A preacher-turned-politician is accused of disregarding his faith by opposing this or that expansion of government-financed health care. Put aside the obvious question–whatever happened to the separation of church and state?–the criticism is based on the invalid assumption that there’s an indisputable link between “Love thy neighbor” and a specific government program. Making this assumption leads to all sorts of errors and undesirable outcomes in public policy, especially when you’re dealing with something as complex as health care policy.
Conservatives and liberals alike are tempted to use religious faith as a cudgel to reinforce their positions, and in this season, their favorite political parties. But the making of sound policy requires more than simply reciting a Bible verse or two. Even for the person of faith, it requires a solid understanding of America’s constitutional history as well as of economics. And on that account, it’s not at all obvious that making Medicaid bigger is a good idea–whatever your religion.