John McCain: My Faith Sustained Me, Part 2
McCain’s Faith
If Pastor Jackson is right and McCain is not a “biblically versed, mature Christian,” then what kind of Christian is he? McCain tells us that his faith has been his salvation:
My faith has been...my salvation. I went through a very rough experience in my life, many years ago, and the only reason why I’m here today is because of the faith that I had in a greater being that sustained me at times when I was under most difficult stress. My faith has been my anchor and my pride, and I am proud and unashamed to tell people that. I don’t advertise it, and maybe I should, but the fact is, the reason, the only reason why I’m here today is because I believe that...a higher being has a mission for me in my life - a reason for me to be here. Now, that doesn’t mean that he wants me to be elected or not, but it does mean that I have a purpose, and that purpose I think is to live a life based on Judeo-Christian principles and honor and integrity.[i]
McCain is thankful to God for the opportunities he has been given to serve others. “I have held a public trust all of my adult life. I have never lived a single day, in good times and bad, that I haven't thanked God for the privilege.”[ii]
McCain believes in life after death. In a eulogy he gave in honor of a victim of September 11th, he said, “As our faith informs us, you will see him again, when our loving God reunites us all with the loved ones who preceded us.”[iii]
McCain does not believe in six day creation. When asked in a recent Republican Presidential debate to explain his views on the origin of this world, he said, “I believe in evolution. But I also believe, when I hike the Grand Canyon and see it at sunset, that the hand of God is there also.”[iv] Apparently he sees God’s hand so clearly that he felt comfortable using the phrase “God’s creation” in a recent speech on energy policy:
The world is already feeling the powerful effects of global warming, and far more dire consequences are predicted if we let the growing deluge of greenhouse gas emissions continue, and wreak havoc with God's creation.”[v]
When asked about his prayer life in a recent interview, McCain said, “I just pray the way most people pray.”[vi] He went on to elaborate that he usually prays in the evenings and asks for “guidance, comfort and wisdom in almost every aspect of my life.”[vii]
An unusual fact about John McCain is that he is widely known to be superstitious. He attributes this to his time as a naval aviator. He says, “I think all pilots are superstitious to some degree.”[viii] In his first presidential campaign, he was known to carry around a lucky compass, feather, penny and rock in his pocket. There was panic in the campaign when he briefly misplaced his lucky feather.[ix] He is even known to wear a heavy pair of shoes in the heat of summer because he considers them lucky.[x]
McCain and Evangelical Voters
During his first presidential campaign, McCain offended many evangelical voters with a speech he gave in Virginia Beach. He said:
Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and a few leaders of the pro-life movement call me an unacceptable presidential candidate. Why? Because I don’t pander to them, because I don’t ascribe to their failed philosophy that money is our message. We embrace the fine members of the religious conservative community. But that does not mean that we will pander to their self-appointed leaders. [These leaders] are corrupting influences on religion and politics. They shame our faith, our party and our country. Neither party should be defined by pandering to the outer reaches of American politics and the agents of intolerance whether they be Louis Farrakhan or Al Sharpton on the left, or Robertson or Falwell on the right.
Some political observers believe this speech contributed to McCain’s loosing many evangelical votes. McCain has since attempted to win back the evangelical community. He famously gave the commencement address at Dr. Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University in 2006.
Perhaps in an attempt to explain his previous harsh words, McCain told the graduates, “But I ask that you consider the possibility that I, too, am trying to meet my responsibilities, to follow my conscience, to do my duty as best as I can, as God has given me light to see that duty.”[xi]
In the 2008 election cycle, McCain has presented himself as a plain spoken man of principle. In the post-September 11th era, McCain appeals to Conservatives by making unequivocal statements about the difference between right and wrong. In 2004, he told the Republican National Convention that:
It’s a big thing, this war. It’s a fight between a just regard for human dignity and a malevolent force that defiles an honorable religion by disputing God’s love for every soul on earth. It’s a fight between right and wrong, good and evil.[xii]
In 2006, he told Liberty University graduates that the war on terror leaves no room for moral relativism:
Human rights exist above the state and beyond history - they are God-given. They cannot be rescinded by one government any more than they can be granted by another. They inhabit the human heart, and from there, though they may be abridged, they can never be wrenched. This is a clash of ideals, a profound and terrible clash of ideals. It is a fight between right and wrong. Relativism has no place in this confrontation...We are insisting that all people have a right to be free, and that right is not subject to the whims and interests and authority of another person, government or culture. Relativism, in this contest, is most certainly not a sign of our humility or ecumenism; it is a mask for arrogance and selfishness. It is not worthy of us.[xiii]
How does John McCain see his responsibility to God in the three crucial areas of the Public Acknowledgement of God, the Sanctity of Marriage and the Family, and the Sanctity of Life?
