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He would rather not go on about it, but since local voters are buzzing about it, Bill Richardson responded to questions about religion | particularly if Mike Huckabee has gone too far in preaching his Christian beliefs.
In an interview with a voter panel at The Eagle Tribune yesterday, Richardson said he thinks Huckabee is a likable and “interesting” guy, but he disagrees with him on at least two things.
The first, Richardson joked, is that Huckabee is rubbing in the fact that he lost more than 100 pounds. “He’s always pushing me to lose weight,” Richardson said with a chuckle.
The second is more serious. Richardson said Huckabee should separate his religious views from his policy.
“It seems he wants to take them to the White House again and I don’t think that’s the right thing to do,” he said.
Instead, Richardson wants “morality” brought to the White House.
Richardson, who was raised Catholic, said his religious upbringing shaped who he has grown to be.
He went to church and confession every day with his grandmother and, although he wasn’t fond of it at the time, he said he’s proud of it now.
“My sense of social justice has come from being a Catholic,” he said. “I don’t wear religion on my sleeve, I never have. I think it’s very private.”
He also blames religion for setting the United States behind other countries in medical research. Richardson is all for stem-cell research, and said “science has been polluted by political views.”
What do you think? Has science been “polluted” by politics, or is religion appropriate in helping to create policy?