Politics Without Principles?

Health-care reform is an economic, political and medical issue. But On Faith panelist and evangelical leader Jim Wallis says it's also a "deeply theological issue, a Biblical issue and a moral issue." Do you agree? Why or why not?

Not just health care. All governance goes beyond politics and people to a matter of principles and morality. A person is elected to a position to safeguard the interests of the nation as well as its citizens. This cannot be done with any sense of sincerity and transparency, if the elected people lack morality and spirituality, two sides of the same coin. It is not enough for people to shout from rooftops about their spirituality or hold the Bible in their hands, if their actions are contrary to the teachings of whichever scripture they subscribe to.

Health care transcends medicine and politics and becomes a spiritual issue. If a government is unable to take care of the poorest and weakest among their citizenry then that government is not true to its moral obligations. Democracy is not just for the powerful and the strong and the rich. A nation will ultimately be judged by the way it takes care of its weakest and poorest citizens, and if they die prematurely because they cannot afford health care it is not just the government that will be held responsible but the whole nation must suffer the ignominy.

By Arun Gandhi  |  August 19, 2009; 3:10 PM ET
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Posted by: ATLMichael | August 21, 2009 5:09 PM
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