Who Do We Worship?

With the 2008 U.S. Presidential election rapidly approaching (we are a scant 21 months away!), the candidates of both parties find themselves simultaneously selling their political vision to the people and parrying the accusations--and illuminations--that threaten to sink their candidacies.

Take former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney who is currently absorbing the jabs at his religion, Mormonism. Conventional wisdom, in addition to numerous public opinion polls, indicates that a Mormon hasn't a snowball's chance in Hades of being elected President. The odds increase in the candidate's favour if he is a Democrat; a Republican doesn't have a prayer. Therefore, in a thinly veiled attempt to link himself to John F. Kennedy (in addition to the fact that they both hailed from Massachusetts), Romney has cast himself--and his religion--as being misunderstood and harmless. That is hardly surprising. Very few people in the world would admit to being a threat--very few, but some. He has even dusted off the senior Senator from the Beehive State, Orrin Hatch (also a Mormon), to reassure the GOP faithful that the LDS is not a cult (e]Experience and observation notwithstanding).

What alarms me more than Romney's professed religious affiliation (which appears to be nominal at best) is his actual religious affiliation. Mitt Romney, not unlike so many others to-day unfortunately, worships the government. He has readily admitted (as did Kennedy) that his primary loyalties lie in Washington, D.C. and not in Salt Lake City. To wit: 'I very clearly subscribe to Abraham Lincoln's view of America’s political religion. And that is when you take the oath of office, your responsibility is to the nation, and that is first and foremost' [emphasis mine].

Anyone who speaks well of Abraham Lincoln is extremely suspect in my book to begin with; but his reference to 'America's political religion' is absolutely horrifying. Anyone who would subordinate their religious beliefs to the political/ secular should be ashamed of themselves. To be clear, this is not to be misconstrued so as to lead anyone to believe I advocate subversion or anarchy. On the contrary, we are very clearly called to obey the government and honour the king (or president, as the case may be). However, we are not to obey laws or decrees that run contrary to the Word of God or violate His Law.

Unfortunately, it appears that Romney's views are surprisingly predominate in evangelical circles to-day. Their first loyalty is to the GOP with God a close second. Now, let's all face Washington, D.C. and pray...