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South Carolina Republicans should reject Mark Sanford

By Scott Tibbs, April 10, 2013

Note: I am going to use an obscenity in this post. I am doing it to drive home an important point, but you have been warned.

Former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who left office in disgrace after it was revealed that he was committing adultery with a woman in Argentina, is running for Congress again. (He previously served from 1995-2001.) He is openly acknowledging his sin and speaks about the forgiveness of God. Sanford likes to compare himself to King David in the Bible, who famously committed adultery and then murdered his friend to cover it up.

Sanford and his defenders clearly know absolutely nothing about the story of David and Bathsheba. Yes, David sinned in a terribly wicked manner, and he was forgiven by a loving and merciful God. (He was also harshly punished on earth.) But David did something Sanford has petulantly refused to do: Repent of his sin. Sanford, to this day, has never repented of committing adultery, betraying his wife and lying to the voters of South Carolina.

Sanford talks the talk, but as the old saying goes, actions speak louder than words. Sanford's mistress in 2009 - four years ago, mind you - is his "fiance" today. This adultery was going on four years ago, and Sanford has been divorced for nearly three years. Does Sanford truly expect us to believe he has been unable to find a couple hours to head down to the justice of the peace and legitimize his sinful relationship with his "fiance" by marrying her? Does he really have so little honor and integrity? Yes, I know Jesus spoke against divorce and remarriage, unless your spouse is committing sexual sin. (So the former Mrs. Sanford is free to remarry.) But marring his so-called "fiance" would be far better than continuing to commit adultery with her.

Let's be brutally honest here. Maria Belen Chapur is not Mark Sanford's fiance. She is his fuckbuddy. If America's first Emo governor truly loved his "fiance," he would do the honorable thing and marry her rather than continue living in a sinful relationship. Calling someone your "fiance" means that there is a genuine intent to marry that person. The fact that he has been ejaculating inside of her for four years and has made no move to stop using her sexually without the commitment of marriage proves that he has in no way repented of his adultery. His determination to brazenly and publicly continue in this sin also raises serious questions about whether he is a Christian at all.

As David Bayly wrote in 2005, "It is shameful for a man to have sexual relations with a woman he has no intention of marrying." Mark Sanford has proven he has absolutely no honor or integrity. It was foolish of South Carolina Republicans to select him as their candidate, but that mistake can be fixed by not voting for this wicked man in the special election to fill the Congressional seat he wants. He does not deserve a seat in Congress, and voters can always throw out the Democrat in November of 2014.