Religion as a Private Matter.

Vic Biorseth, Monday, March 16, 2009
http://www.Thinking-Catholic-Strategic-Center.com

Holding one’s religion as a private matter marks a person as one not prepared, for whatever reason, to articulate or defend his deepest held religious convictions. Which is not a bad thing, in and of itself. We are not all the best theologians, or the best apologists, or the best public exponents or explainers of our personally held religion. No one should be expected to be able to explain in any elaborate detail the whys and wherefores of their religion to anyone else.

However, in my not so humble opinion, when one begins to elevate himself to any sort of political or other office from which he will have the power to make and or enforce rules of behavior on others, things begin to change a bit. (We’ll save the office of teaching and educating and the topic of journalism for future discussions.) When the Legislator, or the Executive, or the Justice or Judge, publicly claims his religion as a private matter and indicates that he chooses not to discuss it, we the people should wonder why, and demand an explanation. And then listen very carefully.

There something about his religion that cannot stand the light of day.

We have already argued, in Legislate Morality, that,

1. we (Americans) are a religious people;
2. all morality is religion-based;
3. Judao-Christian morality is the historical basis for Western Civilization common law;
4. Judao-Christian morality forms the foundation of our civil law;
5. that morality is precisely what always has been and always should be legislated, adjudicated and enforced by any truly representative government.

If something other than Judao-Christian morality is to serve as the foundation for any new law, rule, executive order or regulation, we the Judao-Christian American people have every right to know exactly what that foreign and alien foundation is, and to know it in elaborate detail.

Most particularly anyone who aspires to or occupies the Presidency of the Unite States should be not only willing, but required to explain in elaborate detail his personal religion. There can be no valid reason for him to refuse to do it. Hiding behind the thin but politically-expedient religion as a private matter argument, for anyone anywhere near that high office, should sound alarm bells everywhere in America.

We have no legal religious litmus test for any Presidential candidate, or any other candidate. A Hindu is perfectly free to run, if he thinks he can win. But note well that none of our Founders was the least bit bashful about holding forth on religious topics, or about discussing his most deeply held religious beliefs. There can be no honorable reason for any candidate or holder of high office to be secretive or deceptive about his own religious beliefs, or about his lack of them.

Maintain your sense of right and wrong. Keep your eye on the ball.

Seek the Truth; find the Way; live the Life.

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Religion as a Private Matter