The Daily Gamecock

Republican candidates should balance science, beliefs

GOP needs to embrace fact, faith to be successful in campaigns

This may be the most important presidential race in our history and we need the most qualified, not the most popular, candidate to provide the leadership necessary to restore our country. This may be the last chance to reel in excessive spending and restore faith in our government and society at large. Our culture is in decline, and unfortunately I do not feel that the promises touted by President Obama have been recognized and implemented, as gridlock has plagued the federal government like never before.

In seeking an alternative to the current administration, we must consider that a replacement in the White House could derail our country's success faster than the current administration could ever do. In an already mediocre field, it's a shame to see candidates that reject exploring scientific principles and demonize any sense of progress. The ignorance of our country has taken a firm hold in the message being broadcast by some in the 2012 presidential field.

Already, candidates have claimed ridiculous assertions. It seems that any mention of climate change is a scarlet letter. I would ask the same who reject the theory to inhale exhaust fumes, and report back to me on their findings. While I support traditional marriage, I don't think alternatives lead to "Horse-Man love." Further, the suggestion that a vaccination in adolescent girls will lead to mental retardation clearly tells me that the candidate has had that vaccination herself.

The theory of evolution, so denied by the most conservative base, does not conflict with creationism. In fact, humans are constantly evolving whether we accept that fact or not.

Politicizing science is dangerous, but it's also dangerous to abandon faith for science. Doing so has actually brought forth a cultural decline as society looks to medicine and technology to provide spiritual satisfaction rather than introspective evaluation and reflection most faiths provide. By understanding ways to supplement our lives with science and abiding by a moral code to regulate those advances, we can all reach prosperity as a society. Nevertheless, the fact that faith in science is now an integral part of a political litmus test truly frightens me.

Any candidate who earns the Republican nomination must have faith and a firm grasp of both scientific and moral principles. We cannot afford to continue down this road we are on. By nominating a candidate who not only objects to scientific progress, but outright rejects consideration and study of those findings as well, we will only create a more devastating situation for our future.


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