St. Maximos' Hut

Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell is one of the two GOP contenders for governor and he recently sat down for a chat with the (Cleveland) Plain Dealer editorial board. The topic of religion's role came up and Blackwell had some interesting comments. One of the best of the PD's columnists, Philip Morris (no relation, he's missing an 's'), has some thoughts here.

Among Blackwell's comments:

"I don't believe in a theocracy. I believe in the right of nonbeliever to nonbelieve. As I believe in my right to believe and to have my faith as an integral part of my decision making. . . . The flip side of a theocracy is not a secular state . . . but religious liberty. . . . It's the purest expression of individual liberty."

I like Blackwell and hope he wins both the nomination and the general election. He's an articulate candidate, far better than his Republican and Democratic rivals, and is the only candidate likely shake up the state in the way it needs to be shaken up. It is going to be interesting to see how Blackwell's faith plays in the election campaigns. Ohio is a very socially conservative state (~65% voted for Issue 1 last year, one of the most stringent "no gay marriage" constitutional amendments anywhere). Some liberal churches have already filed complaints with the IRS over more conservative churches' activities on behalf of Blackwell.