Saturday, August 26, 2006

Katherine Harris On Church-State, Religion and Politics

In a controversial interview published Thursday by the Florida Baptist Witness, U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris (R-FL) gave her views of the role that religion should play in politics and government:
[W]e have to have the faithful in government and over time, that lie we have been told, the separation of church and state, people have internalized, thinking that they needed to avoid politics and that is so wrong because God is the one who chooses our rulers. And if we are the ones not actively involved in electing those godly men and women and if people aren't involved in helping godly men in getting elected than we’re going to have a nation of secular laws. That’s not what our founding fathers intended and that’s certainly isn't what God intended. So it’s really important that members of the church know people’s stands. It’s really important that they get involved in campaigns…. It’s time that the churches get involved. Pastors, from the pulpit, can invite people to speak, not on politics, but of their faith. But they can discern, they can ask those people running for election, in the pulpit, what is your position on gay marriage? What is your position on abortion? That is totally permissible in 5013C organizations. They simply cannot endorse from the pulpit. And that’s why I’ve gone to churches and I’ve spoken in four churches, five churches a day on Sunday and people line up afterwards because it’s so important that they know. And if we don’t get involved as Christians then how could we possibly take this back?
Today’s Orlando Sentinel published strong criticisms of Harris' statements by a wide variety of political and religious leaders, many of whom focused on another statement in her interview: "if you’re not electing Christians then in essence you are going to legislate sin".

UPDATE: The Orlando Sentinel reported on Sunday that Katherine Harris spoke while campaigning, attempting to explain away her remarks in her Baptist Witness interview about religion and politics.