“Providence has given to our people the choice of their ruler, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.” — Jon Jay
I have a beef with the Democratic party, progressives, and leftists. I’ve made no bones about the fact that I’m a Catholic. I also have made no bones about the fact that my Catholicism shapes my politics. I didn’t pick a church that matched my politics. While it is true that the first amendment guarantees of freedom from religion as much as it guarantees freedom of religion, there is a difference between the reality of policy and the tactics that we use to communicate those policy ideas.
This past Sunday, the gospel reading was the Sermon on the Mount. Obviously, the homily was too. The sermon on the mount was compared to Moses bringing down the ten commandments from Mt. Sinai. In Moses case, he was bringing God’s law down to the people. In Jesus’ case he was trying to lift the people up to heaven. The famous eight beatitudes are listed below:
- Blessed are the poor in spirit
- Blessed are the meek
- Blessed are they who mourn
- Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice
- Blessed are the merciful
- Blessed are the clean of heart
- Blessed are the peacemakers
- Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice’ sake
If Jon Jay was right then we should be seeking leaders that embody the characteristics listed above. This is where Democratic and left wing thought slides off the rails. Many want to shun Christianity in favor of something else. This has given over Christianity and its values to the right wing and the right wing alone.
Admittedly, it is a tight rope balancing act. You can be a peacemaker, clean of heart, merciful, and hunger for justice and be no religion at all. You can do those things while being meek and suffering persecution for justice’ sake while being Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist. You can call yourself a Christian and be none of those things.
I hate to use a golf analogy, but there have been many a round that I have played that began poorly. In fact, that’s the norm these days. The road back does not begin with a string of birdies, eagles, and pars. It begins with a single shot. You execute a single shot. Then you execute another and another. When you look up, you have rebounded from your poor start.
In a similar way, our politics will not rebound overnight. A sea of performance artists and carnival barkers won’t suddenly give way to serious people with serious ideas. It starts with a single shot. It starts by asking ourselves one simple question regardless of religious affiliation or not: which candidate embodies most of the qualities above? That’s true whether it is the local school board or the presidency. That’s true whether it is the dog catcher or the governor. It’s true whether they be Republican, Democrat, or third party. Good and wise policy cannot come from bad people. There is no getting around that no matter what they call themselves.
halloffameindex 