Daisy Khan: Sarah Palin Must Shift from Parochial Religion to Universal Politics

In many respects, Sarah Palin represents the best of our great country. As mother of five and executive leader, star athlete and beauty pageant champion, secular politician and religious devotee, Palin has successfully molded herself into a complex and multifaceted embodiment of the United States of America, a small-town PTA activist turned populist national reformer living the American dream. Arguably, she mirrors Barack Obama in this sense, a similarly profound – and ostensibly paradoxical – picture of America, its people, promise and hope. While Palin and Obama may share little in common politically, they both personify a momentous shift in this country against an intransigent status quo, as well as the historic de-relegation of women and African-Americans to the fringes of national politics.

In spite of Palin’s undeniable appeal to many Americans, it is the convergence of these latter qualities – secular politician and religious devotee – that has left many of us scratching our heads in recent days. To what extent will her own unique religious experiences and convictions – or more to the point, her experiences and convictions within the context of a parochial Evangelical Christian milieu – drive her political policies, which could then determine our country’s actions in diverse contexts like the Iraq War or Alaska pipeline? Will Palin’s political choices reflect her personal religious beliefs, beliefs the vast majority of Americans do not share? Will she subject her executive decision-making and the country’s – and globe’s – well-being to these particular faith-based opinions? And most importantly, as a national leader, will she demonstrate the ability to set aside these beliefs in order to represent all Americans – including those who do not share her own faith background – and forge broad coalitions?

Read it all.

Posted in * Culture-Watch, * Economics, Politics, Religion & Culture, US Presidential Election 2008

36 comments on “Daisy Khan: Sarah Palin Must Shift from Parochial Religion to Universal Politics

  1. Sick & Tired of Nuance says:

    She should not set asside her religious beliefs. She should govern to the best of her ability and incorporate her beliefs, where possible, into her governance as she has so successfully done in the past. She is not an unknown quantity and if she is voted into office by the majority, she should not then change how she governs to be politically correct or appease the losing faction. The liberals always seem to want others to give up their core values and beliefs when they gain power to accomodate the minority…but it is always one way. They never give an inch to the conservatives. Look at the furor that the recent SCOTUS ruling on the 2nd Amendment has caused. At long last, there is a clear ruling that the right to keep and bear arms is an individual right and that it is in conjunction with the right of self defense. Listen to the liberals whine and howl. Of course, the made up right of abortion is untouchable to them. It is always one way…theirs.

  2. Chris Molter says:

    Does anyone hear echoes of the JFK campaign?

  3. evan miller says:

    I’d say Sarah Palin’s religious veliefs are a heck of a lot closer to those of most Americans than Sen. Obama’s are. And yes, Chris, such concerns expressed about a RC candidate were dismissed outright as inappropriate in Kennedy’s case and they should be dismissed outright in Gov. Palin’s as well.
    Personally, I hope her Christian faith informs every decision she makes as Governor and, by God’s grace, as Vice-President.

  4. evan miller says:

    “beliefs”. sigh.

  5. CharlesB says:

    ” . . religious devotee”!!? I didn’t know it was a hobby until now. This just keeps getting better and better.

  6. vulcanhammer says:

    One thing that liberals tend to overlook about Sarah Palin’s actual political career is that she has not based it on furthering a “religious agenda” in the political realm. She has based it on making government a servant of the people (which is a Christian concept, one the left would love to dispense with,) and eliminating corruption and cronyism.

    Too many people on both sides of the political spectrum have forgotten that, when people in government put their own interests ahead of the nation’s or state’s, the government’s moral authority is compromised and it becomes little better than organised crime. If you need an example of that, just look across the Bering Strait…

  7. Br. Michael says:

    Nevertheless every politicion, without exception, brings their own worldview into office with them whether it is a worldview called “religion”, natural materalism, secularism, Islam, etc. And that woldview will guide their decision making. Does Ms. Kahn assume that liberals don’t have a worldview that inform their decision making? Or that a secularist should make decisions that favor Creation theory? No she wouldn’t. I think that Sick and Tired is absolutely correct that these things only go one way for these people.

  8. Intercessor says:

    I think that Mrs. Palin is doing just fine. If her relationship with Christ offends you then vote for someone else but she should NEVER walk away from what God places on her heart. Sounds like the author is still in search of a meaningful spirit-filled life to me.
    Intercessor

  9. Undergroundpewster says:

    I wish the article had defined “parochial religion” because there are negative connotations.
    Merriam-webster.com defines parochial as,

    “1 : of or relating to a church parish
    2 : of or relating to a parish as a unit of local government
    3 : confined or restricted as if within the borders of a parish : limited in range or scope (as to a narrow area or region) : provincial, narrow”

    Is the author labelling the Governor’s religion as provincial and/or narrow? Or is she labelling the Governor as such?

