Outspoken for the faith in NYC
The newly elected New York City Mayor is speaking out regarding faith and believes his faith can’t be separated from who he is as a public servant. He’s facing opposition from those who think faith and public life don’t go together and wrongly interpret the meaning and heart behind, “separation of church and state.”
“Don’t tell me about no separation of church and state. State is the body. Church is the heart. You take the heart out of the body, the body dies,” said NY City Mayor Eric Adams at an interfaith breakfast.
Adams explained that just because he’s an elected official doesn’t mean he will lay aside his faith. According to Adams, it’s all the more important for him to bring his faith into his policies.
Integrating faith & politics
“I can’t separate my belief because I’m an elected official. When I walk, I walk with God. When I talk, I talk with God. When I put policies in place, I put them in with a God-like approach to them.”
Adams said he has served God since he was a child and will bring those principles into his leadership as Mayor of the great city of NY.
“That’s who I am. And I was that when I was that third grader, and I’m going to be that when I leave government. I am still a child of God and will always be a child of God, and I won’t apologize about being a child of God. It is not going to happen.”
The relationship of church and state
In error some people believe that Thomas Jefferson was speaking about keeping the church out of government. They’re wrong. What the separation of church and state actually means is that the state or federal government can not and must not interfere with the 1st Amendment rights to practice one’s faith.
These comments come at a time when New York City is facing some major issues including:
- High rates of poverty. There are more than 1.7 million children living in New York City, and 30 percent of them live in poverty.
- Increased vulnerability to homelessness.
- Overcrowded schools.
- High youth unemployment.
- Lack of supervision after school.
According to Politico, Adams believed God had spoken to him about serving in office. “I never doubted it for one moment. God told me, ‘Eric, you’re going to be mayor.”
If you’re like most New Yorkers who know things need to change after a tumultuous last mayor and former Governor’s policies wreaked havoc on the state. Adams comments, for many, come as a breath of fresh air. Now let’s pray he can deliver and act on the faith he professes.
