Georgetown Professor Is Clueless as to Why God is Important, and Why Palin Gets 'It'

Not surprised. I am not. We hear jokes about Jesuit institutions all the time and their lack of "Catholicity." Is it the Jesuits fault? Well, that is hard to say, but where there is smoke, there is usually fire.

Take for example the Washington Posts: "Georgetown/On Faith" Blog section where they write about politics. You can read their about section if you want. They have Professor Jacques Berlinerblau writing about Palin's choice not to run. His take? That her priorities are screwed up because she adheres to a God, Family, Country philosophy. Yes, he disagrees with this order because... well... that is what liberals do. You can't even say, "Oh I get what he is saying, good argument I just disagree." No. For a professor at an allegedly Catholic institution, he is completely clueless. Let's look at his article [my comments in red]:

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has decided not to run for the presidency in 2012. In her statement she writes:

After much prayer and serious consideration, I have decided that I will not be seeking the 2012 GOP nomination for President of the United States. As always, my family comes first and obviously Todd and I put great consideration into family life before making this decision. When we serve, we devote ourselves to God, family and country. My decision maintains this order.

The order she refers to, “God, Family, Country” comprises a bewildering conflation of priorities, recklessly emphasizing the personal over the civic. Wait, what? Bewildering? You mean, all the slams by the left that the was "reckless" with her children by running in the first place? And a public servant should walk away from the anchor of family once they run, because... the public is more important than the personal. Honestly, this statement is so far from anything sensible that I should have stopped reading here. 

Palin works from the assumption that one enters public service not to uphold the constitution, not to defend the nation, not to enrich the lives of citizens, but to honor God. Ok, this is an allegedly educated person. Why does he mess up the whole concept of mutual exclusion. Even if you were to argue that Palin places God at the top of this list he creates, it doesn't necessarily mean that she then excludes the rest. 

Whose God, you ask? That’s a great question in a society as religiously diverse as our own. From Palin’s vantage point the answer to that can only be: my God and my interpretation of God. Which, chances are, won’t be your God and your interpretation of God. Wait, now, if you believe in God as a public servant, you can't have a personal view of Him? Again, this is a GEORGETOWN professor.

This type of reasoning has roots that extend back deep into the Puritan heritage of this country. Yet it is important to recall that since the times of let’s say, Roger Williams, this reasoning was challenged by dissenters who were every bit as God-fearing as the Puritans. That is to say, in American history there have existed significant faith-based motivations for fearing public servants who claim to serve God. Ahh... so his colors are showing, he admits essentially that we don't want people who believe in God to serve the public.

Taking the Silver Medal in Palin’s hierarchy is “family.” Her emphasis is perhaps psychologically understandable, given the ferocious battering that the Palin clan, most notably the children, has endured in the press over the past few years. Wow... this is just crude. I get more upset the more I read this. The Academia "elite" really are vile people, this is just more of the same though. If you aren't with them, they hate you - literally. 

Yet once again, a politician does not seek elected office to better his or her family. The inverse proposition seems more likely: those who chose to serve do so to the regrettable emotional detriment of their loved ones.

As for the last of Palin’s priorities, it should have been her first and arguably her second and third as well. Americans are certainly allowed to believe that their God is much more important than their country. But those Americans perhaps ought not run for high office. His conclusion: only atheists or fairweather religious should run for office. Thanks professor, one more Catholic college off the list. He makes it much easier for us Catholics to cross Georgetown off the list of where to send our kids for college. 

I can't believe I wasted my time. As I said, I am not surprised. More of the same. Intellectual "elites" at Catholic entities getting it completely wrong. You should stop giving to Georgetown, and you should stop sending your children to allegedly Catholic institutions. I am sure many of you made it out alive... but what if your kids aren't as lucky? Do you want them thinking like this?

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