Kevin Cramer: North Dakota Congressman Blames Abortion For School Shootings

Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) has found the remedy for school shootings: more Christian evangelism and less abortion. In a statement made at the University of Mary’s commencement address, Cramer alleges that a correlation exists between abortion and school shootings:

"Just in the last several days, a Bismarck news anchor mistakenly uttered vulgarity on live television. He's been heralded by celebrities from New York to California as some sort of pop icon. His bosses have been called goons because they fired him.

We learned this week that the Pentagon is vetting its guide on religious tolerance with a group that compared Christian evangelism to rape, and advocated that military personnel and colluding chaplains who proselytize should be court-marshalled.

40 years ago, the United States Supreme Court sanctioned abortion on demand. And we wonder why our culture sees school shootings so often."

Cramer;s remarks are based on what many evangelicals consider a decline of Christian values in America. The GOP representative feels we need a resurgence of Christian values to reverse the trend of youth violence, which has been reduced by 50% since 1994 despite little change in abortion legislation. Similar conclusions have been drawn by other evangelicals like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson who believed groups like the ACLU and abortionists should share the blame for the 9/11 terror attacks because of their secularizing effect on America.

Cramer's claim concerning proselytization in the military isn't entirely incorrect. In August 2008, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission restricted any prayer, proselytization, or religious expression that would pose an undue hardship, and is considered the "no proselytizing in uniform" rule which stems from the Establishment Clause of the Constitution. This directive was put in place indiscriminate of religion, and simply eliminates any tension which could arise among military service members because of their faith. Despite being in effect for over four years, no soldiers have been punished under the directive.

Cramer went on to say "We’ve normalized perversion and perverted God's natural law to the point where the only thing not tolerated anymore is a stand for truth," adding that he isn’t afraid of being criticized for such statements.

The congressman received an honorary Doctorate of Leadership due to him being a "selfless leader whose service is centered on the conviction that 'God is good.'"’. Cramer's statements could be expected at a Catholic university; however they may also be troubling for some, as his constituents may prefer a leader whose service is centered on representing the men and women who voted for him.