  10. CharlesB says:

    The author just doesn’t get it. Her values are what makes Palin, and for that matter, McCain, so appealing to old-fashioned, conservative, traditional, patriotic Americans. We shall see how things come out on election day. I hope it is the largest land-slide in election history for the GOP, and it would not surprise me one bit.

  11. Pb says:

    Why do we not hear anything about the religious beilefs of Reed and Pelosi? There are some RC and Mormon beliefs that offend liberals.

  12. RandomJoe says:

    Why do we not hear anything about the religious beilefs of Reed and Pelosi?

    Maybe because they ignore their religious beliefs and do what the liberals want?

  13. Chris Molter says:

    “There are some RC and Mormon beliefs that offend liberals.”
    If we’ve learned anything from Pelosi and Biden recently it’s that their real religion is the DNC Party Platform. Any outside religious beliefs that contradict a Plank are anathema to the leftist true believer.

  14. Baruch says:

    I tend to ignor comments by secularists when they advise about religion, often based on their lack of it or their willingness to ignor it based on their secular views.

  15. Katherine says:

    I have seen nothing at all in reports about Palin’s tenure as mayor and governor to indicate that she has tried to push her particular religious beliefs on anybody. People in the media are treating her as a freak specimen with two heads. Don’t they know anybody who is actually a believer? Perhaps not.

  16. Randy Muller says:

    The author can’t track Palin. Amusing. It’s fun to watch Palin’s opponents struggle like that.

  17. drummie says:

    What is it about the liberl media types that makes them thin that everyone feel the way that they do? Saying that most Americans do not share Gov. Palin’s beliefs is a very broad statement that I don’t think she can back up with anything meaningful. More people will probably agree with gov. Palin’s beliefs than not, but the only way to know is to count the votes in November. I certainly hope that a politicain that has the guts to vote their own conscience in furtherance of the will of the people will be elected. For too many years, the unelected liberals on the Supreme Court have force fed the American public on thier decisions. We need more people in public life that are not afraid to take on anything that needs connfronting no matter what the political consequences to them personally. She’s (Palin) got my vote.

  18. Little Cabbage says:

    “For too many years, the unelected liberals on the Supreme Court have force fed the American public on thier decisions.”
    LOL! The GOP appointments to the Supreme Court and the Federal Courts over the past 20 of 28 years have solidified the right-wing take-over of the judiciary. That has been the aim of well-heeled groups like The Federalist Society (financed largely by Scaife & Co.) since Reagan came into office. It’s the ‘unelected wacko right-wingers (Scalia, Thomas, etc.) who have been force-feeding the American public for years now. And that’s one reason the American people will elect the Obama-Biden ticket in November.

  19. Helen says:

    Mrs. Palin seems to have eclipsed Mr. McCain. But we are voting for Prez, not VP.

  20. Grandmother says:

    Actually, we’ve recently heard quite a lot about Biden and Pelosi’s “religious beliefs”, the Roman Catholic Bishops have made certain of it.

    Grandmother in SC

  21. DonGander says:

    “Will Palin’s political choices reflect her personal religious beliefs, beliefs the vast majority of Americans do not share?”

    80% of Alaskans disagree or else consider the question irrelevant.

    Don

  22. Don R says:

    What a strange viewpoint this author has. She says
    [blockquote]As a Muslim woman of faith, I always strive to act according to my understanding of God’s purposes for my life[…][/blockquote] and [blockquote]I fully insist that to embrace belief sincerely – whether in religious tradition, secular ideology, or personal conviction – is laudable.[/blockquote]
    And yet she ends with [blockquote]I worry that Palin’s conjoining of her [i]particular[/i] religious faith convictions with [i]universal[/i] policy-making could generate potentially disastrous consequences for our country and world.[/blockquote]
    How is that different from the conundrum anyone else faces as a representing other people in a representative form of government. Everyone has [i]particular[/i] “faith convictions.” What other faith convictions [i]could[/i] a person “conjoin” with policy-making? [i]General[/i] ones? [i]Objective[/i] ones? Maybe that’s why the statist view of government produces so much cognitive dissonance in people who hold to something like a traditional religion, yet believe in the value of a secular state.

  23. TridentineVirginian says:

    Let’s see – a Muslim telling a Christian politician that she must set her faith aside in order to govern? That’s going to play well across the country.

    Tee hee, it’s as if the Left have a death wish, and are working feverishly to elect John McCain and Sarah Palin, despite the profound advantages they come into this election with. Dopes.

