In a 2008 interview with the Oxford Centre for Religion and Public Life Rick Santorum said the following:
image: leftish
Ed Kilgore says,
As it happens, the Santorum appearance Waldman wrote about occurred around the same time in 2008 as the Pennsylvanian’s now famous speech at Ave Maria University when he regaled his audience with a narrative of the ongoing war for America between true Christians and Satan. He sadly concluded that mainline Protestantism, which was “gone from the world of Christianity,” had already been lost to His Infernal Majesty. Clearly, the apostasy of liberal Protestants was on his mind at that time, perhaps because of the rise to national power of Barack Obama.
As Waldman noted, this is not that unusual an attitude for self-consciously conservative Christians to have these days, but it’s unusual to hear it from a politician. Rick Santorum cannot have it both ways, though. If he feels so strongly that Christians who don’t share his particular “world view” aren’t really Christian at all, then he should be loud and proud about it, and stop pretending he’s just this mild-mannered man of faith being persecuted by people who despise the very name of Jesus Christ.
It’s easy enough for the far right to judge liberals and Obama, especially by those who call themselves “Christians” — they do it all the time.
But I’d really like to hear how all the rightwing, born-again, evangelical Protestants feel about Santorum’s conclusion that they and their religion are ‘gone from the world of Christianity‘.
We all know that this country was founded on a Judeo-Christian ethic but the Judeo-Christian ethic was a Protestant Judeo-Christian ethic, sure the Catholics had some influence, but this was a Protestant country and the Protestant ethic, mainstream, mainline Protestantism, and of course we look at the shape of mainline Protestantism in this country and it is in shambles, it is gone from the world of Christianity as I see it.
So, you see, you’re not a real Christian either. Sorry! Deal with it, I guess. Only Saint Santorum decides who’s in or out. I wonder if Jesus Himself would make Santorum’s cut?
