Is a Godly Woman a Thing to be Feared?

Apparently so, for some. 

Ralph Peters writes on the left's fear of Sarah Palin's faith:

Certainly, much of the left-wing fury over Palin stems from the Democratic Party's assumption that it "owned" the exclusive right to nominate women to the executive branch (despite the crushing of Hillary Clinton's candidacy). How dare the Republicans advance a woman? How dare they change this year's election script?

But the root of the left's dread of this happily married mother of five seems to be that she actually believes in God: How could anyone be that stupid?

Such a woman wouldn't fit in Washington (nor would a man of equal faith). In the DC area (where I live), plenty of government-affiliated men and women regularly attend a church or synagogue. But their appearances are perfunctory and well-mannered. Passionate faith is regarded as an embarrassment.

Washington fears faith - even nominal believers inside the Beltway have been shaped by secular educations and secular caste values.

Humans fear what they can't understand, and our comfortable ruling class just can't comprehend the power and the glory, the beauty and the ecstasy, the awe and commitment experienced by those who believe in a divine power. To paraphrase the late Leona Helmsley, "Faith is for the little people."

Believers are mocked (if not too publicly at election time). Sen. Barack Obama's behind-closed-doors remark in San Francisco to the effect that worried blue-collar chumps cling to God and guns perfectly captured the left's worldview, equating faith and firearms as equal menaces to an enlightened society.

Then along came Palin to appall the establishment - a moose-hunting Christian with a working-class husband, the precise stereotype Obama had mocked. The media's attacks on her since her nomination have been the most unfair I've ever seen.

Let me be clear: I disagree with Palin on a number of issues. But I believe in fairness. And I believe in freedom of religion for all who do not attempt to force their faith on others. One of the many glories of our country is that men and women are free to find their individual paths to God - or to disbelieve, should they so choose.

But I can't accept the snotty condescension of those who assume that faith is for dopes. I come from a world where belief is powerful - small-town, hardscrabble America. I have relatives whose faith is embedded in exuberant communal worship and public celebrations of redemption and joy. Washington, the professorate and the media not only don't understand such believers, they despise them.

Earlier this week, I watched, sickened, as CNN did its best to excite fear of Palin's religious beliefs. She grew up in a Pentecostal congregation - whose members, a smug reporter told us, often talk in tongues. Though the report noted that there's no "proof" that Palin herself had done so, the implication was that Sarah Barracuda must be a nut job.

Then CNN told us about an Alaskan pastor's remark that his state might become a refuge in the "end times." The implication was that Palin must share that belief, too.

The coverage just piled on, unjust, unfair and un-American. The unspoken bottom line was that active religious faith disqualifies a candidate.

Well, for all the joyous noise at those Alaskan churches, I'll bet my life that none of the pastors who preached to Palin over the years ever shouted "God damn America!" or blamed the United States for the world's ills, or accused our government of creating AIDS to kill black Americans.

None of the bigoted, hate-filled rants of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright have been replayed to counterbalance the mockery heaped upon Palin's religious background. Of course, Wright's anti-American tirades fit the worldview of the Dems' left-wing base - so Obama got a pass when he claimed that, over 20 years, he never heard any hate speech in Wright's church.

Besides, Dems believe that blacks are supposed to jump around and shout in church - but whites who do that are wackos. (No stereotypes there, folks!)

I don't see extremism in Palin's faith. I see the love of God that prevails beyond the Beltway. The media's bigotry toward her tells us far more about the political biases and snobbery of journalists than it does about Sen. John McCain's running mate.

The women (and men) of faith whom I know are -- almost without exception -- kind, caring, accomplished, decent people.  Look all across America and around the world, and you'll see men and women of faith doing generous service to others, both paid and unpaid.  They are in soup kitchens.  They are reading to the blind.  They are donating volunteer hours to schools, clubs, hospitals, and associations.  They are raising funds for charity.  They are sending care packages to the troops.  They are planting flowers.  They are saving lives.  They are coaching.  They are going to offices and doing their best every day.  They are feeding and changing babies at 2 a.m., and again at 3 a.m.  They are running non profits.  They are remembering your birthday. 

They are in every nook and cranny, and if you're a leftist down on your luck in any way, it will probably be a man or women of faith who is there to change your tire or wipe your fevered brow, with a kind word and a smile. 

So why does the left fear Christianity, given all the good that Christians do every day across America and around the world?  Does it all come down to a fear that Christianity condemns forms of sexual license and disrespect for human life that (history has taught) usually result in misery and pain, such as adultery and abortion?  That seems to be at least 90% of the subtext to the fear of religion.  What a preposterous reason to fear and loathe all of Christendom!

