In the 19th century the Mormons trekked across America to establish a community in Arizona. Nowadays you can't go very far without seeing a church or a synagogue or a mosque. Religion provides the backbone of our society. The values embodied by those religions and handed down over generations have been the foundation on which communities have been formed and lives lived. Most embody such values as honesty, truth, humility, compassion, caring for the sick and the poor and the disadvantaged. These are the values we hopefully teach our children. We all aspire towards a better society and such values have made us successful and been the bedrock of family life over centuries. Hatred brings anger and mistrust, jealousy, lust, pride, greed and gluttony are destructive forces. These "deadly sins" in relation to the harmony of society are as relevant now as they were then. We know their consequences.

Why over a million Arizonans voted as their leader a man who is a proven liar, an adulterer, a man who brags of his wealth and that he could shoot someone on the street and get away with it, who embodies most of the seven deadly sins is profoundly ironic. In the old days his conduct would have earned a harsh reproach from society and religious officials. They would have preached that the consequences of such sin would have been plagues, war, civil upheaval, environmental catastrophe, and disharmony. Perhaps they had a point. Virtue is its own reward and perhaps they knew more in the past about the consequences of sin than we do now. Perhaps we will understand better when we have reaped consequences of the whirlwind this President has created.