Rand Paul And The Religious Right

The worst thing about the alliance between libertarians and Republicans is that Republican values wound off replacing older libertarian views for many libertarians. Whether or not you agree with them, at least old time libertarians did hold a pro-freedom philosophy which is not seen in the theocratic views of people like Ron and Rand Paul. While they support limitations on the federal government, the libertarianism of such people is more authoritarian and theocratic on the state and local level.

Liam Fox provides several examples of Rand Paul’s connections to the religious right in a post entitled Rand Paul: Small government but BIG church, beginning with the Concerned Women for America:

Rand Paul, a Constitutional Conservative, and Tea Party candidate for Kentucky Senator, has established an interesting, and seemingly contradictory, platform for his campaign. While being a strong advocate for what he refers to, yet, like many others, fails to define, as smaller government, Dr. Paul is equally as committed to increasing the power and influence of the Christian church in every aspect of that Government.

Paul, according to his own site, is proud to have the endorsement of the far-Right theocratic organization, Concerned Women for America. His site boasts that his “socially conservative views have earned the respect and trust of church leaders across Kentucky.”

Here is how Concerned Women for America describe their views on their web site:

CWA is built on prayer and action.

We are the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization with a rich 30-year history of helping our members across the country bring Biblical principles into all levels of public policy.

What We Do

We help people focus on six core issues, which we have determined need Biblical principles most and where we can have the greatest impact. At its root, each of these issues is a battle over worldviews.

We have several active departments in our national office in Washington, D.C.

CWA is a unique blend of policy experts and an activist network of people in small towns and big cities across the country working to address mutually held goals and concerns. Meet the CWA spokespersons. CWA works with many other groups around the country. Find these and other sources of information on our links page.

Mission Statement

The mission of CWA is to protect and promote Biblical values among all citizens – first through prayer, then education, and finally by influencing our society – thereby reversing the decline in moral values in our nation.

Rand Paul’s ties to the religious right extend beyond CWA. Paul has received the support of James Dobson. He was the featured guest and speaker at the Constitutional Party’s Liberty Banquet.  The Constitution Party. The party describes its goal as “to restore American jurisprudence to its Biblical foundations.”

Fox’s post also outlines other connections between Paul and the religious right. As first became apparent with the controversy over Paul’s opposition to the Civil Rights Act, his philosophy takes aspects of libertarian rhetoric but lacks true support for freedom.

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