Dan Sewell: Religion, politics a volatile mix | Opinion

A wise man advised never to discuss politics or religion in general company. But we’re going to talk about both.

Cincinnati Catholic Archbishop Dennis Schnurr waded into that volatile mixture by issuing a "letter to the faithful" on Aug. 19, four days after Ohioans soundly rejected the Issue 1 ballot measure aimed at making it more difficult to pass an abortion rights constitutional amendment this November. Issue 1 would have raised the percentage of vote needed to pass to 60% from a simple majority and have made qualifying for the ballot tougher.

Some Catholic leaders in Ohio supported Issue 1, and Schnurr made clear that he believes the church should continue the fight to block what he calls an "extreme" abortion law.

"Some may insist that the Catholic Church should not be involved in politics," wrote Schnurr, who explained that the abortion measure "compels our participation in this critical moral issue."

Schnurr also wrote an op-ed column for The Enquirer calling the faithful to action.

The numbers, however, are in favor of the abortion access amendment. Polls since the U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned the Roe v. Wade decision that had kept abortion legal, ruling it was a matter for the states, have consistently found that a solid majority of Ohioans support abortion access. One recent statewide poll put support at 57%, the same percentage Issue 1 was rejected with.

Schnurr muddies the water by stating that the proposed amendment would allow "surgical dismemberment" of a "healthy fully formed infant" through nine months of pregnancy. The proposed amendment allows abortion only until the fetus would be viable outside the womb, usually at 22-24 weeks, or if the mother’s health or life is at stake. Ninth-month abortions are extremely rare.

Archbishop Schnurr talks about abortion: We must reaffirm commitment to human life | Opinion

More: What my Catholic mom taught me about abortion | Opinion

The archbishop adds the now-standard right-wing alarm claiming the amendment would mean children could seek gender-changing treatment without their parents knowing it.

The amendment would cancel a Republican-passed law that’s currently pending in state court to outlaw abortion at around six weeks under a so-called "heartbeat" detection rule. Many women who are pregnant at six weeks don’t even know it yet, and that law doesn’t have exceptions for rape or incest.

The religion-politics mix blew up recently on social media, after Republican anti-abortionist Elizabeth Marbach Tweeted: "There’s no hope for any of us outside of having faith in Jesus Christ alone."

"This is one of the most bigoted Tweets I have ever seen," responded U.S. Rep. Max Miller, a self-described "Proud Jew" and a northeast Ohio Republican who served in Donald Trump’s White House. He called on her to delete her Tweet, which she refused to do. He Tweeted: "Religious freedom in the United States applies to every religion."

Miller later apologized to Marbach.

Marbach says she was subsequently fired as communications director of Ohio Right to Life, but she told theblaze.com that a parting of ways was already in the works because she "wanted to fight against abortion more boldly, and the organization was uncomfortable with ruffling feathers to do so."

Religion poses a particular political challenge for Vivek Ramaswamy, the entrepreneur and Cincinnati-area native running for the Republican presidential nomination.

A rare Hindu national candidate, Ramaswamy nonetheless "has leaned into his faith as he vies for the nomination of a party where evangelical Christian support is key," The Associated Press reported in an Aug. 10 story. The 38-year-old son of Indian immigrants explains to voters that his religion has much in common with "the Judeo-Christian values this nation was founded on" and believes in "one true God," The AP reported.

Ramaswamy, who attended the Catholic St. Xavier High School, is anti-abortion.

Recent polls indicate that he is making progress in his longshot bid to break ahead of the GOP pack trailing former president Trump, who has played to and been popular with evangelical Christians.

A Christian evangelical critic of Trump, Russell Moore, recently expressed concern that the evangelical community is moving too far to the right. The editor of Christianity Today told NPR that pastors have told him that when they quote Jesus Christ’s "Sermon on the Mount" in their preaching, parishioners afterward describe such lines as "turn the other cheek" as "liberal talking points."

The author of "Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America" said it’s obvious there is a crisis when the teachings of Jesus are dismissed as "weak."

Think about that word "weak."

According to the scriptures, Jesus endured merciless whipping by Roman soldiers and then was crucified, an exceptionally cruel and lengthy form of execution.

Today, many American Christians like the tough-talking style of a former president who has demonstrated little familiarity with the Bible or commitment to such Christian tenets as seeking forgiveness.

Oh, Lord!

EXTRA POINTS

East-West Divide Around Cincinnati on Issue 1

The Issue 1 results indicated a widening political divide between Cincinnati’s western and near-eastern suburbs. While the Republican-backed measure was supported by most west-side voters, it was shot down by heavy margins on the east side.

More than 80% of Cincinnati voters were "no," and Hamilton County voters went 2-to-1 against overall.

More: Ohio Issue 1 underperformed in GOP counties compared to 2020, 2022 elections

State Rep. Rachel Baker, who captured House District 27 for Democrats in the 2022 general election, said her mostly suburban eastern Cincinnati district voted "no" overall at 68%, with a remarkably high turnout of 46% for an August special election.

Anderson Township resident Jeff Hastings’ research found that 60.9% of that eastern Cincinnati township voted "no," an 11.7% upswing compared to the township’s Democratic vote in last year’s U.S. Senate race. The village of Newtown voted 54.9% "no," a swing of 11.4% from the Senate race. Terrace Park, home of former Republican Sen. Rob Portman, voted 71.2% "no," Hastings said, in a 17.5% swing from the Senate race.

Is The Bloom Off LaRose?

Just a few months ago, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose looked like a solid choice for Republicans hoping to unseat three-term Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown in 2024. A Special Forces Green Beret who earned a Bronze Star for his service in Iraq, he also has legislative experience and has already won two statewide races.

But the Issue 1 battle has brought some tarnish. The rush to get it on the ballot ahead of the November abortion issue led to a decision to reverse the state’s earlier move away from August elections because of their typically low turnout. Then LaRose was put on the defensive when captured on video saying, while the official line was that Issue 1 was about "protecting our constitution," it was about stopping the abortion amendment. That clip became part of an opposition campaign commercial that was played repeatedly.

And when voters rejected Issue 1, commentators started pointing out that the August election cost taxpayers $16 million to stage.

LaRose, who in July endorsed Trump’s 2024 presidential bid, has at times had trouble on the tricky field of avoiding offending the Republican front-runner. Most recently, LaRose dismissed his press secretary, Rob Nichols, over anti-Trump Tweets.

There’s a long way to go in the race for the Republican nomination, but LaRose opponents state Sen. Matt Dolan and businessman Bernie Moreno can’t be unhappy about LaRose’s awkward August.

Dan Sewell is a regular Opinion contributor. Contact him at his personal email: dsewellrojos@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Dan Sewell: Religion, politics a volatile mix | Opinion