The Public Acknowledgement of God
McCain has often denounced judicial attempts to curb the Public Acknowledgement of God. He recently told Christians United for Israel:
Our founders built in this nation an amazing thing - a democracy that guarantees the right of every citizen to worship God in the way that they choose. We must protect that freedom here in our own country by ensuring that judges do not legislate from the bench to remove religion from the public squares of our communities. And we must support its expansion abroad by standing with those whom, because of their religion and their values, come under threat.[xiv]
McCain supports the display of the Ten Commandments in public school:
We begin our proceedings every day in the US Senate with a prayer. Now, it doesn’t have the beneficial effect that some desire, but it seems to be acceptable for the Senate to do that. Virtues [like telling the truth are] exemplified in the Ten Commandments. They could be and should be taught in every school in America.[xv]
He also believes students should be allowed to pray voluntarily:
School prayer or a moment of silence should be allowed but not mandated. Education is a civil rights issue. Education reform, including school choice is necessary so every student can be prepared for success in higher education, career and life.[xvi]
The Sanctity of Marriage and the Family
During the 2000 presidential campaign, McCain was famous for riding around in a bus called the “Straight Talk Express.” One area where perhaps the American people deserve more straight talk from McCain is gay marriage and civil unions. McCain said in an interview last fall that he does not believe homosexuality is a sin.[xvii] He does, however, oppose gay marriage. He shares this position with Democratic presidential candidates like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
McCain sometimes has trouble articulating his opposition to gay marriage. During an appearance on Hardball with Chris Matthews, he said:
I think that gay marriage should be allowed, if there‘s a ceremony kind of thing, if you want to call it that. I don‘t have any problem with that, but I do believe in preserving the sanctity of a union between man and woman.
After a commercial break during which audience members observed him conferring with an aide, McCain felt the need to add:
Could I just mention one other thing? On the issue of the gay marriage, I believe if that people want to have private ceremonies, that‘s fine. I do not believe that gay marriages should be legal.[xviii]
McCain voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment because he believes states should decide the issue. He did, however, vote for the Defense of Marriage Act which provides that no state will have to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. He also endorsed the “Protect Marriage Arizona Amendment.”
The full text of this proposed amendment to the Arizona constitution reads:
To preserve and protect marriage in this state, only a union between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage by this state or its political subdivisions and no legal status for unmarried persons shall be created or recognized by this state or its political subdivisions that is similar to that of marriage.
McCain’s endorsement of this amendment would suggest that he opposes civil unions for gay couples. This is not necessarily the case. George Stephanopoulos questioned him about this issue last fall:
George Stephanopoulos: You voted for an initiative in Arizona that…actually denied any government benefits to civil unions or domestic partnerships. Are you against civil unions for gay couples?
John McCain: No, I'm not. But the - that initiative I think was misinterpreted. I think that initiative did allow for people to join in legal agreements such as power of attorney and others. I think there was a - I think that there was a difference of opinion on the interpretation of that constitutional amendment in Arizona.
George Stephanopoulos: You're for civil unions?
John McCain: No, I am for ability of two - I do not believe gay marriage should be legal. I do not believe gay marriage should be legal. But I do believe that people ought to be able to enter into contracts, exchange powers of attorney, other ways that people who have relationships can enter into.[xix]
Click here to continue the article