How soon the left forgets that most of the men and women it has elected to high office in America's history are, or were, men and women of faith.  Most American presidents have been men of faith.  Mr. Rogers, a leader in gentle, decent children's television, was a man of faith.  Should he also be despised?  In fact, the vast majority of Americans -- over 80% -- are men and women of faith -- and almost all of those are Christians (with Jews totaling about 1% and Muslims another 1%)  Should we despise ourselves?

If I was told that any one of the Christian women I know personally had been elevated to the Vice Presidency, I would sleep well tonight.  In fact, I'd be eager to see the good that they very likely would do while in office.  Being a Christian (or an adherent of other religions) is no guarantee of decency, kindness, or common sense.  But Christian faith doesn't hurt, and it usually helps. 

Attacking Sarah Palin for her religious faith is just another example of the way the left both reveals and harms itself.  It's as if the left has broken off a big, lightning-bolt-sized chunk of glass to hurl at Palin, and hasn't even realized yet that its own hands are bleeding. 

Here's an idea for the left.  Show some of that tolerance you claim to stand for.  Demonstrate common decency and respect toward people of faith, at least as long as they worship in peace and don't come after you with a machete (as Islamists actually do in some parts of the world).  Tolerate faith.  Better yet, embrace faith, or as much of it as you can.  The world will be a better place, and you'll probably feel better too.

Comments

[Andrew Boylston]

Godly. Only one "L".

I've met tolerant Christians and I've met intolerant Christians. I've met people who claimed to be Christian and watched them lead very un-Christian lives. One only has to look at Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Baker, Coy Privette, Joe Barron, or one of the many Catholic Priests who have been caught in scandal to know that saying you're a Christian, acting like a Christian, and then actually being one are different things.

I don't know enough about Sarah Palin to say if she is a truly devout Christian or not. I don't think any of us does. So to support her on that reason is just as foolish as to attack her on that reason.

I do know that she eloped to marry her Husband, which goes against "honor thy mother and father". The facts on this one change a bit from source to soure, but it is said that her first child was born 8 months after her marriage, which if it was not premature, indicates that she engaged in pre-marital sex. Her daughter has engaged in pre-marital sex.

I was very disappointed to find out that this was the law while she was Mayor of Wasilla:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jfTm-bOoREGlDJnQXYG9I2CDN-wQD934SK0G0

I understand the qualifying statement by Palin representative Maria Comella here, but I find it hard to understand why that was the practice from 1996 to 2000 (Palin's first term in office.) I find it to be a very un-Christian law.

I do realize that no one is perfect, and that we all fall in to sin from time to time. However, once again, having said all that, I will reiterate my point:

I do not know enough about Sarah Palin to be supportive of her as a Christian, I also do not know enough about Sarah Palin to be against her as a hypocritical Christian.

With politicians, it is always hard to tell what they actually believe, or if it is the lip service and genuflecting they do to earn their constituents support.

[Steve Poling]

You said of people of faith, "you'll see men and women of faith doing generous service to others, both paid and unpaid. They are in soup kitchens. They are reading to the blind..." Your list is pleasantly long, but I think you should add one item: "They're offering their wagons to short liberals." This sounds silly, but Ms. Judith Warner was touched by a small act of kindness at a McCain-Palin rally and wrote a surprisingly nice essay as a result. I hope the mom with the wagon was a Christian, it would be fitting if she were.

AS for commenter Andrew Boylston's contention that Mrs. Palin's elopement was in violation of the 5th commandment, I wonder if he has any daughters and knows how much it costs to put on a wedding? Kidding aside, we are humans before we're moonbats or wingnuts. We need to consider each other's humanity and refuse to violate the 6th commandment, particularly the murder of one's reputation, during this campaign season. (Jesus raised the bar on the 6th commandment from mere murder to hating another without adequate cause.)

Our friends on the left will write papers on why we vote and act as we do, but they'll never, ever get it. Values inhere within the individual, and the libs are slowly coming to realize the individual is not ultimate. They now posit that the tribe, or community, or collective is larger than the ultimate and suggest that we act as we do for the sake of the tribe. It's a start. They realize there's something outside of ourselves that informs our ethics and actions, but this isn't my church or community or nation or political party, but the transcendent. And atheists will invariably find the transcendent unthinkable.

[Gina Cobb]

Gina Cobb here:

Thanks for pointing out the typo in the post title. It's now fixed. Perhaps that's a metaphor. Just because typos happen doesn't mean there should be no spelling rules. We have spelling rules for a reason -- so that we can understand each other.

Christians try to adhere to what we understand to be God's laws. Just as others often fail, we often fail. But life is better and the world is a better place because we try -- and try again.

[Andrew Boylston]

"Christians try to adhere to what we understand to be God's laws. Just as others often fail, we often fail. But life is better and the world is a better place because we try -- and try again."

Well said.