What Obama Knows That We Seem To Have Forgotten | Article VI …
We have written at length here about Obama playing the HHS contraception ruling politically to muck about in the Republican primary. What we have not written about is how the left is having a laugh at our expense. Rick Santorum, beneficiary of Obama’s meddling is on record:
“Many of the Christian faith have said … contraception is O.K.,” the former senator said last fall. “It’s not O.K. It’s a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be.” With some pride, Mr. Santorum noted that “no president has talked about” the evils of birth control.
I am gong to have to thread a needle here, but it is an important one. I understand the Roman Catholic teachings in this matter. I support fully the Catholic right to practice in accordance with those teachings and I agree that the HHS ruling is a horrific breech of that right. But what Barack Obama knows and Rick Santorum seems to have forgotten is that most of the nation does not share that particular belief, even fellow Christians. As such, it is really a part of the private life of the candidate, perhaps POTUS, but it is not stuff for the bully pulpit of the presidency.
I can hear my liberal friends chiming in now, “Well isn’t that the case with abortion and same-sex marriage?” Not really – the nation remains divided on abortion. Yes, most people want it but in a far more restrictive fashion than is now the case. Not to mention that fact that Roe v Wade is just bad law and severely unbalances the constitution. Same sex marriage challenges the fundamental structure of our society, and shares many of the same “bad law” issues that abortion suffers from. In both cases there are real policy and political reasons to have the debate even without religious considerations.
As Christians, whether Catholic, Mormon or Evangelical, we tend to live in a bubble – we don’t quite get the liberal viewpoint because we just don’t experience it. Liberals, frankly, have the same problem. We all tend to think that our issues are the nation’s issues, but that is often just not the case. Birth control is a Catholic issue, but it is not a national issue. That is why it is a relatively safe issue for Obama to use to muck about in our primary, as we said he has nothing to lose. (I am talking politically here, the ruling is a clear breech of the first amendment and that IS a national issue.)
The lesson to take from his analysis is that if you want your bubble issues to be national issues, you have to get most of the nation into your bubble. Frankly, when it comes to abortion and same sex marriage, the same logic applies – they would not be issues if most of the nation agreed with us on them.
We cannot look to politics to solve a problem that is really the church’s to solve. This is what Obama knows and we keep forgetting. In fact he is relying on our confusion about what is a church issue and what is a political issue to stay in office.
That is worthy of thought as the next primaries move forward.
And Now, A Few More Entries in the “Oh Please?!” Category
Give it up already! Even Clinton’s “boxers or briefs” question did not get this much coverage – and wasn’t it ruled “unseemly” for a presidential campaign anyway?
Some people think too much. This piece is designed wholly to hit hot button words. And speaking of pushing hot buttons that should be dead.
The press keeps goading people into bringing issues long resolved just for sensational religious headlines – enough already.
Posted in Candidate Qualifications, Doctrinal Obedience, Reading List, Religious Bigotry, Religious Freedom, Understanding Religion | 3 Comments » | 
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