By Emily Stimpson

Misleading ads reveal efforts to silence faith

Attacks on Rep. Jindal part of secularists' aim to keep religion out of the public square or minimize its importance

Catholic Rep. Bobby Jindal (R-La.) says Protestants are "scandalous, depraved, selfish and heretical." That, at least, is what a series of television advertisements sponsored by the Louisiana State Democratic Party told voters last month.

The only problem is Jindal said no such thing.

Eleven years ago, long before he ran for public office, Jindal wrote a series of articles on his conversion to Catholicism. In the articles, he addressed issues that divide Protestants and Catholics, including debates over the nature of sin and grace and the authority of Scripture and Tradition. The ads take words used in those articles out of context and even attribute to Jindal a quote he cited of Martin Luther's.

The ads, in the words of Brian Burch, executive director of the Catholic advocacy organization Fidelis, are "grossly misleading," as well as a "failed attempt" by Jindal's opponents to hack away at the congressman's sizable lead in the state gubernatorial race.

Although some have compared Jindal's actions to those of John Edwards' staffers, who were fired from his presidential campaign after anti-Catholic comments they made on personal weblogs surfaced, Burch dismissed the analogy.

Not only, he pointed out, did Edwards' staffers actually do what they were accused of -- unlike Jindal, whose words were taken completely out of context -- but their statements "involved blatant bigotry aimed at denigrating Catholics and their Church," while Jindal's aim was not to denigrate Protestants, but simply communicate Church teaching. "He was writing about divisions which ought to be remedied," said Burch. "His aim was unity."

Marginalizing faith

While the ads may have misrepresented Jindal's aim, some believe they very clearly represented the aims of secularists and their ongoing attempt to drive a wedge between faith and politics.

"There are significant forces at work that want to strip every reference to God out of public life," said Michael Hernon, president of The Catholic Association, a nonpartisan advocacy group. "They want to stop people from living out their religion in the public square."

From the state of Massachusetts mandating that all adoption agencies place children with same-sex couples -- a decision that forced Catholic Charities there to close down its century-old adoption services -- to the Senate's refusal to confirm some Catholic judges because of their likely opposition to legalized abortion, secularists have gained ground, in part, by making Catholic and Christian teaching seem out of the mainstream.

Bullying politicians

When it comes to marginalizing individual politicians and public officials, their tactics are no different, said Rick Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator.

"It's becoming a recurring strategy to go after people of faith, to paint them as radicals who can't be trusted because of their religious convictions," Santorum said. "Bullying individuals into not talking about their faith is all part of the privatization of faith, forcing it out of the public discourse, and making the United States a more secular country."

That bullying, Santorum continued, has made it politically advantageous to "say you're a person of faith, then do everything in your power to minimize actions that might reflect that."

In other words, tip your hat to religion by doing a photo op or two at a church, but then vote in such a way that The New York Times will never accuse you of being a Christian moralizer.

When politicians succumb to that pressure, said Hernon, when they allow faith to become little more than a prop and have no real influence on the way they do their job, the consequences are grave.

"Religion is a stabilizing force," he said. "Our country's founders knew that. Faith is one of the pillars that keeps a country strong."

Catholic voice

America loses more than a stabilizing force, however, when Catholic public officials lose their voice, a voice informed not only by the riches of Catholic moral theology and social teaching, but also by natural law philosophy.

"Catholics are able to bridge the gap between faith and public life in a way that other religions can't," said Hernon. "We have 2,000 years of wisdom to bring to bear. We shouldn't be hiding our light under a bushel basket. America needs the Catholic voice to renew and strengthen the culture. The more we're sidelined, the more America will slip away."

That's why Santorum believes the possibility of facing the same kind of attacks as Jindal is a risk worth taking for Catholic public officials.

"You don't have to go out and act like a cleric, but you do need to talk honestly about the role your faith plays in your life," he said. "If we don't, we're ceding ground to those who want to force religion out of public discourse."

Hernon also stressed that Catholics need to rally around public figures like Jindal who are vilified for speaking honestly about their faith, and that the Church needs to help Catholics understand the importance of public figures defending pro-family, pro-life values.

"Bishops and pastors need to give Catholics a decision-making grid so they understand the basis for making good moral decisions about politics," he said. "There are plenty of policy areas Catholics can disagree on, but there are lasting principles that are nonnegotiable. They should be shouting those principles from the rooftops."

When Church leaders remain silent, Hernon added, they allow the secular media to be the primary political educator of Christians.

Santorum also noted that for all Catholics "sitting on the sidelines and not talking about the faith and public life is not neutral, it's secular."

"To accept silence as the neutral position is the very thing secularists are trying to accomplish," he said.

Church illuminates the truth, says pope

In an address last month to the Irish ambassador to the Holy See, Pope Benedict XVI outlined the need for bringing Church teaching into public discourse.

"Some might question whether the Church is entitled to make a contribution to the governance of a nation. In a pluralist democratic society, should not faith and religion be restricted to the private sphere? The historical rise of brutal totalitarian regimes, contemporary skepticism in the face of political rhetoric and a growing uneasiness with the lack of ethical points of reference governing recent scientific advances -- one need only think of the field of bioengineering -- all point to the imperfections and limitations found within both individuals and society.

"The Church, in articulating revealed truth, serves all members of society by shedding light on the foundation of morality and ethics, and by purifying reason, ensuring that it remains open to the consideration of ultimate truths and draws upon wisdom. Far from threatening the tolerance of differences or cultural plurality, or usurping the role of the state, such a contribution illuminates the very truth which makes consensus possible and keeps public debate rational, honest and accountable."

Emily Stimpson is a contributing editor to Our Sunday Visitor.