Rick Santorum was dismayed that Americans are no longer “inspired” by faith in God, he said Wednesday during the Republican debate.
Santorum, appearing at the happy-hour GOP debate on CNN, explained that, “Sixteen years ago, this country was tremendously inspired by a young woman who faced a gunman in Columbine and was challenged about her faith and she refused to deny God. We saw her as a hero. Today, someone who refuses to defy a judge’s unconstitutional verdict is ridiculed and criticized, and chastised because she is standing up and not denying her God and her faith.”
Rick Santorum: Sixteen years ago, this country was tremendously inspired by a young woman who faced a gunman in Columbine and was challenged about her faith and she refused to deny God. We saw her as a hero. Today, someone who refuses to defy a judge’s unconstitutional verdict is ridiculed and criticized, and chastised because she is standing up and not denying her God and her faith. That is a huge difference in 16 years. People have a fundamental right in the First Amendment. There’s no more important right. It is the right that is the trump that all other rights come from and that’s the freedom of conscience. And when we say in America that we have no room, how many bakers, how many florists, how many pastors, how many clerks are we going to throw in jail because they stand up and say, “I cannot violate what my faith says is against its teachings.” Is there not room in America? I believe there has to be room. First, I believe we have to pass the First Amendment Defense Act which provides that room for government officials and others who do not want to be complicit in what they believe is against their faith. Second, we need, as a president, who is going to fight a court that is abusive, that has superseded their authority, judicial supremacy is not in the constitution and we need a president and congress to stand up to a court when it exceeds its constitutional authority.