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Truth-telling is a Christian and civic duty
Former Arkansas governor and 2012 presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee found himself in hot water this week after he called Islam the "antithesis of the gospel of Christ" and said that churches that share worship space with Muslims are caving to a religion "that says that Jesus Christ and all the people that follow him are a bunch of infidels who should be essentially obliterated."
In an analysis of how Islam may shape campaign politics, Politico's Bryon Tau wrote: "As Republican candidates define their national security stands in the 2012 elections, conservative discomfort with Islam in America will be a feature of the debate."
Should Islam be debated on the campaign trail? Are religious issues in danger of being exploited?
As a potential presidential candidate and a Christian, Mike Huckabee has a duty to tell the truth. Governor Huckabee's statement suggests that American Muslims believe Christians should be destroyed. That's false, and Huckabee should say so.
To be sure, some who claim to be Muslim have said people of other faiths should be destroyed. But the overwhelming majority of American Muslims condemn violence in the name of their faith. For example, in a two-year study of the Muslim American community published in 2010, Duke University scholars found that "Muslim-American organizations and the vast majority of individuals who we interviewed firmly reject the radical extremist ideology that justifies the use of violence to achieve political ends."
It's fine, of course, for Huckabee to believe it is inappropriate for churches to make their space available to congregations of different religions. It's not fine for him to use his enormous media megaphone to advance falsehoods about a faith. And as long as he is keeping the door open for a possible presidential run, he should answer questions like these as a president would. For example, he could have said something like, "The First Amendment protects the rights of congregations to make decisions like these, just as it protects the rights of other congregations to come to different conclusions. That's part of religious freedom. A governmental official's role is simply to protect the rights of congregations to exercise their faiths as they see fit, not to say what we would do in a given case."
Candidates shouldn't engage in purely theological debates on the campaign trail, but they should debate public issues, and sometimes those issues touch on religion. When addressing such issues, they should speak about them in ways that are accurate and consistent with the spirit of religious freedom. If politicians insist on doing otherwise, they must be held accountable. When such cases involve minority faiths, members of the majority faith play a particularly important role. We must let politicians know that those who exploit fears and ignorance about minority faiths will be held responsible for their rhetoric, not because all of us share the same religious beliefs, but because we share a belief in truth-telling and a commitment to religious freedom for all.
By
Melissa Rogers
|
February 23, 2011; 2:20 PM ET
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Posted by: iamweaver | February 28, 2011 10:32 AM
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Politicians AND Christians have a duty to tell the truth, so said Rogers, and she is right. But let's go futher. All of us have a duty to tell the truth.
Some people lie -- that is, they deliberately say what they do not believe to be true.
Some people tell falsehoods -- make inaccurate statements but believe them to be true. They tell the truth as they see it.
Which is Huckaby? A liar or and ignorant teller of falsehoods? Either way, he is dangerous and unfit for public office.
Posted by: cecilg | February 28, 2011 8:52 AM
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Well said, Ms Rogers.
Now, if you would just give a speach on this subject before Congress, at each political convention, and to a few of the state legislatures (I could give some suggestions), maybe we could find again a balance between religious freedom and public freedom.
Posted by: amelia45 | February 24, 2011 10:25 AM
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Truth-telling is a Christian and civic duty ... I am sorry your heading is not well-intentioned and frankly I don't think Mr.Huckabee is fit to be president.
We need a genuine, credible and honest leader who maintains neutrality in domestic and foreign affairs.
Posted by: smohame | February 24, 2011 4:36 AM
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Very valid points Ms Rogers,
What Huckabee believes as an individual is not the problem. What he would portray to his constituency, to stoke fear and gain political advantage should be a matter of concern of an intelligent citzenry. History is full of demagogues who used religion to advance their private ambitions. huckabee must be stopped. He is not fit for political office
Posted by: Kingofkings1 | February 24, 2011 1:58 AM
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"Truth-telling is a Christian and civic duty"
Since when?
Posted by: Farnaz2Mansouri21 | February 23, 2011 9:46 PM
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If we're telling the truth we have to admit that the truth may be that there are no gods. Surely we have to give some considerable thought to that possibility. We wouldn't want to live a LIE would we?
Posted by: Rongoklunk | February 23, 2011 9:35 PM
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I agree, CecilG. In fact, looking at it from a Christian perspective, I think it a sin to make sweeping statements like Mr. Huckabee is doing here, knowing full well that there is no such box into which you can stuff any large group of people. He's, at the least, guilty of intellectual laziness.
In Mark and Matthew, Jesus slightly reinterprets the central commandment of the Jewish faith, the Shema, by adding in "and all your mind". This is deliberate, and a reminder to all of us that we were created with an intellect that we are to use, and not fall back on patterns of old hatred or use lazy over-generalizations.
In fact, if you compare this passage with the similar passage in Luke (which places the reinterpretation of the Shema in the mouth of a Jewish scholar), it's immediately followed by the story of the Good Samaritan, in which Jesus defines "your Neighbor" as someone who persecutes and hates you.
But that story is also a story about false over-generalization, and about the fallacy of the lazy intellect.