Taking It On Faith

Logical Lady Peggy Noonan has a column out today that all conservatives need to read and contemplate.

Christian conservatives have been rising, most recently, for 30 years in national politics, since they helped elect Jimmy Carter. They care about the religious faith of their leaders, and their interest is legitimate. Faith is a shaping force. Lincoln got grilled on it. But there is a sense in Iowa now that faith has been heightened as a determining factor in how to vote, that such things as executive ability, professional history, temperament, character, political philosophy and professed stands are secondary, tertiary.
But they are not, and cannot be. They are central. Things seem to be getting out of kilter, with the emphasis shifting too far....
I wonder if our old friend Ronald Reagan could rise in this party, this environment. Not a regular churchgoer, said he experienced God riding his horse at the ranch, divorced, relaxed about the faiths of his friends and aides, or about its absence. He was a believing Christian, but he spent his adulthood in relativist Hollywood, and had a father who belonged to what some saw, and even see, as the Catholic cult. I'm just not sure he'd be pure enough to make it in this party. I'm not sure he'd be considered good enough.

While the emphasis on religion does seem to come mostly from the press, there is a fair amount of it coming from within the conservative movement. As a "values voter" myself, I do take these issues seriously, but I also find myself in disagreement with other values voters on the priority of the values. As Ms. Noonan points out, many put the character values ahead of the ability to govern. I know some wonderful Godly people who would not be able to handle the stress of governing and I know many who have the temperment to govern wisely who are not the "best Christians" (like Ronald Reagan).

Just as we the people expect wisdom out of our elected officials, we the people need to show a little wisdom of our own! For those who (like me) prayer and meditation is an important part of your life, you need to pray and meditate on who will be the best overall to govern our nation...not who is the "best Christian", but who will be the best leader for ALL the people.

Making a three dimensional decision (who has the best character, who has experience and who can get the job done), as opposed to deciding strictly on faith, is the best thing that people of faith can do for their country.