Alabama Judge Roy Moore has said he will continue to follow the rules of the Bible instead of the Constitution, despite being accused of sexual assault.
Roy Moore, the Republican candidate running for senator, has said throughout his campaign that he has followed the Bible over the Constitution. In his latest campaign email, Moore states that his enemies “hate the fact that I talk about God, morality and decency in all of my speeches.”
“I believe our nation is at a crossroads right now — both spiritually and politically. So I refuse to cower or bow to political correctness,” the letter stated.
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Many of Moore’s loyal followers have remained supportive of him despite multiple sexual assault allegations against him. A recent poll found Evangelicals will still vote for him after multiple women came forward and said they were sexually assaulted by Moore, an evangelical christian, when they were girls. Jim Ziegler, the state auditor of Alabama, even defended Moore after an allegation that Moore initiated sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl when he was 32, and cited the Bible to prove his argument.
“Take Joseph and Mary,” Ziegler said. “Mary was a teenager and Joseph was an adult carpenter. They became parents of Jesus. There’s just nothing immoral or illegal here. Maybe just a little bit unusual.”
But, Mary was, in fact, a virgin when she died, according to Charlie Camosy, an associate professor of theological and social ethics at Fordham University in New York City. When Ziegler made those comments this past month, Camosy told Newsweek that many Catholics found his reasoning extremely offensive.
“In Catholicism, Mary remained a Virgin. For Catholic prayers, there is a classic line that starts with ‘blessed Mary ever virgin,’” Camosy said. “Joseph and Mary lived together as husband and wife, but she remained a perpetual virgin.”
Theologists and Bible Scholars say Roy Moore’s views on the Bible are wrong. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Theologists like Camosy and Bible scholars have publicly called Moore’s beliefs about the Bible just plain wrong. Camosy said there are many interpretations of the Bible, but a lot of the things Moore and Ziegler have said are not believed by the Catholic Church, especially when it comes to rape.
“Violence of all kind, including sexual violence, is condemned by the Bible,” said Camosy.
When discussing how children should be treated, the Bible says it is very clear that God was unusually protective of children, as children were not considered equal to adults in terms of value. “He has the harshest words possible for those who hurt children. Jesus is concerned about children and anyone who hurts them,” said Camosy.
Women and men are supposed to be treated equally under many interpretations of the Bible, said Camosy, who pointed to the story of Adam and Eve.
“The Bible says there should generalized respect, attitude and love in partnership. In Adam and Eve, the Bible describes it as ‘bone and bone, flesh and flesh,’” said Camosy. “It seems that Moore as a younger man in his 30’s saw women as sex objects, and that is the opposite of bone and bone.”
Camosy explained that in Catholicism, God was skeptical about political power. Camosy said that Catholics do not need to be in politics, and should abide by the Constitution if they are.
“You can’t have it both ways,” said Camosy.
And any politician who doesn’t help their communities should not be running for senator, Camosy said.
“Maybe more Christians need to focus on living Gospel and less on secular political power, which is frankly what is the problem happening in Alabama right now,” said Camosy. “If someone in politics says they follow the Bible and not the Constitution, they should not be in politics.”
