My last piece about what prolife means to me was meant to explain some of my moral standards a little more fully. In doing so,I shared some of MY values, based on my interpretation of how to most closely follow the tenets of my faith.
Someone reading them would question why those values aren't the cornerstone of my political beliefs. It's a fair question, and one to which I feel inclined to respond.
My values are based primarily on my reading and studying of the Holy Bible, which I hold as the source of all truth, and the cornerstone of my personal faith. You cannot change that, and you can't debate it away, so I would encourage those who disagree with this subjective statement not to try.
But as dear as I hold the Holy Bible to my personal life, I hold the US Constitution to my political life. Although it is an imperfect document, it is one document that has in it the mechanisms to establishing a truly free society where the rights of the individuals are readily enforced. Though poorly interpreted at times and abused on many occasions, it nevertheless is the blueprint for our government, and the standard to which we should adhere.
In working to address what is best for America,I must often put my personal beliefs aside. This is not compromise, it is rather the celebration and recognition of the diversity of thought, race, creed, and lifestyles that make this country one that I believe to be the best available country in which to live. My strong beliefs against abortion,for instance,must recognize that we live in an imperfect world in which not every ideal can be met. Similarly, my strong views against war must be subjugated by an acknowledgement that in some cases the war we are waging may not be about our own rights, but about the rights of the oppressed in another country and may have greater potential for our seeing a day when ALL men and women on this planet TRULY know and understand what it means to be free.
In short, living IN the world means that I must often recognize that the imperfections of the world sometimes require imperfect responses. And I can wait,and hope for a time when we will see many of these injustices rectified.
Respectfully submitted,
Gideon MacLeish