“A lot of our citizens understand what Scripture says,” she says. “‘Unless the Lord build a house, they that labor, labor in vain.‘ The Scripture teaches that the Lord honor the nation that honors him. I think it boils down to this: If we take care of the morality, God will take care of the economy. I think that’s a principle that a lot of people in the great state of Oklahoma live by.”
Oklahoma State Congresswoman Sally Kern in Slate / April 4, 2011
Last year, Oklahomans voted 70% in favor of a ballot measure “prohibiting any judge or court from making decisions based on the teachings of the Koran.” Kern disagrees with critics who characterize those who supported the measure as “uneducated,” countering that they “understand what Scripture says.”
The single legal precedent cited in defense of this measure was a judicial decision in New Jersey — a wife was not granted a restraining order against her husband — that was subsequently reversed. The judge was wrong, and a higher court corrected him. Happens fairly often, in fact.
I know the GOP is growing increasingly socially conservative, and that was the primary reason I left the party. Citing knowledge of Scripture as evidence of being educated is old hat (though still worth a giggle). But the idea that “the Lord will provide” functions as economic theory among Republicans? Just one more reason why I’m baffled by today’s GOP, and one more reason why I won’t be returning to the party as it stands.
