Sarah Palin on Religion
Continuing where I left off examining the religion of major party candidates for president, there are now two Vice-Presidential candidates whose religion needs to be examined. As with the presidential candidates, I am not looking to analyze what people think about these candidate’s religious beliefs, only analyze what the candidates themselves have actually said.
The following are actual quotes, followed by my personal analysis of the candidate’s religious beliefs and the possible effects of those beliefs being in elected office at the highest level.
*****
Sarah Palin - Non-Denominational Christian
*****
“…Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God. That’s what we have to make sure that we’re praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God’s plan.”
*****
“God’s will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built. So pray for that.”
*****
“I can do my job there in developing our natural resources and doing things like getting the roads paved and making sure our troopers have their cop cars and their uniforms and their guns, and making sure our public schools are funded. But really, all of that stuff doesn’t do any good if the people of Alaska’s heart isn’t right with God.”
*****
On teaching creation in schools: “Teach both. You know, don’t be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important, and it’s so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both.”
“I don’t think there should be a prohibition against debate if it comes up in class. It doesn’t have to be part of the curriculum.”
“It’s OK to let kids know that there are theories out there,” she said in the interview. “They gain information just by being in a discussion.”
“My dad did talk a lot about his theories of evolution. He would show us fossils and say, ‘How old do you think these are?’ ”
“I believe we have a creator.”
“I’m not going to pretend I know how all this came to be,”
*****
“Just be amazed at the umbrella of this church here, where God is going to send you from this church.”
“Believe me, I know what I am saying — where God has sent me, from underneath the umbrella of this church, throughout the state.”
*****
Time Magazine Q&A:
“I knew early on that the smartest thing for me to do was to work hard, do the best that I can, make wise decisions based on good information in front of me. And then put my life, get myself on a path that could be dedicated to God and ask Him what I should next. That will be the position I will be in as long as I’m on earth — that is, seeking the right path that God would have laid out for me.”
What’s your religion?
“Christian.”
Any particular…?
“No. Bible-believing Christian.”
What church do you attend?
“A non-denominational Bible church. I was baptized Catholic as a newborn and then my family started going to non-denominational churches throughout our life.”
*****
More on Palin’s religion:
God and the Vice-Presidential Candidate
Alaska’s “Christian Heritage Week” Proclamation
*****
Summary:
There is much to be afraid of when Ms. Palin is discussing religion, and some of it seems scarier than others. There are quotes, there are rumors, and there is policy — and Ms. Palin has a fair amount of each to draw conclusions from.
There is no doubt that Sarah Palin is religious. She is likely the most religious candidate from either party to appear in this election season. Mike Huckabee is pretty close, but Palin seems to be a bit more on the extreme side.
According to those that know her and those that are familiar with the churches she has worshipped at, Ms. Palin is a Bible literalist — meaning she truly believes in the story of creation and that the world is just 6,000 years old. Using the same level of competence that I judged the other candidates with, I must disqualify her as a potential president based on this belief. No one who really believes that the Earth is 6,000 years old is qualified to hold the highest office in the world.
Another issue I have with Ms. Palin is her proclamation of a “Christian Heritage Week” in Alaska. Oddly enough, I don’t have a problem with the actual decision to have such a week, I have a problem with how they did it. While this is not in any way a Christian nation, there is quite a bit of Christian history and heritage that should be allowed to be celebrated, just as many other groups are. The problem is that they picked quotes to include in the proclamation that were so out of context that they were flat out dishonest. Among the men they quoted were Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. These are two men that would have fought with all of their might to never have their name on such a proclamation. Neither were religious, certainly not in the traditional Christian sense, and both were completely opposed to religion mixing with politics. Jefferson himself penned the famous letter that first mentioned the wall of separation between church and state. This proclamation is acceptable to me in theory, but failed miserably in execution.
Having said that, Ms. Palin is a special kind of politician who seems to govern according to law, and not according to belief. Despite supporting an Alaskan Constitutional amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman, when it came time to make a decision, she vetoed a bill that would have denied gay couples health care. In essence, she stood up for the law when she could have just as easily gone the way of her beliefs. I respect this.
Sarah Palin is an extremely religious lady, and some of her religious beliefs can only be called extreme. I find it dangerous for those of us that believe in separation to ever have someone with these beliefs in the White House. I understand that Ms. Palin is not running for President (now), but there is a realistic chance that she eventually does run for President. For this reason, I believe that the McCain-Palin ticket is hurt by Palin’s religious views.
I personally have no desire to see someone of Ms. Palin’s religious views in the White House, but in the case that John McCain wins the election, I have a small amount of faith that Palin will continue to keep her religion to herself. Aside from the occasional cringe-worthy quote from her, she seems to be quite good at keeping her religion and politics separate. Since I have always said that the most important part of a politicians religion to me is their ability to keep it in their personal lives, I am not nearly as afraid of Ms. Palin in the White House as others are.
As always, judge her as you will, but as I do, try to judge her based on her actual quotes and actions, not speculation and analysis from others. I’ve provided what I can, but feel free to continue to research on your own to draw your own conclusions.
Categories
Atheist Blogroll
Resources
Discussion
No comments for “Sarah Palin on Religion”
Post a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.