Rick Santorum is definitely not Catholic lite..

 

Unlike Chris Christie, Rudy Giuliani or Marco Rubio, Santorum wears his Catholicism on his sleeve and across that sweater vest.

Let's explore Santorum's heavy metal Catholicism.

His version of  “Give me that old time religion,” sings of the only one true Church in Rome.

In a 2008 speech, Santorum said that “mainline Protestantism" is now “gone from the world of Christianity.” Thus he ex-communicated some 45 million American Christians.

In Ohio recently, he said President Obama's agenda is based on "some phony theology; not a theology based on the Bible. A different theology...He later suggested that the president practices a different kind of Christianity.”

So much for Santorum on religious pluralism and tolerance.

He has weighed in on women's health and social issues. On human sexuality, he preaches the Catholic Church's message: a message crafted by unmarried males.

On contraception,  he talks about the “dangers of contraception in this country, the whole sexual libertine idea. Many in the Christian faith have said, 'Well, that’s okay. Contraception’s okay. It's not okay because it’s a license to do things in the sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be.”


Santorum also says birth control harms women and society

On prenatal testing, he said it would lead to more abortions. “A lot of prenatal tests are done to identify deformities in utero, and the customary procedure is to encourage abortions.”

On abortion, Santorum is standard Catholic- and Republican - pro-life. On gay marriage, he naturally opposes  it. However, on homosexuality itself, his standard is over the top.

According to Santorum, there is no right to privacy in the Constitution regarding consensual  sexual relations between  adults in one's own home.

Recently, he even had to deny that he ever compared gay marriage to “man on dog.”

So much for Santorum on women's health and social issues.

In 1960, America elected its first Catholic president. The ugly history of anti-Catholic bigotry was broken.

John F. Kennedy understood the First Amendment's “no establishment” clause. He spoke eloquently about it in September,1960 to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association:

“I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute; where no Catholic prelate would tell the President - should he be Catholic - how to act...I believe in an America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish; where no public official either requests or accept instructions on public policy from the Pope...”

President Kennedy put to rest the American public's fear of a Papist in the White House. Rick Santorum has reignited that fear. The problem with Catholicism is not Catholicism. The problem with Catholicism is Rick Santorum.

Would a President Santorum follow the principles in Kennedy's speech? Would he uphold the Constitution and “faithfully execute” our nation's laws? Would be respect the religious faith of others? And most importantly, would he allow meat to be served in the White House on Fridays?

In his 2006 bid for re-election to the senate, Santorum lost by 700,000+ votes. It was the largest margin of defeat for an incumbent senator since 1980 and the largest losing margin for an incumbent Republican senator ever. He lost to a pro-life, Catholic, Democrat Bob Casey, Jr. Hmm.

Unemployment is still painfully high, Americans remain dissatisfied with the country’s direction, even the most favorable polls show President Obama’s approval at barely 50 percent and yet, the Republican Party is offering us Rick Santorum. Social conservatism is a losing proposition in the 2012 election.

Rick Santorum is an embarrassment to the Republican Party not because he is Catholic. He is an embarrassment because his brand of Catholicism is dangerously theocratic and Ayatollah-like. His so called “conservatism” is precisely the kind Barry Goldwater warned against.

San-to-rum..it has a nice, Papal ring to it

Habemus Papam! Pope Santorun I.