a nation where Christians, Jews, Mormons, Muslims, Baptists,
believers and non-believers alike have equal rights under civil law.
There is a wonderful website called Stop the Hate, stop-the-hate.org,
which has words of wisdom from many religions, poets, politicians,
activists and authors. They all speak of loving your fellow man and
woman. It seems Republican candidates have forgotten that and instead
are preaching hate and separatism in the name of religion.
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One of the roles of government is to protect minorities and ensure
they have the same rights as all others. Our Constitution is a living
document and we have amended it many times over the years, but always
to guarantee rights, never to take them away. Church law and policy,
as in the Catholic Church, has also changed over the years from having
popes who were married with children to requiring them to be single
and celibate. Another example of the flexibility of the Catholic
Church would be welcoming Gingrich who is on his third marriage while
Catholic doctrine doesn't recognize divorce. It is time that we as a
nation reject those who would try to use either the Constitution or
religion to deprive people of their civil and human rights.
While I favor moving forward it would be appropriate to go back to a
time when we adhered to a doctrine that this country stood for:
separation of church and state. John F. Kennedy eloquently stated that
doctrine in a speech he gave in 1960 when he said, "I believe in an
America where the separation of church and state is absolute — where
no Catholic prelate would tell the president (should he be Catholic)
how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for
whom to vote. And where no church or church school is granted any
public funds or political preference and where no man is denied public
office merely because his religion differs from the president who
might appoint him or the people who might elect him. I believe in an
America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish,
where no public official either requests or accepts instructions on
public policy from the pope, the National Council of Churches or any
other ecclesiastical source and where no religious body seeks to
impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or
the public acts of its officials and where religious liberty so
indivisible that an act against one church is treated as an act
against all." We elected him because he was willing to state those
views so clearly.
Not only will the next president have a say on how this doctrine is
applied but he will also have the opportunity to appoint Supreme Court
justices who will sit in judgment on the issue for many generations to
come.
More:
http://www.washingtonblade.com/2012/03/29/sanctity-of-church-state-separation/
--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
--
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