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March 14, 2007

Pope Calls on Catholic Legislators to Legislate Morality

Pope Benedict XVI has issued an "apostolic exhortation" saying that Catholic politicians are "especially" obligated to introduce and support legislation opposing abortion, euthanasia and gay marriage. "These values are non-negotiable," he wrote. "Consequently, Catholic politicians and legislators, conscious of their grave responsibility before society, must feel particularly bound, on the basis of a properly formed conscience, to introduce laws inspired by values grounded in human nature."

This sort of thinking is precisely why non-religious people are leery of voting for people who are actively religious. True believers will always place God's will above all else, and if they are told by their leaders that God's will is to legislate morality, they will do it. It's not just Catholics or Christians who give reason for concern, either. For example, it hasn't been very long ago that concerns were raised over whether Sen. Gordon Smith was taking his marching orders from Mormon leadership. We want our elected officials to prioritize the protection of our Constitution and our country. Sometimes both of these priorities will go contrary to a particular religion's view of "God's will."

Posted by Becky at March 14, 2007 09:48 AM