Santorum: Separation Of Church And State 'Makes Me Want To Throw Up'

Rick Santorum on Sunday took on separation of church and state.

"I don't believe in an America where the separation of church and state are absolute," he told 'This Week' host George Stephanopoulos. "The idea that the church can have no influence or no involvement in the operation of the state is absolutely antithetical to the objectives and vision of our country...to say that people of faith have no role in the public square? You bet that makes me want to throw up."

The GOP candidate was responding to comments he made last October. He had said that he "almost threw up" after reading JFK's 1960 speech in which he declared his commitment to the separation of church and state.

Santorum also on Sunday told Meet The Press host David Gregory that separation of church and state was "not the founders' vision."

The GOP candidate has been doubling down on religious rhetoric in an effort to court evangelical voters ahead of Super Tuesday. Last week, he questioned Obama's spiritual beliefs.

"[Obama believes in] some phony ideal, some phony theology ... not a theology based on the Bible, a different theology," he said.

Comments

[Barry McGowan]

09:47 AM on 07/04/2012

"How to Separate Church & State: A Manual from the Trenches" is now available at all book outlets.

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President of Americans United for Separation of Church and State

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[LeftLeaner]

02:35 PM on 03/12/2012

If no one's said it yet, Rick,You make me throw up.

[kykys2]

01:20 AM on 03/11/2012

Santorum wouldn't believe in common sense if it left him running second to a parody of Scrooge McDuck. #thisguy

[Zach Barnes]

07:24 PM on 03/06/2012

"The Government of the United States is not in any sense founded upon the Christian Religion." 1797 the treaty of Tripoli, signed by President Washington, and approved by the Senate of the United States

[lapdogs]

01:56 PM on 03/03/2012

I wonder how Santorum will feel about fusion of his Church / State beliefs, when an American born person of The Islamic Faith runs for President, VP, Senate, House, Governor and that person tells Santorum and the rest of us, that voters should follow the ways of Islam.

[jtandsonja]

07:16 AM on 03/03/2012

Hey Rick. There is a reason for the seperation between church and state, people like you. A church has no busness in the operation of a state. You want to believe in God, that's fine but don't try and push your religious beliefs down others throats.

[mamba05]

10:15 AM on 03/02/2012

Further to the posting re the alleged bones of Jesus found in East Talpiot, Jerusalem for anyone interested the reference is a book named ' Jesus Dynasty ' by James D. Tabor. A most compelling work. M. Kaye.

[Atheissimo]

08:00 AM on 03/02/2012

'To say that people of faith have no role in the public square?'

Nobody is saying that, but that's not what you mean, is it? People of faith have just as much right as anybody else to a role in the public sphere, but you want Christianity to have a privileged position in which the Church is enshrined in law.

You really want religion to influence public policy? Fine. Put your money where your mouth is and let Islamic Clerics lead schools in prayer, let Wiccans teach kids about their faith in religious education classes, let states accept Sharia as an alternative to civil law and don't bat an eyelid when the President celebrates Hindu festivals instead of Christian ones.

In my native UK we don't have the Church/State separation. Every time a local council gives grant money to a Muslim organisation to celebrate Eid or throws a Diwali party or when the government allows Sharia to be used alongside secular law in Civil disputes (as Jewish law has done for decades), you Christian types throw a hissy fit (along with your newspaper, The Daily Express)

Until you accept that ALL religions get a look-in when you cease to separate church and state, nobody is going to believe that you don't just want a Christian theocracy.

[BC chick]

09:52 PM on 03/02/2012

Very well said.

[Allen Bouchard]

06:00 PM on 03/01/2012

He's right: if the authors of the Constitution wanted to keep religion out of the state, they would have included something about it.

[He Who Doubts]

10:14 PM on 03/02/2012

They did.

[Allen Bouchard]

07:56 AM on 03/03/2012

Hi, I'd like to introduce you to my good friend Sarcasm.

[Larry Carter Center]

11:22 AM on 02/29/2012

Sanctomoron makes women sick with his attacks on their freedom...Mrs. Santorum had a life saving abortion but the Vatican couple promote treason against women denying them any abortions to comply with the Nazi Pimp Pope dictates of Joe Ratizinger alias Benedick covering up for countless unknown rapes of children thousands known by his rapist priests, bishops, archbishops & cardinals

[Gyrlznluv]

11:10 AM on 02/29/2012

Hey Ricki, I don't believe in an America WITHOUT the separation of church and state.
You and religious freaks are the main reason why our Founding Fathers set up a separation of Church and State.
So Ricki go puke somewhere else and don’t let America kick you in a $$ as you leave!!!

[BewilderingBeing]

11:10 AM on 02/29/2012

Santorum and Most of the GOP prove they are beyond ignorant and have no concept of history whatsoever.. This country was not based on or founded on Christianity. Saying so does not negate or belittle the believes of people who identify with that. Most people that are educated know that our founding fathers came from areas that were ripe with Religious persecution. Where if you were labeled a "Heretic" you could be at the very least disowned by the community or at the most tortured by the church into renouncing your Christianity, Judaism, etc (The church was catholic). During that time the Church and the state were one and as a result the church would go out of its way to punish any heretics. The irony is that Santorum is basically calling Obama a Heretic when in reality any deviation from Catholicism is the basis of heresy. Therefore because he is a christian Santorum himself is a heretic. God these people are stupid

[Dorothy De Avila]

10:44 AM on 02/29/2012

After last night, bet it is more than the separation of church and state that makes him sick.....he has learned that he makes the majority of the voters sick with his nonsence

[amanda mariee]

10:39 AM on 02/29/2012

just pandering to his base... the undereducated, underemployed, angry old white folks.

[madrediterra]

10:32 AM on 02/29/2012

... and he loses the Catholic vote in Michigan.