I have to agree with him
I saw this letter this morning from former US Representative and House Majority Leader *** Armey to Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family (wow, that's a lot of links in one sentence). I have to say that I agree with what Mr. Armey says, if everything in the letter about Dr. Dobson is true. I think that the government getting involved in the Terry Schaivo case last year was pure farce. There was no reason to get involved. It was being handled through the courts as it should have been. The federal government does not need to swoop in and take control of a single person's situation. Honestly, I don't think the government should be the one to sweep in and take control of a whole raft of people either (case in point: Katrina) but that's just my opinion. This country was not founded by people who waited for someone to come help them if they needed something. It was founded by people who buckled down and helped themselves.
Anyway, back to Armey vs Dobson. I especially agree with this section:
Freedom works. Freedom is a gift from God Almighty, and we
have a responsibility to protect it. Christians face a temptation to
power when we are fortunate enough to have a majority of support in
Congress. But government can never advance a faith that is freely
given, and it is corrosive to even try. Just look at Europe, where
decades of nanny-state activism— including taxpayer support for
churches and for religious political parties— have severely eroded the
faith. In America today, too many of our Christian leaders fail to
recognize the temptation to power and the danger it holds for our
society and our faith.
And so America’s Christian conservative movement is
confronted with this divide: small government advocates who want to
practice their faith independent of heavy-handed government versus big
government sympathizers who want to impose their version of
“righteousness” on others through the hammer of law.
Follow the links for more information.
(Thanks to Ryan Sager, h/t to Glenn Reynolds)