Good Men or good laws?

During the Clinton years we heard so much about the separation of private lives vs. job performance. What should we care  what Bill and Monica did in the office where the most important men made the most crucial decisions, where the orders to send thousands and thousands of American troops into harms way was made, where Ronald Reagan would not remove his jacket out of respect? The argument that a man’s personal life is separate from his ability to govern is ridiculous at best, sinister at worst. Seldom if ever in human history have the personal morality and ethical beliefs of a leader not influenced profoundly his ability to govern. It was so in the days of scripture, remember how King David’s discreet little dalliance with Bathsheba nearly wrecked the kingdom, and so it is today. Bill Clinton may not have brought the nation to its knees but we have yet to really learn all the damage done to our national security by the Johnny Chung scandal among others. Character counts.

So as we begin to look into the Presidential candidates for 2012 we should begin by looking at the character of the candidates themselves.  First of all lets be honest, no man is without sin, all have fallen short of the glory of God, so perhaps we should define integrity for the sake of our discussion as a pattern of behavior especially as it relates to matters of honesty and fidelity. If there are any scandals in the past of a Rick Parry or Michelle Bachmann the media will expose those as surely as they will gloss over any of Pres Obama’s questionable associations. Therefore given the fact that the way to destroy an effective conservative is to pile up as many false and exaggerated ethics charges as possible and hope it sticks, we have to be extremely discerning when it comes to media accounts about our candidates. We can see the effectiveness of this strategy which drove Sarah Palin to leave office in Alaska, and bogged down the effectiveness of the Bush administration especially in the second term. This works because we as conservatives do care about integrity and honor; it is amazingly disingenuous of the same media that pooh-poohed the serious scandals of the Clintons yet rail against Sara Palin’s wardrobe purchases

 

As we look into the candidate’s character what are some of the things we should consider? Certainly faith is first, a man’s faith will dictate his views and actions. A great deal of discussion has been given to Mitt Romney’s faith. This is challenging, as a Christian I have deep irreconcilable differences with the Mormon faith, primarily the escalation of the book of Mormon to equality with the scriptures. Likewise did not many of the founders find discomfort in the religious views of Jefferson, a man who doubted the divinity of Christ? Romney like Jefferson is in a broad sense identified with Christianity but should these theological deviations prevent our supporting them? I suppose each of us must decide the final answers on their own. If Gov. Romney’s faith lead him to open immorality or if it lead him to oppose Israel’s statehood I would dismiss him out of hand but that doesn’t seem to be the case, in fact Romney seems to be a moral man and Mormon’s in general are pro Israel.” Romney requested the Arab states to stop providing weapons and financial support to Hezbollah and Hamas and instead to put pressure on the Palestinians to "drop terrorism and recognize Israel's right to exist." According to http://2012.presidential-candidates.org/  there fore on faith I cannot dismiss Romney though I would not prefer a candidate who does not share my fundamental views of Christ and the Bible.

 

Other candidates take a more traditional view on faith. A fabulous article about Michelle Bachmann’s views on Christ and the role of faith in her life can be found at http://www.christianpost.com/news/interview-michele-bachmann-opens-up-on-her-faith-and-family-51009/   I personally like how Rep. Bachmann makes no apologies for her faith and is very real and practical about it. I was disturbed that her simple statement about being submissive to her husband became a controversy. My Bible says it too, how far we have fallen to need to be retaught the basic roles of husbands and wives during a presidential campaign. Having a traditional view of marriage is hardly a deterrent to a woman’s ability to achieve all that the Lord intends for her, just as Deborah successfully judged Israel while adhering to God’s law.

 

Rick Perry also had a recent faith based controversy as he held a exclusively Christian prayer vigil as Texas governor. Perry is extremely open about his own faith openly crediting it with his views on many issues. He believes evolution is a hoax (thank God for a politician willing to say so) and recognizes a religious component in the global warming  hoax. In truth Gov Perry sounds a lot like the founders when it comes to his open allegiance with the gospel and its role in his own views.

 

Rick Santorum also credits faith in God and a belief in moral absolutes with many of his views. Santorum has a good record of voting in line with his beliefs.  

Their seems not to be any other controversies directly related to the faith of the other candidates. Herman Cain who frequently speaks with the cadence of a black minister was active in his church long before he considered a run for the presidency and has even cut a gospel album. A quote from him: “The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will exalt Him.”

                                                       ~Exodus 15:2 (NKJV)                                                      

"When my father left his family’s small farm at the age of 18 with just the clothes on his back, he had his belief in God, his belief in himself and his belief in the United States of America. With these beliefs he achieved all of his dreams in life.
"Using those same beliefs, I have been able to achieve many blessings in life with the strength, which comes from God. My family and friends, my church, my success and the opportunity to live in the greatest country in the world are all blessings from God.
"There is more to life than getting more. This is why my song unto Him is to use all my talents to serve my fellow man, and make a difference in the future of our Nation.
"In God we trust expressed the faith of our Founding Fathers. In God I trust is my faith."

Newt Gingrich who converted to Catholicism in 2009 does have a history of affairs and divorce prior to this conversion, though no evidence of such misconduct since. It is up to the voter to decide which is most telling.

 

Ron Paul has said We live in times of great uncertainty when men of faith must stand up for our values and our traditions lest they be washed away in a sea of fear and relativism. As you likely know, I am running for President of the United States, and I am asking for your support.

I have never been one who is comfortable talking about my faith in the political arena. In fact, the pandering that typically occurs in the election season I find to be distasteful. But for those who have asked, I freely confess that Jesus Christ is my personal Savior, and that I seek His guidance in all that I do. I know, as you do, that our freedoms come not from man, but from God. My record of public service reflects my reverence for the Natural Rights with which we have been endowed by a loving Creator.
In 40 years of medical practice, I never once considered performing an abortion, nor did I ever find abortion necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman. In Congress, I have authored legislation that seeks to define life as beginning at conception, H.R. 1094. I am also the prime sponsor of H.R. 300, which would negate the effect of Roe v Wade by removing the ability of federal courts to interfere with state legislation to protect life. This is a practical, direct approach to ending federal court tyranny which threatens our constitutional republic and has caused the deaths of 45 million of the unborn. I have also authored H.R. 1095, which prevents federal funds to be used for so-called “population control.” Many talk about being pro-life. I have taken and will continue to advocate direct action to restore protection for the unborn.

I have also acted to protect the lives of Americans by my adherence to the doctrine of “just war.” This doctrine, as articulated by Augustine, suggested that war must only be waged as a last resort--- for a discernible moral and public good, with the right intentions, vetted through established legal authorities (a constitutionally required declaration of the Congress), and with a likely probability of success.

I doubt any conservative will take issue with much of Rep Paul’s faith based speech but many of us interpret his “just war” stance differently. Also he has raised many questions with conservatives about his stance on Israel which is anything but diehard. His opposition to hr res34 http://www.ronpaul.com/2009-01-12/ron-paul-on-israel/ implies a dangerous moral equivalence between the Israeli defense forces and the Palestinian terrorists. Pro Israel conservatives should be very wary of supporting Paul even if they agree with him on many other issues.

 

This is a start, I will continue this discussion next time as we will examine rather voting records and political stands echo these statement and how faith effects government philosophy.

Remember good men will make good laws but bad men will not follow a law however good it be.

 

Keep on the firing line