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Add to NewsvineSteven Waldman’s recent beliefnet post on Republican VP nominee, Sarah Plain indicates that significant numbers of Jews find the Governor “scary”. But she doesn’t scare me, at least not as a Jew. She does however make comments about God and God’s will that make it unclear if she wants to be the next Vice President or the nation’s leading prophet. Suggesting that the Iraq war is “a task from God” and that a gas pipeline is “God’s will”, makes me wonder if she knows that those are not the same job. I don’t know why that should be particularly scary to Jews, but it should command the attention of anyone giving serious consideration to the McCain/Palin ticket or anyone who wants to campaign against them intelligently.
Hoping that one’s actions are in line with God’s desires is not surprising, if one believes in God and in a God who possesses a will about how humans should behave. But proclaiming to know that will with such clarity and certainty regarding issues about which so many people can properly disagree, is more than a little problematic….unless of course you really know! In which case, Governor Palin would actually be doing us all a favor by making sure that we do what is absolutely true, right, and good. But she can’t know that for sure, and talking as if she does is sloppy at best and dangerous at worst.
While many people will surely be uncomfortable with Governor Plain’s choice to introduce the concept of God’s will into her political discourse, it’s really the specificity of her claims and the clarity with which she makes them that is most problematic. I mean, nobody got particularly distressed when Senator Obama prayed for humility and wisdom at Jerusalem’s Western Wall. And that is probably because his request was sufficiently vague and mutually agreeable so as not to get anybody really upset. But that just means that our anxiety is not a function of politicians sharing their spiritual aspirations in public, as much as it is about their claiming to channel absolute truth through their chosen policies, which makes a great deal of sense.
To be fair, Palin’s comments about the war in Iraq were not as problematic as those she made about the pipeline. In speaking about the war, she said “Our national leaders are sending them out on a task that is from God, that’s what we have to make sure that we’re praying for, that there is a plan and that plan is God’s plan.” Like senator Obama she was praying that the decisions of our government reflect the highest values which guide her life. That’s actually a good thing – indicating ongoing questioning and her willingness to seek the right path to follow. I may disagree with her path and/or her conclusions, but I hope that we all share that process.
But her comments about the pipeline are another story all together. She did not pray that the pipeline was a good idea. She told a roomful of people that God thought it was a good idea. That’s the opposite of prayer, it’s prophecy! And there is no room in a democracy for elected officials who believe that they are prophets. By definition, prophets draw their authority from a direct relationship with God. Our elected officials draw their power from the electorate – at least they are supposed to!
I have no problem with Sarah Palin sharing her religious beliefs with us. In fact, if they are going to inform her political thinking, she has a moral obligation to do so, so that we can decide if that’s what we want. But we should all have a problem with a prophet who wants to hold political office. So I invite Ms. Palin to think about her beliefs, her choice of words, and to decide which she wants to be, a prophet or a politician. Both may be real jobs, but you can’t hold both jobs at the same time, and Sarah Palin needs to make her decision or John McCain needs to find a new running mate.
Author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Brad Hirschfield is the author of You Don’t Have To Be Wrong For Me To Be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism. Listed as one of the nation’s 50 most influential rabbis in Newsweek, and a regular commentator on Court TV, he is the creator of the popular series, Building Bridges, airing on Bridges TV, and the co-host of the weekly radio show, Hirschfield and Kula.
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From Rev. Sheri -
I thought this was an very interesting article. There are some great comments at Beliefnet to read as well …
Here’s an interesting comment responding to this article:
I live in Alaska not too far from Sarah Palin’s home. Plus I have talked with people who grew up with her and live closer to her. It is not just her religious attitudes that are scary. This woman’s character is also less than admirable. People who live in her area who own businesses or have something to lose dare not speak out against her in public because of what she would do against them. ie get them fired like the museum director. She doesn’t allow for criticism of herself and sees it as being disloyal. Anyone who holds any kind of public position goes in knowing they will be scrutinized and they accept that or they don’t place themselves in the public eye. Sarah sees herself as being above criticism as somewhat being a saviour if you will. Yes she stood up against of few good old boys, but that was after a democrat pointed out the unethical activity that was going on. She jumped on the bandwagon and ran with it as her own. She is self seeking and self righteous. But what kind of pressure did they put on the young people of their daughter, Bristol and the father of her child. That young man has quit high school. What kind of famial support is that? What kind of future will that couple have? Is G d going to provide for their needs? I don’t think so. Sarah with her huge house could have allowed both young people to stay there until they finished high school at the very least. Then assisted them into continuing their education to provide for a promising future. But it sounds to me like the children are left to pay for their mistake in a way that doesn’t bode well for them or the Palin’s first grandchild. Apparently she is a Pitbull with lipstick, but even in the animal kingdom they take care of their young to assure they will survive. Sarah is more like the good old boys than she claims for she speaks out of both sides of her mouth at the same time. Ah yes what we called the stereo generation.
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