Sharon Angle Thinks God Has A Plan

I'll admit, I really haven't paid too much attention to Sharon Angle up to this point. Endorsed by the Tea Party Express, Angle is the Republican nominee for the Nevada Senate seat in 2010, challenging incumbent Harry Reed. Other than that, I really hadn't paid much attention to her - after all her Republican primary opponent Sue Lowden was amusing enough with her statements that people should barter for medical services with barnyard animals.

But now I must thank Rachel Maddow for bring Angle to my attention, as she will undoubtedly provide me with much entertainment over the next few months. Her positions on issues are interesting to say the least, and up to this point as been running a reasonably successful campaign, with Angle leading Reid 48% to 41% in the most recent Rasmussen poll.

For today let's just focus on a great hot button issue: abortion. Now, it is one thing to be pro life - I might disagree, however I can at the very least understand the viewpoint. However, Sharon Angle is far more extreme than most pro lifers are; not only does she think that abortion is morally wrong for the average unplanned pregnancy, but also for women who have become pregnant as a result of incest or rape. Her reasoning for this is staggering, as she stated in a radio interview on the Bill Manders show back in January:

Manders: I, too, am pro life but I'm also pro choice, do you understand what I mean when I say that.

Angle: I'm pro responsible choice. There is choice to abstain choice to do contraception. There are all kind of good choices.

Manders: Is there any reason at all for an abortion?

Angle: Not in my book.

Manders: So, in other words, rape and incest would not be something?

Angle: You know, I'm a Christian and I believe that God has a plan and a purpose for each one of our lives and that he can intercede in all kinds of situations and we need to have a little faith in many things (Check out the audio here).

Yes, you heard right folks. Essentially, Sharon Angle is saying that if a woman has been raped, it is because God willed it to happen, as otherwise he would have interceded. Either that, or that God will somehow cause a miscarriage to happen without medical aid. Either way, I am certainly not comfortable with the idea of a God that would allow a woman to be raped for a greater purpose. That image of God most definitely does not coincide with the pleasant grandfather figure that I was taught about in Sunday school.

This is exactly the sort of issue that drives me crazy about politicians that use their religious as a political tool. I do not mind that my politicians hold religious beliefs, or that they are open about them. What does bother me, is when politicians make decisions that can affect policy entirely on the basis of that religion. Sharon Angle may be a Christian, and her God may tell her that her view is correct...but what about her constituents that hold a different view of a Christian God? What about those that are not even Christian? At the very least she could have stated the abortion is murder no matter how the child was conceived - that position would at least make logical sense to me, as opposed to this elusive "because God willed it" stance.

Nevada, will you please take care not to elect this woman? Thank you.