Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky writes: “When a candidate runs as a devoutly religious person, what kinds of public positions does he or she take? In the political contest playing out in presently, the foreign policy positions of the devoutly religious are hawkish, and their social policy positions are conservative. The devoutly religious politician is anti-abortion, anti-contraception, and anti-feminism. The same general pattern (with shades of difference) holds true among devoutly religious politicians in many other countries, regardless of which one of the world’s major religions is being practiced there.”
…”I am a devoutly religious person. And I believe that our deepest religious values should inform our political views. And I am befuddled and disturbed by the fact that our leaders who wear their religion on their sleeves, exhaust their passions on our military challenges abroad and birth-control pills at home. The world awaits the expression of America’s deep historical religious passions for justice, compassion, and peace for all humankind.”
I don’t like criticizing Rabbi Kanefsky on my blog because I like the man and I like his shul.
Still, he has chosen to go public once again with an absurdly contemptuous dismissal of those to his right. Rabbi Kanefsky paints those who differ with him as morons (obsessed with birth-control pills, etc), but fails to give any specific examples to back up his claims.
I can’t think of any right-of-center politician in the world who’s obsessed with birth-control pills.
The rabbi is plainly taking aim once again at Rick Santorum but Rick Santorum has said nothing about using government to hinder women’s access to birth-control pills and the like. The rabbi’s attack completely lacks factual foundation.
The rabbi writes: “The devoutly religious politician is anti-abortion, anti-contraception, and anti-feminism.”
The rabbi provides no examples to back up his charges. Ron Paul is devoutly religious and yet he does not align with the rabbi’s generalizations.
The rabbi writes: “The same general pattern (with shades of difference) holds true among devoutly religious politicians in many other countries, regardless of which one of the world’s major religions is being practiced there.”
Protestant politicians have no problem with the use of birth control. Non-Orthodox Jewish politicians have no problem with the use of birth control.
India has many devout Hindu politicians. According to Wikipedia: “There is no ban on birth control in Hinduism.”
Different religions and different denominations within religions have completely different views on birth control and the politicians who identify with these various religions have equally different views. There is no right-wing view on birth control.
Nobody can take Rabbi Kanefsky seriously on any matter because he repeatedly publishes dismissive and false generalizations about those with whom he disagrees.
