“This is a spiritual war. And the Father of Lies has his sights on what you would think the Father of Lies would have his sights on: a good, decent, powerful, influential country – the United States of America. If you were Satan, who would you attack in this day and age?”
-Rick Santorum 2008 at Ave Maria University
Can Republican Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum give up talking about religion for Lent?
Seriously, as millions of Christians worldwide, whether they are Lutheran, Catholic or Methodist, observe the 40 day fast before Easter, I am asking Rick Santorum to give up his speech.
STORY: Gays, Abortion & Birth Control! Lessons From Rick Santorum
It may be difficult, considering Santorum; along with his Republican cohorts, will be hosting their 26th debate tonight in Arizona, but he can skip it – after all, in many polls he’s ahead of Mitt Romney.
Either way, I’m asking Rick Santorum to cease from talking about religion for the next 40 days. Stop the one-liners that declare Obama’s policies are “phony” and not “based on the Bible.”
Resist the urge to tell women that birth control doesn’t work, it’s harmful to them and it’s against what society is supposed to look like.
Fall back on calling for a reinstatement of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and telling gay service members to “Keep it to yourself.”
And end the current discourse that President Obama is waging a war on religion. He’s not; time and time again Obama has had to fight off hate-filled Republican opposition that suggests he is not a Christian.
Santorum’s mixing of religion and politics has reached a level like no other time in our history, especially when it comes to a Presidential candidate.
Santorum wears his convictions like a badge of honor and isn’t afraid to shout them from the highest mountain. If George W. Bush’s faith meter was on level five, then Santorum’s is cranked all the way up.
But Santorum’s message is counter-productive. His religious views on social issues not only inflict on the private lives of citizens, but steers the argument away from the essential issue, instead basing it on scripture.
Here is what Santorum thinks about birth control and contraception:
“I don’t think it works. I think it’s harmful to women. I think it’s harmful to our society to have a society that says that sex outside of marriage is something that should be encouraged or tolerated, particularly among the young.
And I think we’ve very, very harmful long-term consequences to our society. Birth control to me enables that, and I don’t think it’s a healthy thing for our country.”
A 53-year-old middle-aged white man is schooling women about birth control and why it’s not good for them.
No man, President or otherwise, should invoke his religious beliefs on the private lives of citizens. That decision is between a woman and her doctor.
Santorum has maintained his vow to not impose his religious beliefs about birth control on the nation if elected president.
Birth control, contraception and abortion are ways of stopping the population growth, which is why Santorum is so vehemently against them, adding that in the bible, Genesis 1 verse 22 states:
“God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
Even religious groups are telling political candidates who seek office to halt from invoking religious beliefs into our government.
The Anti-Defamation League, the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and the Interfaith Alliance released a “statement of principles,” that calls upon candidates vying for office to feel comfortable explaining their religious conviction to voters, but also warns that they need to understand they serve people of other faiths and of no faith.
The Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, president of Interfaith Alliance, said that he is, “… deeply disturbed by the disproportionate role religion has played during recent election cycles with some candidates seeming to be running for ‘pastor-in-chief’” and that “a line is crossed when a candidate implies that they should receive your vote because of their faith.”
And Gaddy’s correct, Santorum‘s message is directed to his base and his base only. The supporters who rant, rave and cheer for Santorum don’t care about the separation of church and state.
They care about the good and evil in the world while keeping an eye out for Satan, who has his sights on America!
They only know that Santorum speaks on good old-fashioned Christian values, just like them, which is why Santorum should stay quiet for the next 40 days.
