Governmental Evangelism?
Presidential hopeful John Kasich, the governor of Ohio, rashly proposed creating a governmental agency to promote “Judeo-Christian” values as part of his projected approach to national security should he be elected. At his National Press Club speech, Kasich stated that he’d create “a new agency that has a clear mandate to promote the core, Judeo-Christian Western values that we and our friends and allies share: the values of human rights, the values of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of association.“
Fortunately the constitutionality of such a nonsensical concept was swiftly raised even amidst the media frenzy caused by the recent terrorist attacks perpetrated by Islamic radicals—the clear source for such politically reactionary spewage. Our secular republic was established with the intention of preventing any religion from having hegemony, providing American citizens with the freedom of embracing any or no religion as a fundamental right. Fortunately, some aware media commentators, such as CNN’s Michael Smerconish, have made this observation.
It fascinates me that Kasich’s brief enumeration of the values he wishes to promote are emphatically not ones that have arisen from Judeo-Christian scriptures. Instead, they are secularist principles essential to the American Constitution and are also core concepts that current Western governments have embraced in their ongoing process of working towards an equitable society. We who are not fans of theism know that most “sacred” writings are a contradictory morass which can be cherry-picked to support almost any perspective, be it permissive or oppressive. However Kasich’s catalog is one that stands in contrast to the historical practices of the theism he embraces and proposes should be governmentally proselytized. His lack of awareness of this contradiction should be troubling, considering his current—and any future—elected offices.
Kasich has backed-off from his misguided intention, however, this exposes something that should be noted. His assumption that Judeo-Christianity is the source for these principles points out his lack of awareness of the actual tenets of the ancient religion of which he is an adherent. He is not alone in such incomprehension. He naively assumes a “God and Country” unity that is contrary to the mechanisms of the government of the United States. His apologists are quick to claim that he didn’t mean what he said, however, anyone campaigning to head this nation should be very precise in both his thinking and his statements on such crucial issues.
The oath of the office he seeks demands that he "will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Clearly Kasich seems unaware of the secular nature inherent in that office and the Constitution he must uphold, hence I consider his ignorance grounds to disqualify his candidacy in the minds of all Americans who stand for the values of our nation’s founders.
—Magus Peter H. Gilmore
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