The intersection of religion and politics can produce profound ethical dilemmas. For those who are religious, who see the performance of their faith here on earth as bearing on their destiny in the hereafter, politics can be a threatening pursuit. Religious imperatives are not intermittent, do not suffer exceptions, may not be quarantined from any aspect of a religiously engaged life.
And if a Christian is a politician, then his public conduct, his thinking and voting on matters of public concern, will naturally, inescapably, seek the polar star and guidance of his religious understanding. Religion is not an accessory to one’s occupation and career. It has a core relationship to all of life.
Politics has its imperatives, too. Even if its sanctions as far as we know do not (yet) reach into the afterlife, it has ways to urge obedience and enforce conformity. On the issue of abortion, the federal Liberals provide a case in point.
Elected Liberal MPs are under Justin Trudeau’s direct order that, in any legislation that touches on the abortion issue, they must — mindless of their faith, their previous professions on the subject, or their conscience — vote the “pro-choice” dogma. Pro-abortion is the party line. And it is the only line allowed.
This is very odd. I should clarify that I am not debating the pros and cons of abortion per se. Leave that for another time. But I am pointing to an irreconcilable dilemma facing any individual with genuine religious convictions who wishes, in this age, to stand for public office.
Lawrence MacAulay, a Catholic, and a Liberal MP from PEI, provides the most recent illustration of this dilemma.
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Rex Murphy: In Justin Trudeau's world, Christians need not apply | National Post
And if a Christian is a politician, then his public conduct, his thinking and voting on matters of public concern, will naturally, inescapably, seek the polar star and guidance of his religious understanding. Religion is not an accessory to one’s occupation and career. It has a core relationship to all of life.
Politics has its imperatives, too. Even if its sanctions as far as we know do not (yet) reach into the afterlife, it has ways to urge obedience and enforce conformity. On the issue of abortion, the federal Liberals provide a case in point.
Elected Liberal MPs are under Justin Trudeau’s direct order that, in any legislation that touches on the abortion issue, they must — mindless of their faith, their previous professions on the subject, or their conscience — vote the “pro-choice” dogma. Pro-abortion is the party line. And it is the only line allowed.
This is very odd. I should clarify that I am not debating the pros and cons of abortion per se. Leave that for another time. But I am pointing to an irreconcilable dilemma facing any individual with genuine religious convictions who wishes, in this age, to stand for public office.
Lawrence MacAulay, a Catholic, and a Liberal MP from PEI, provides the most recent illustration of this dilemma.
read on
Rex Murphy: In Justin Trudeau's world, Christians need not apply | National Post