  24. withasword says:

    The left hate judges that look to the constitution when determining if a law is constitutional or not. It caves in the tunnels of the activist judges who are rewriting the constitution based on “progressive” social ideals.
    Thomas Jefferson
    1820 – letter to Thomas Ritchie
    The judiciary of the United States is the subtle corps of sappers and miners constantly working under ground to undermine the foundations of our confederated fabric. They are construing our constitution from a co-ordination of a general and special government to a general and supreme one alone.
    Reference: Jefferson: Writings, Peterson ed., Library of America (1446)

  25. Now Orthodox says:

    I worry that Palin’s conjoining of her particular religious faith convictions with universal policy-making could generate potentially disastrous consequences for our country and world.
    _______________________________________________________

    I worry that bias reporting would have disastrous consequences for our country and the world.

    Sorry Daisy, but the oil is leaking out of your engine on this article.

  26. magnolia says:

    helen, we may be voting for prez but with mccain’s questionable health and old age, it is a legitimate question. i saw the first part softball interview she had with charles gibson and frankly the similarity to bush is astounding! she has that same deer in the headlights look, wordy senseless answers to mildly difficult questions, and…wait for it…pronounces the word ‘nuculer’! what is the difference between one particular hocky mum and gw bush??? lipstick! sad thing is they will probably win. mccain will then kick the bucket or go senile in office and we’ll have another dumbo eager to get us into a war with russia while sneakily appointing right wing ideologues for the justice dept and NASA. i cannot stand liberals but none of you can sit there with a straight face and type to me that you think republicans have done a good job. the bush regime and the sad terrible joke that has become TEC convinces me that no EXTREMIST should be in charge of the public good. they only have their own agendas to push. and SHE is an extremist. i don’t like the thought of Obama and wish they would have chosen better. but as always anymore it seems to be a choice for lesser of two evils (sigh)

  27. magnolia says:

    oooh, it is late and i am tired. i should not have called palin a dumbo. i humbly beg your pardons.

  28. Chris Molter says:

    [blockquote]and SHE is an extremist.[/blockquote]
    How so? What’s so extreme about her? What positions does she hold that make her so extreme?

  29. evan miller says:

    #18
    What a crock!

  30. Larry Morse says:

    This is the worst sort of writing, stuff set in print which is nothing but speculation, airy and pretentious, a hot air balloon sent up so that the writer herself can be more visible. This balloon doesn’t lift any weight beyond the occupant. Larry

  31. TridentineVirginian says:

    Magnolia, if you’re going to insult someone for pronouncing the word nuclear “nucular,” perhaps you should look to some of your own difficulties with the English language first, such as the lack of capitalization at the beginning of sentences, using multiple question marks at the end of a sentence, overcapitalizing words to make emphasis, sentence fragments, and so on.

  32. withasword says:

    Magnolia,
    I am a Libertarian because it is clear that neither the Republicans nor the Democrats have any respect for our Constitution. However, when you look at candidates there is no question about which would be better for this country. The thing that scares the left so much about Palin, and why the faoaming knee jerk reactionary attacks are so rampant is because she is everything Obama said he was. Obama’s campaign is based on his being the embodiment of change, of being a “washington outsider”, politically and ideologically pure. Obama’s track record is entirely different. In Chicago he bolstered the corrupt Stoeger political machine ensuring that the spirit of Tamanny will remain alive and well in Chicago for years to come. No change, just pure dirty partisan politics. The more people see and hear of Obama, the more see that he is just is just the same as the rest of the politicians in Washington, just far to the left of most. As far as foreign policy goes, I don’t think campaigning for Odinga in Kenya, a man who has said that he would institute Sharia Law, was good for [b]this[/b]country and it’s interests. Especially considering how many Christians, that Odinga’s other supporters, the Luo Islamofascists, have killed.

    Palin, on the other hand, has taken on corruption and won. She actually is an agent of positive change. My only concern is that Ms. Palin might lead me into sinful thoughts. That, conciously or subconciously, I might wish Mr. McCain ill so that she [b]would[/b] become president.

  33. withasword says:

    correction: the spirit of [b]Tammany Hall[/b]
    will remain alive and well in Chicago

  34. Larry Morse says:

    Tut tut, #31, and some more tut. Mispronouncing Nuclear is like spelling the possessive of it with an apostrophe. Some petty crimes are worse. After all, doesn’t your ear shudder when it hears nnoocyoolar? It shood. That says alot. Larry

  35. Cennydd says:

    Larry, as one who majored in English, I am disgusted. As for Governor Palin’s qualifications, I think that Senators Obama and Biden are in for a surprise on Election Day.

  36. Larry Morse says:

    #25. I too was an English major. My sympathies and best wishes for your recovery. I shood have said, “That says alot,alright???!!!!!” Ha ha ha ha. Now as to the use of the subjunctive and t he subjunctive of “to Be”…. A Harmless Drudge in Maine