The witness of scripture, and the witness of my own life, is that God protects us, that he "never leaves us or forsakes us" ...
If we can’t trust our leaders to protect us, then we can’t trust them to teach us the word of God or watch over our souls.
This is an important question. It is important enough to take the time to think through because how we each answer this question will oftentimes determine whether or not we choose to walk with God.