COMMENTARY | The New York Daily News reports that on Feb. 26, during an interview on “This Week,” Rick Santorum said he does not believe in absolute separation of church and state. This is a very alarming statement from the Republican presidential candidate, and it will ultimately cost him the nomination. Here is how I feel about this statement as a Republican voter, and as a true believer in the Constitution.
I think this is going to go over very badly for Santorum, because separation of church and state is a very important part of the Constitution. The Constitution makes sure that the government and states do not impose religious values upon the people of America, and this is crucial for the government to work correctly. By Santorum saying he does not believe in the absolute separation of church and state, it makes some people question what his policies would be as president. I fear that Santorum would try to make policies based on his religious views alone, and not think about what would be best for the country as a whole. For example, Santorum is pro-life, and does not believe in contraception, so what laws would he try to pass in preventing contraception in the market? I fear that because Santorum is so religious, he would try to overturn the legality of abortion, and really question what type of cabinet members he would select.
Santorum is riding a slippery slope with his comments, although the Founding Fathers were clearly religious, they knew that there should be freedom of religion, and freedom from making laws based on religion alone. I think that the comments Santorum made will hurt him, especially with the tea party voters, because the tea party believes in every aspect of the Constitution. If the Constitution says that there is a separation between church and state, then that is something politicians need to abide by. A lot of people in this country are Christian, and America is often referred to as a Christian nation, but there are plenty of other religions in this country that need to be represented. I think it is scaring a lot of voters off because if Santorum won the nomination, there is a possibility he would begin making laws based upon his own personal religious beliefs.
As a Constitutionalist, I believe that the comments by Santorum are a red flag, because no president should make his or her laws based on religious values, it should be kept to each state to decide. Although I am atheist, I see nothing wrong with Santorum being deeply religious, but sometimes I think he goes too far in voicing his feelings. I do credit Santorum for saying what he believes, but at the same time, I think he needs to scale it back, especially if he wants to win the Republican nomination.