Legal Commentary

How Religion Informs Sarah Palin's Political Beliefs

By TChris

Sarah Palin on science:

Soon after Sarah Palin was elected mayor of the foothill town of Wasilla, Alaska, she startled a local music teacher by insisting in casual conversation that men and dinosaurs coexisted on an Earth created 6,000 years ago -- about 65 million years after scientists say most dinosaurs became extinct -- the teacher said.

On how to teach science:

During an October 2006 debate in the Alaska governor's race, Palin urged that evolution and creationist ideas be taught together in state schools. "Don't be afraid of information and let kids debate both sides," she said.

On war: [more...]

In one of her more controversial appearances in the Wasilla church, Palin told a group of ministry students in June to pray that sending troops to Iraq was part of "God's plan." In a speech this month at a deployment ceremony for her Iraq-bound soldier son, Palin called the conflict a "righteous cause."

The linked article suggests that Palin's political instincts kept her from translating some of her more controversial fundamentalist beliefs into policy. That is hardly reassuring given the greater power she would wield as vice president, and potentially as president.

Douglas Wead misses the point when he asks: "Are we saying [evangelical Christians] can't participate in public life?" No. We're asking how, if at all, those beliefs shape the candidate's view of appropriate public policy.

"It's legitimate to ask questions about candidates who come from a fundamentalist environment with a black-and-white worldview, and want to know how it would affect their approach on all kinds of issues," said Paul S. Boyer, a retired University of Wisconsin history professor who has written about the role of religious prophecy on public policy.

Palin can hold whatever religious beliefs make sense to her, but when those beliefs inform her view of public policy, it's important to understand them. We've seen where a president with a "black and white worldview" takes the country. Palin's belief that creationism should be taught in science classes, and that God has a plan for the United States to fight righteous wars against oil rich countries, demonstrates that Palin (like George Bush) is out of touch with a reasonable, mainstream approach to governance.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on September 29, 2008 (boomark / email).