Religious convictions and Santorum

BY LYN JERDE

Picture this scene: Me and Rick Santorum, alone together in a room, both of us tethered to a polygraph and injected with truth serum.

Surprising as it might seem, I bet I could say something that I truly believe, and with which Santorum would agree.

Here's what I'd say: "Any faith that's worth embracing must influence the way a believer lives out daily life. It's impossible to push faith aside and completely disregard it."

After shaking his head in the affirmative, I believe Santorum would say that would have been a more diplomatic and more accurate way of expressing his disagreement with then-candidate John F. Kennedy's 1960 speech on separation of church and state. Then, he could apologize sincerely for saying Kennedy's speech made him want to vomit.

I'm less certain as to whether Santorum would agree with this statement: "Having strong, sincere beliefs about what God wants for people does not mean that a person with political power may, or should, use that power to mandate a specific way of living those beliefs."

And I'm sure many of the people who back Santorum's presidential bid (a large number of whom live in Dubuque County) voted for him because they hope he would do exactly that -- take his professed beliefs, which are similar or identical to theirs, and make them the law of the land.

I think it's safe to say Santorum won't get my vote in Wisconsin's April 3 presidential preference primary.

But as strongly as I disagree with most of his political positions, I believe Santorum is right in saying that, as Americans continue their conversation about what's best for all 300 million of us, the voice of religion should not be silenced.

Nor do I think Kennedy meant that U.S. presidents (or state legislators, or county supervisors, or village trustees) should declare that their religious convictions have no bearing on their actions -- because if that's the case, then they're not truly "convictions," are they?

Is your conviction that life at all stages is sacred? Then, of course, your voice should be heard on issues such as abortion, health care, euthanasia and capital punishment.

Is it your conviction that Christ calls us to make sure that our neighbors have enough to eat and a safe place to live? Then say so in the public square, and when you do, say Christ's name.

But if you are a person of faith in a post of political power, there are two cautions.

First, you're president (or senator, or alderman) of all your constituents, not just those who believe as you do.

Furthermore, even those who share your theology might have different ideas from yours as to how that theology should be lived out in the political sphere.

Second, efforts to bring about a Realm of the Divine through government have failed throughout history, and they always will fail.

Christ, in his 33 years on Earth, could have seized political power -- some of his followers wanted that -- but Christ said that's not the kind of kingdom God has in mind for humanity.

God does not force people to follow him. God woos. And, each new generation must be wooed, over and over again.

Posted: Saturday, March 24, 2012 12:00 am

Jerde's email address is lyncjerde@att.net.