More Oppose Politicians Taking Bribes Than Having Affairs

[FPN] – An article published by The Christian Post reports that a 2011 poll conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute indicates respondents feel certain kinds of financial misconduct are more serious concerns among elected officials than sexual immorality. In the article, FPN Policy Analyst Alex Mason asserts the opposite is true for Christians because the Bible sets sexual sin apart from all other sins.

The following is an excerpt from that June 24, 2011 article appearing in The Christian Post.

“Americans More Intolerant of Elected Officials Taking Bribes Than Having Affairs”
TheChristianPost.com – June 24, 2011
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A poll by the Public Religion Research Institute .. stated that poll respondents seem to believe lying about sexual immorality is a more serious problem than the behavior itself. Nearly eight in 10 (77 percent) respondents say it is a serious moral problem when officials lie about their sexual indiscretions.

Weiner lied for nearly a week about his sexting, saying an underwear photo sent to a Washington woman via Twitter was the result of a hacked account.

Alex Mason, policy analyst to the Family Policy Network, says financial or sexual misdeeds are equally morally serious problems. These problems – taking bribes or lying on your taxes and engaging a prostitute for sex – are illegal, and perpetrators should be prosecuted, he says.

For Christians, however, Mason says sexual sins carry more spiritually moral implications than financial misdeeds. The Bible sets sexual sin apart from all other sins. Additionally, Mason says God places high value on marriage in the selection of a leader.

As a result, he says, Christians should expect their leaders (especially those who call themselves Christians) to faithfully live out their public values privately.

“Private morality and public morality cannot be separated,” he wrote in a Tuesday editorial where he called on Louisiana Sen. David Vitter (R) to resign.

Vitter, a self-professed Christian and social conservative, admitted to having an affair with a prostitute nearly four years ago. Fellow Republicans responded by letting Vitter “off the hook,” laments Mason.

Mason says he believes Vitter should resign because when Christian leaders neglect their marriage vows, the result is two-fold: their actions make Christians “indistinguishable” from the world, and they “invite scorn and mockery on the name of Christ,” he maintains.

“We as Christians have to think differently than the world does,” Mason contends. “I think that Christians should think about this question from a [scriptural] stand point.”

< end of article excerpt >

Read the entire news article here:
http://www.christianpost.com/news/americans-more-intolerant-of-elected-officials-taking-bribes-than-having-affairs-51541/