Ron Paul offers most American response to Republican debate’s religion question (video)

Republican voters are really into their candidates’ religion. Sure, almost all Americans demand lawmakers explain their spiritual beliefs, but it’s the GOP that truly owns the religious demagoguery endemic to our nation’s political culture. And this obsession was on full display at last night’s Republican debate, during which a Florida woman asked, “How would your religious beliefs, if you’re elected, impact the decisions that you make in the office of the presidency?”

Almost all of the four remaining candidates bent over backward to not only stress their own religious beliefs, but also the supposed Judeo-Christian beliefs we as all Americans are meant to share.

“Faith is a very, very important part of my life, but it’s a very, very important part of this country,” said staunch social conservative Rick Santorum. “The Constitution is there to do one thing: protect God-given rights. That’s what makes America different than every other country in the world. No other country in the world has its rights — rights based in God-given rights, not government-given rights.”

Mitt Romney also made reference to the Founding Fathers’ supposed synthesis of religious and political indoctrination.

“Ours is a nation which is based upon Judeo- Christian values and ethics. Our law is based upon those values and ethics,” he said. The Declaration of Independence isn’t simply a revolutionary text meant to overthrow colonial rule; it is “something which described the relationship between God and man — that’s something which I think a president would carry in his heart.”

Then, speaking like a true missionary, Romney claimed it’s the president’s duty to export such beliefs around the world: “I would seek to assure that those principles and values remain in America and that we help share them with other people in the world…”

Newt Gingrich offered the most lengthy reply, telling the audience that “anyone who is president is faced with decisions so enormous that they should go to God” because “these are decisions beyond the ability of mere mortals to truly decide without some sense of what it is we should be doing.” Well, then why don’t we just elect Jesus or Superman to be president, if mere mortals can’t handle the workload?

Religion, Gingrich continued, “[is] something that should suffuse your life, to be a part of who you are. And in that sense, it is inextricably tied in with how you behave.” He also played right into right-wing fundamentalists’ fears by repeating an oft-made, though completely one-sided, argument: “There has been an increasingly aggressive war against religion and in particular against Christianity in this country, largely by a secular elite and the academic news media and judicial areas.” Yes, it is the religious right, the people who try to legislate morality, that are the true victims in this country, and it’s the president’s job to protect their right to discriminate against gay people and other Americans, right?

All three men — Santorum, Romney and Gingrich — exploited their own religious beliefs, manipulated history and played on fears to make their case, a case that puts religion before universal rights. But Ron Paul broke from the pack by pointing out what should be obvious to most Americans: the Oval Office is not an incubator for religious proselytization.

“Well, my religious beliefs wouldn’t affect it. My religious beliefs affect my character in the way I treat people and the way I live,” said the Libertarian-leaning congressman. “The only thing that would affect me in the way I operate as a president or a congressman is my oath of office and my promises that I’ve made to the people.”

Thank you, Mr. Paul, for having the courage to actually tell the truth: the United States is not theocratic, but democratic.

Voters, particularly Republicans, may want a theocratic nation, but we’re a nation built upon inclusion and any presidential candidate who promises to use his or her power to spread their religious beliefs goes against everything our nation symbolizes. Though Paul isn’t perfect — yes, he has used religion to justify his opposition to marriage equality, for example — at least he refuses to sink to the religious right’s level just to win a debate. His answer last night was in fact the most American possible: religion and the presidency are mutually exclusive, and should remain that way.

Here’s video of the candidates discussing church and state: