A Ramble About Politics

As I follow this year's election year politics in the news, I find myself in a strange position. My wife tells me that, as a priest, I need to watch how political I get with my comments and posts. She's probably right... as usual. But I find myself in the strange position of opposing candidates with whom I share viewpoints.



The truth is that I am anti-abortion. I would not support the termination of a pregnancy for any reason. I don't believe that homosexual relationships are either biblical or healthy, much less the sanction of such relationships with marriage. Like all of the candidates this year (although I'm not certain of Ron Paul), I am a professing Christian. I do believe in and practice regular prayer with my family. I don't agree with the Mormon faith on every point (although I have found a number of Mormons more faithful than traditional Christians). So why am I finding myself cringing at the idea of handing the keys to the White House to someone who share most if not all of my values in this respect? But here I find myself. I was reading yet another article today about one of the Republican candidate's positions and finding myself both agreeing with the ideas and yet similarly repulsed by his exposition of them.



I think that the single issue which divides me from any of these candidates is that they have professed that they want to see them enforced on the country as a whole. The idea is that everyone would be better off if they were forced to abide by Christian principles and religious rule. I think this is a mistake. I think history makes the case very well that theocracy doesn't work. From the lessons of history we learn that when an absolutist religion takes over the functions of government then both the religion and the government suffer for it, and no one can make the case that Christianity is not an absolutist religion. Jesus Christ is either the only way, the only truth, and the only life for those who profess Him, or He is not and there is no middle ground.



So why wouldn't we want to impose Christian rule over the land? Let me ask you this, should migrant workers here as guests of this country fight to impose Mexican rule over the land? We would say absolutely not, it's not their country. They're here as guests and they must abide by our rules, not us by theirs.



For the Church, this country is not ours to rule. No nation of this world is. We are foreigners passing through. Migrant workers and immigrants only here until we're called home. We are guests, not citizens. Our citizenship is with God in Christ, not with any nation of this world. It is just as inappropriate for us to demand that those of this world live by our rules and customs as it is for the Mexican migrant worker to demand that Americans live like Mexicans.



I will not support any member of the Church getting an abortion, taking part in a homosexual relationship, or doing anything which would damage their relationship with God through Christ. But that is for our Family. That is an internal matter. I have no say on what happens on the outside, nor should I.



The Church and the State should remain separate because the State must govern those outside of the Church as fairly as it governs those inside of it. The State doesn't have the luxury of preferring one group of people under it's jurisdiction over another. The State can't take Christian religious rules and force Muslims, pagans, or athiests to live by them and still remain fair and just. The State is of this world, and will never be anything else. As Christians, we are told to respect the authority of the State, and to pray for those rulers that are set over us, no matter how much we may disagree with them. If we were to travel to any other country, such as Mexico or Germany, we would be expected to respect and abide by the laws and authorities of those countries, and we would be held responsible if we violated those laws or disrespected those authorities. It is no different between the Church and the State. In the ancient Church, Christians didn't even attempt to seek government positions because of everything that went with it.



We must be followers of Jesus Christ first. We must be members of His Family first. Everything else is secondary, including and especially our earthly citizenship. We need to remember that.