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Palin's Association Troubling
By Robert Thurman Note: The following is Professor Thurman's response to a reader regarding Obama, McCain, and Palin association with religious preachers who may hold extreme views on some matters.  Considering the question posed, the three cases are not in the same category. The Obama and Wright and McCain and Hagee (I'll focus on Hagee, also a religious figure) relationships reflect problematic association of political figures with religious preachers who may hold extreme views on some matters. There is no other evidence than mere association that either Obama or McCain themselves hold such views (and if you mean Keating, there is no evidence McCain is guilty of any financial impropriety himself).But the Palin involvement with Rev. Muthee is very different. It is not just a matter of her association with the Reverend or his church. She is on record as herself openly espousing "end times" theories and considering that our national wars, actually occurring and actively anticipated, are part of "God's plan" for the world. So in her case it is abundantly clear that her decisions in a possible position of national governmental authority would be very directly influenced, even motivated, by specific, extreme, religious prophetic beliefs. This means that a person within close reach of nuclear codes and so forth could make decisions to use them based not on rational calculations of the dangers and necessities involved, but on avowedly non-rational religious beliefs. This is simply unacceptable for anyone who does not share her particular beliefs, and should be brought out in the press much more forcefully for people to consider. No one so far has asked directly on the record if she would make decisions based on her belief in the "end times" scenario that involves Muslims, Russia, Israel, and America. No one so far has asked Sarah Palin directly on the record if she would make decisions based on her belief in the "end times" scenario that involves Muslims, Russia, Israel, and America. This kind of choosing and mobilization then makes it essential to question candidates about how those beliefs would motivate what sort of actions in what sort of circumstances. Even if the candidate evaded or dissembled in answering such questions, that in itself would be some sort of evidence to consider. It is an abdication of journalistic responsibility not to ask such questions of such candidates.
Robert A.F. Thurman lives to make the teachings of the Buddha interesting and meaningful to people from all over the world. In doing so, he has been recognized as one of America's leading voices for sanity and peace in the new millennium. In 1997, Time Magazine chose him as one of its 25 most influential Americans. Working at Columbia University, his intention is to enrich contemporary thought and practice through the profound and vast Buddhist philosophy and pyschology.
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