Rick Santorum: The Thread

[KarmaContestant]

Originally Posted by TrueFaith77

^^I'm not sure what you mean about the Pope and how they wanted to make sure "that" would never happen here. I'm pretty sure that clause in the Constitution is in reference to the Church of England (ruled by the King). In other words, there would be no Church of America (ruled by the government or King).

If Santorum wanted a theocracy, that would be antithetical to Catholicism. And he's Catholic....

You have a valid point since when Henry the 8th set himself as ruler of the new Church of England, the Anglican Church, he ended the separation that had existed between Church and State in England.

But also...It took 200 years to elect a Catholic President in this country. Why? Because Americans have been afraid of the Pope telling us what to do, through our leaders, since we were founded - hence John F. Kennedy's very famous speech about separation of church and state (the same speech that makes Santorum want to "throw up"). If you are familiar with the history of Europe following the fall of Rome, you'll know that the Vatican and the Pope in particular had near-compete and total control over political matters in Europe for almost 1500 years. This is one of the many reasons for the Protestant Reformation in northern Europe (which led to the Thiry Years War and the subsequent Peace of Augsburg, which effectively ended the political power of the Church, but which the Vatican refused to recognize). The whole reason the Church of England was founded was because Henry the 8th was tired of taking direction from the Pope and wanted to annul a marriage - not that he was any better, mind you, a tyrant is a tyrant no matter what faith he belongs to.

James Madison: "Practical distinction between Religion and Civil Government is essential to the purity of both"

John F. Kennedy:
"I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute—where no Catholic prelate would tell the President (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishoners for whom to vote—where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference—and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the President who might appoint him or the people who might elect him. I believe in an America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish—where no public official either requests or accepts instructions on public policy from the Pope, the National Council of Churches or any other ecclesiastical source—where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials—and where religious liberty is so indivisible that an act against one church is treated as an act against all."

and then...

"I do not speak for my church on public matters—and the church does not speak for me. Whatever issue may come before me as President—on birth control, divorce, censorship, gambling or any other subject—I will make my decision in accordance with these views, in accordance with what my conscience tells me to be the national interest, and without regard to outside religious pressures or dictates. And no power or threat of punishment could cause me to decide otherwise. But if the time should ever come—and I do not concede any conflict to be even remotely possible—when my office would require me to either violate my conscience or violate the national interest, then I would resign the office; and I hope any conscientious public servant would do the same."

In other words, the office of the President is above being influenced by personal faith, and when a conflict does arise, he or she should resign. In that regard, Sntorum shouldn't even be running for any office, let alone the nation's highest.