Former Republican Senator John C. Danforth aims in last Friday's NYTimes to take back the faith-based morality that has been hijacked by far-right Christian conservatives.
In recent years, conservative Christians have presented themselves as representing the one authentic Christian perspective on politics. With due respect for our conservative friends, equally devout Christians come to very different conclusions.
Danforth notes that "moderates" like him have equally strong Christian convictions, but don't believe that government should, or can, translate all religious beliefs into law. Rather he relies on the only absolute standard that Christians are required to follow: love thy neighbor as thyself.
Which translates to the following differences with the far-right:
- A person in a vegetative state should be allowed a natural and merciful end rather than an imposed government action
- An opportunity to save our neighbors' lives through stem cell research should be pursued
- References of God in the public arena will divide Americans, not advance faith
- Advocating compassion to all, opposing amending the Constitution to "humiliate homosexuals"
This is a Conservative Republican speaking. With the message and money machine the far-right Christian wing has created, sometimes it's hard to remember that there are more moderate voices out there that reject the notion that with "faith" comes one and only one prescribed opinion. |
