2008-09-07

Democracy or theocracy

Just saw Joe Biden being interviewed on “Meet the Press.” He was asked about his view on abortion. His answer was quite interesting. Joe stated that he was a Catholic for a long time and his belief was that “life begins at conception.” However, he suggested that there are plenty of rational people with equally valid beliefs, even those in the same Christian faith, and therefore, as a matter of government policy, he would respect their decisions and would prefer to not use the government as a means of imposing his own belief on others.
This seems to be the most rational explanation I have seen on the dilemma faced by Christina politicians, especially those on the democratic side. After all, United States of American is a country of democracy not a theocracy, no one is to simply impose their view on the rest of the population, even if their view is the majority view. If there is validity to the dissenting view, a democracy is to tolerate that dissenting view. This is what makes a democracy messy, but it is also its strength.