I'm sorry I'm getting into this debate a little bit late, but it's only been recently that I've taken a keen liking to Iowa (despite the fact that you overwhelmingly supported Suckabee).
Anyhow I resent very much politicians who feel as if they are on a holy quest to impart the power of the "good book" into legislation. I myself am a devout Lutheran, but I don't for one second want an elected official representing me who can't differentiate between his personal religious beliefs and a legislative process that affects 300,000,000 of his or her constituents, many of whom may have divergent religious perspectives (if any at all).
To those who defend Huckabee and others who make their personal faith such a major selling point, please permit me to present the following scenarios:
1.) A right-wing conservative Christian is voted into the White House. He (or she) begins pitching ideas to Congress about making the Holy Bible the "law of the land." Judging by the right-wing nature of this forum, most of you would run out into the streets shooting your rifles into the air about a "proper" man who is "enlightening the heathens."
Anyone who doesn't share these viewpoints are out of luck.
2.) A left-wing liberal Muslim is voted into the White House. He (or she) begins pitching ideas to Congress about making the Qur'an the "law of the land." Judging once again by the right-wing nature of this foum, most of you would run out into the streets again shooting your rifles, but this time it would be while shouting battle cries seeking an end to this "unholy regime."
Now do some of you who are making a candidate's peronal religious beliefs a major deciding factor in influencing how you vote see how foolish you are? Christians have no more of a "right" to impose their moral viewpoints onto others via legislation than Muslims, Atheists, Wiccans, Jews, etc. do.
Where do we see examples of this, you may ask? As a gay person who has been desperately pleading with locals to vote against a proposed ban in Pennsylvania against same-sex civil unions (yes, we're one of the few uber-conservative states in the Northeast), most of the rebuttals I get from right-wing conservatives bring religion into play. I have yet to talk to one right-wing Republican who can give me a good, honest answer as to why my partner and I can't enter into a civil union other than "God wouldn't want it that way." Well perhaps YOUR God preaches intolerance, but that doesn't mean everyone else's does as well. When people start belly-aching about the "sanctity" of marriage being threatened by permitting gays to have civil unions and about how "Christian ideals" are "under attack" I truly want to vomit in disbelief. When states enact permanent bans on same-sex marriages and/or same-sex civil unions, they are doing so based upon religious hysteria. This is just ONE prime example of how if left unchecked right-wing conservatives are pushing the Bible and their faith into legislation that affects
everyone. I always ask why these same right-wingers who gripe about same-sex civil unions being blasphemous don't have any qualms about heterosexual Atheist couples getting married if marriage, according to them, is a CHRISTIAN institution? They always give me the "deer in headlights" look because they honestly do NOT have a good rebuttal, nor do I expect them to. You know why? It's a blatant double-standard to enact legislation that prevents ONE group from getting married based upon religious fundamentalism while permitting ANOTHER group that even goes so far as to denounce the existence of a God to enter into "holy matrimony." That's something most right-wing Republicans conveniently fail to tell you, isn't it?
I attend church weekly. I volunteer in my community. I pray daily. I love my Lord. At the same time I know that a Christian God created us with free will so we could either choose to accept him and abide by his teachings or reject him and live life without him. By enacting legislation with a Christian overtone we are essentially giving up the free will for Americans to
reject our Lord if they should so choose.
Most of you people who defend candidates blending religion and politics would be the first ones to complain if a non-Christian president were to commit the same offense. Hypocrites.
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I don't want someone in office who can't differentiate between his personal religious beliefs and his professional life. If I were to get up on a soapbox at work about professing love for my God and about how we should all abide by his laws and commands, I'd probably be reprimanded. Why then is it permissible for the president of the United States to do the same?
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