Catholic voters are receiving push-calls from an organization calling itself Catholics for Obama, asking the question, “How could you support a Mormon….?

Answer: “As opposed to what?”

 

 

 

The question all of us need to put to both candidates is: “What is your worldview?”  Not your soundbites and slogans.  Not your political positions.  Your worldview.  ”As a man thinketh, so is he.”  From a person’s fundamental beliefs about life—that person’s worldview—derive all of that person’s conclusions, positions, and actions.

So, as Catholics ponder whether they could support a Mormon, they should ask, “Well, as opposed to what?  What exactly is President Obama’s worldview?  President Obama, please state for us the precepts you hold as fundamental truths, from which you derive your platform, your legislation, your foreign policy, your tax plans, your regulations?”

“No, sir, respectfully speaking, ‘hope and change’ is not a worldview.  ’Pay their fair share’ is not a worldview.  ’Clean air’ is not a worldview.”

Here is the reality: You must derive President Obama’s worldview from his actions, sifting his words for additional clues.  He is not going to tell you his worldview.

One frustrating thing about political campaigns is that the candidates all throw out positions.  Sometimes, they support their positions with facts, or with principles.  But, mostly, they avoid stating their principles: their worldview.  In this modern age, holding any principle comes off as dogmatic and intolerant.  Clearly stated principles are for the unsophisticated.  At least, that is the prevalent feeling about people who try to identify truths, from which we could all operate.

I propose these as President Obama’s three fundamental principles, statements that, taken together, comprise his worldview as it applies to government:

• Some people are a lot smarter than others.
• If we all just turned power over to those people, they could straighten out our problems.
• I am one of those people.

I suggest that the correct worldview toward government is:

• All have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God.  (Romans 3:23)
• “All” includes those people trying to get power over the rest of us.
• (Sigh) But, we have to have government, or the strongest and meanest would kill or enslave the rest of us.
• But, God save us from those people trying to get power.
• Frustrate them, limit them, bind them, impoverish them, watch them, report on them, and check all of their words and actions against the constraints of the Constitution.
• Vote them out of office as fast as you can.

Because, unfettered by the law, they will do what comes natural to us all.  It’s just that they have a lot more power to do it.