"...the libertarian-minded lawmaker is actually very religious. He's not a member, but officials at First Baptist Church of Lake Jackson, Texas say Paul attends services whenever he's in town. He left the Episcopalian church in which he was raised in part over its stance on abortion rights."
That's an interesting stand for a Libertarian -- leaving his church because it supported a woman's right to choose.
Actually, Paul, whose supporters love the fact that he doesn't pull his punches, was considerably more sly on this matter. Here's an excerpt from a lengthy interview with Christianity Today:
"'All of our children were raised in the Episcopal Church. Some [places] were fairly conservative but my wife and I thought the Episcopal Church advocated a position that we didn't endorse, so we left. And our children did not stay in the Episcopal Church either.'
"Related to specific issues?
"I think it was the abortion issue. I imagine they had some other issues. But I think the abortion issue was the real big thing. And I think also some of the money was going to some of the international organizations that were more political--they weren't missionaries. So it was an objection over the way some of the money was being spent."
In that interview, Paul managed to avoid stating explicitly why he, as opposed to family members, left the Episcopal Church. And the interviewer failed to do her job by nailing him down on it.
***
Religion is one of those areas that are considered beyond question in the political realm: a candidate's claims about his faith are taken at face value. But make no mistake: there's a great advantage to be gained in painting oneself as "holier than" one's opponents.
Makes you wonder what happened to America that it is no longer possible to elect politicians like Lincoln, who is reported to have said:
"When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. And that's my religion."
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