Posted on 09/26/2014 3:30:51 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Two potential presidential candidates come to a conservative Christian cattle call.
Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, two Tea Party senators in the hunt for the White House, find themselves in a nearly identical position these days. Both sons of celebrated conservative leaders, they regularly speak at the same events, criticize the same Democratic President with a similar message of back-to-basics constitutionalism, and poll nationally at about 10% among Republicans in the way-too-early 2016 polls.
But on Friday, as conservative Christians gathered in Washington for the Values Voter Summit, their differences were far more apparent than their similarities. Paul stood behind the podium in blue jeans, quoting the Founding Fathers and modern authors off a teleprompter, ever the iconoclastic intellect. Cruz roamed the stage in a boxy suit, preaching a passage from Psalms again and again in a call for spiritual rebirth.
Both cast the political crisis now facing the country as a crises of the spirit, but from there they began to diverge. While they both boasted of anti-abortion credentials, only Cruz raised the issues of gay marriage and Iran, building his nearly hour-long address around Psalm 30:5, “Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning.” The night, he said, was the current rule of a Harry Reid in the Senate and Barack Obama in the White House, and dawn would come in two stages, in this year’s midterm elections and in 2016, with twin Democratic defeats....
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
Contrary to this reporter, I don’t see any signs that either Rand Paul or his father is a Christian, whatever they may say about it. They’re both libertarians, reaching out to the pot smokers of the world and willing to compromise on moral issues.
So by your definition, there is no such thing as a Christian Libertarian then?
If there is such a thing as a Christian libertarian, it is someone who thinks he should be free to do the right thing.
But the majority of libertarians—certainly the Ron/Rand Paul libertarians—think they should be free to do whatever the hell they want.
That’s not Christian.
Time magazine. Who cares.
Ayn Rand libertarian-ism (of which both Pauls seem to display) condemns organized religion because it limits personal freedom as it attempts to a) control actions and b) implies you should take action for another’s benefit over and above your own. In that sense (as defined by Ayn Rand), yes it is not possible to be Christian Libertarian -— although you can be a libertarian Christian.
AR’s views on religion is the main problem I have with the philosophy.... But when you apply her views on religion to Islam ...
Over the years, I read all of Ayn Rand’s work, and I enjoyed it. But, yes, there is a problem there. If a few people do whatever the hell they want, a free society can survive it. But not if everyone does what they want.
A free society requires a citizenry who freely choose moral behavior. If people are not willing to discipline themselves—which is what Christianity calls on them to do, with God’s help—then the police will soon appear on the scene to discipline them. So it goes.
In his statement of faith, Ron Paul writes, "My faith is a deeply private issue to me, and I don’t speak on it in great detail during my speeches because I want to avoid any appearance of exploiting it for political gain. Let me be very clear here: I have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior, and I endeavor every day to follow Him in all I do and in every position I advocate."
A person’s religious persuasion doesn’t affect my voting tendencies. I vote for people based on their devotion to small government values. I would vote for either man, and happily.
Paul is open to abortion and the homosexual agenda.
No, no, he’s just as conservative as anybody, blah, blah, blah and his dad once had a picture taken with President Reagan, yada, yada, yada and besides, he wants to make weed and hookers legal... LOL
You must only hang out with the really good Christians who could have become worthy on their own ... they're so dang perfect that they have no log in their own eyes so they can be appointed to point out the motes in the eyes of "faux Christians"
No, but when an obviously fake Christian like Huckabee makes a big thing of it, I can’t help noticing that he’s a hypocrite. There was never anything noticeably “Christian” about Ron Paul’s conduct as a politician, and Rand Paul is a chip off the old block.
It’s not my business to decide whether they are saved. Just to point out that their behavior as politicians is not noticeably Christian.
Rand Slams Congress for Funding Egypt's Generals: 'How Does Your Conscience Feel Now?'Sen. Rand Paul is hammering his fellow senators for keeping billions in financial aid flowing to Egypt's military -- even as Cairo's security forces massacre anti-government activists. [by "anti-government activists" is meant church-burning Christian-murdering jihadists][Posted on 08/15/2013 5:44:10 PM PDT by Hoodat]
Rand Paul On Shutdown: "Even Though It Appeared I Was Participating In It, It Was A Dumb Idea"I said throughout the whole battle that shutting down the government was a dumb idea. Even though it did appear as if I was participating in it, I said it was a dumb idea. And the reason I voted for it, though, is that it's a conundrum. Here's the conundrum. We have a $17 trillion debt and people at home tell me you can't give the president a blank check. We just can't keep raising the debt ceiling without conditions. So unconditionally raising the debt ceiling, nobody at home wants me to vote for that and I can't vote for that. But the conundrum is if I don't we do approach these deadlines. So there is an impasse. In 2011, though, we had this impasse and the president did negotiate. We got the sequester. If we were to extend the sequester from discretionary spending to all the entitlements we would actually fix our problem within a few years.[Posted on 11/19/2013 12:16:51 PM by Third Person]
Rand Paul: Time for GOP to soften war stance...by softening its edge on some volatile social issues and altering its image as the party always seemingly "eager to go to war... We do need to expand the party and grow the party and that does mean that we don't always all agree on every issue" ... the party needs to become more welcoming to individuals who disagree with basic Republican doctrine on emotional social issues such as gay marriage... "We're going to have to be a little hands off on some of these issues ... and get people into the party," Paul said.[Posted on 01/31/2013 5:08:50 PM PST by xzins]
Rand Paul's immigration speech...The Republican Party must embrace more legal immigration.[Posted on 03/19/2013 7:04:07 AM PDT by Perdogg]
Unfortunately, like many of the major debates in Washington, immigration has become a stalemate-where both sides are imprisoned by their own rhetoric or attachment to sacred cows that prevent the possibility of a balanced solution.
Immigration Reform will not occur until Conservative Republicans, like myself, become part of the solution. I am here today to begin that conversation.
Let's start that conversation by acknowledging we aren't going to deport 12 million illegal immigrants.
If you wish to work, if you wish to live and work in America, then we will find a place for you...
This is where prudence, compassion and thrift all point us toward the same goal: bringing these workers out of the shadows and into being taxpaying members of society.
Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers.12 million more people assimilating into society. 12 million more people being productive contributors.
Rand Paul calls on conservatives to embrace immigration reformLatinos, should be a natural constituency for the party, Paul argued, but "Republicans have pushed them away with harsh rhetoric over immigration." ...he would create a bipartisan panel to determine how many visas should be granted for workers already in the United States and those who might follow... [and the buried lead] "Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers...[Posted on 04/21/2013 1:52:42 PM PDT by SoConPubbie]
[but he's not in favor of amnesty, snicker, definition of is is]
Plus one.
Reaching out isn’t Christian? Better tell Jesus— He’s been doing it wrong, then.
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