The first stone

"Let ye who is without sin, cast the first stone," is one of the most recognizable passages of the New Testament. It was voiced according to all of the Gospel accounts by Jesus, when he saved Mary Magdalene from a ritual stoning as punishment for adultery. I wonder whether the country and the state of South Carolina will follow this admonishment in the 21st century?

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has come under a lot of fire in the past week or so. Here was this handsome, popular, and rising star of the Republican Party, who suddenly found his personal life and political career careening towards the edge of a cliff.

Let's sort of set the record straight here for this man He is the governor of one of the most conservative states in America. You have little chance of having a career in politics in South Carolina if you are not a dedicated family values Christian advocate.

This was also a family man who had used his family and his conservative principles to base his entire political life upon. When he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives back in the 90s, he was one of the most vocal proponents in the call for President Bill Clinton to resign from office for his Monica Lewinsky affair.

Basically, this man had predicated his popularity with his constituents upon this very narrow and unforgiving line of behavior. The question begs to be asked, "does this man deserve our understanding and forgiveness?"

I am sure there are conservative voters out there who will say that this man has betrayed them and their beliefs. I am also sure that there are liberal voters who find another conservative politician who has strayed into sin, very much to their liking.

Well, I for one don't find it delightful to see anyone and their family have to go through this kind of scandal. I also don't plan to be one of the one's to get in line to "cast the first stone."

I know for certain that I am a sinner. I have always been one, and truth be known, I don't think I know anyone who is not one too. It is the nature of humanity that we all make mistakes and are less than perfect.

I think that is what worries me about how we view our leaders and their personal lives in our modern day world. Even knowing that we are all sinners and fall much short of grace, we somehow expect that our leaders will not be human themselves.

If we had followed that philosophy throughout our history we would have missed out on some of our best leaders. Here are just a few.

George Washington the "father" of our country was by many historical accounts a dedicated womanizer. It's a good thing there was no "breaking 24 hour news" back then or he would surely have been brought down.

Andrew Jackson was illegally married to a woman who was married at the time to someone else (there is some question whether he knew this or not). He even killed a man named Charles Dickinson in a duel for insulting his wife.

President Grover Cleveland was accused of fostering an illegitimate child by a woman named Maria Halpin. In the campaign of 1884 both sides threw terrible allegations at each other.

Both Franklin Roosevelt and John Kennedy were reputed to have had affairs while they were president. Future President Eisenhower it is fairly certain had an extended liaison with his personal female driver while he was the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during the war.

LBJ treated Lady Bird quite poorly in the early years of their marriage when it came to extracurricular marital activities. Even the revered Ronald Reagan was one of our first divorced presidents. He left the famous movie star Jane Wyman for the love of his life Nancy.

Bill Clinton's White House escapades brought us to an actual impeachment trial in the United States Senate. Well, as I felt then about Clinton, I extend the same tolerance to Gov. Sanford.

It is my opinion, and only mine, that people are people. They are going to make mistakes, and there are also in my opinion none who have made no mistakes at all.

It is also my opinion that if they show me someone as a candidate who is "without sin," I will be especially suspicious. Remember the congressman a year or so ago who turned out to be gay and was notorious for chasing the young interns in congress? He was very opposed to gay rights of any kind while he was in office.

There have been many recent scandals like the Sen. Larry Craig and and John Ensign. The Democrats have their own dirty laundry to air as well, with Spitzer, and perhaps the most disappointing of all, John Edwards who realistically had a chance to be either vice president, or even president.

By now, I suspect you see where I am headed with all this. Our leaders are far from perfect. Basing our judgments on personal matters has some relevance, but their actions as leaders is what really matters.

Gov. Sanford has confessed his sin. He is a man torn between being married to one woman and loving another. If we made that a crime over half the country would be in jail. It may not be right, but it is ever so common in life.

So, I am not going to throw the first stone. I will forgive this man who has confessed his actions. I will forgive this man who so hated President Clinton, and who said he should resign for the same crime. How about you other saints out there, are you going to throw stones at him, or are you even eligible to throw any at all!