Santorum...An American Taliban?

Is Rick Santorum a Taliban? While there are some differences between Canon Law, the laws of the Catholic Church, and Sharia Law, the laws governing Islamic behavior, there are also similarities. To begin with, both are considered by their followers to be the words of God or Allah in the case of Islamists. In neither case is there a remote possibility that these “laws” are created by men (not women, by the way) and are used to control the behavior of their followers. In both cases, women are treated poorly at best and never as equals when it comes to sexual expression. Neither Sharia Law or Canon Law allow a women to express a sexual need for anything other than procreation. Both deny that physical intimacy can be strictly for pleasure. Both have strict definitions of male – female relationships and of marriage. It is obvious that far more Americans would agree with Rick Santorum’s view than the Taliban’s view, but giving either credibility is a dangerous precedent. Who is Rick Santorum that he should be allowed to impose his views, which are grounded in religious beliefs, on all of us? Why should every American be bound by what he considered to be good practices? Why would anyone ever consider electing a president whose ego leads him or her to be so certain about what is right and what is wrong? Allowing any religious doctrine power to influence our politics opens the door for both doctrines we might agree with as well as doctrines we oppose. Opposition to theocracy, regardless of the source is one of the reasons our country was founded. We all need to be vigilant and make certain that by allowing our personal religious beliefs to influence the political arena we are not opening doors for future religious beliefs we might find abhorrent.