Posted on 07/02/2004 1:56:58 PM PDT by PJ-Comix
Religion: Roman Catholic
Religious Life: Kerry is about as Irish-Catholic sounding name as there is. But just last year the Boston Globe revealed another religion in Kerry's background.
Kerry knew his paternal grandmother was probably Jewish. But the Boston Globe discovered what Kerry didn't know.
His grandfather was a Czech Jew named Fritz Kohn who changed his name to Frederick Kerry to escape anti-Semitism.
Kohn randomly dropped a pencil on a map of Europe, spotted Ireland's County Kerry, and adopted the name, according to the Globe. Kohn and his wife, Ida Lowe, who was born Jewish in Budapest, changed their name to Kerry, were baptized as Catholics in 1902, and immigrated to the United States in 1905.
John Kerry's father was Catholic and his mother an Episcopalian. The couple brought up their children as Catholics.
Kerry was sent to St. Paul's School in Concord, N.H., an Episcopalian boarding school. He was one of a handful of Catholics at the school. Those few Catholic students were sent by taxi to attend Mass each Sunday at a Catholic church.
After graduating from Yale University, Kerry volunteered to serve in Vietnam. While in battle, he carried a rosary and prayed with it daily. Some of the soldiers he served with did the same.
"We viewed those things as keeping the good Lord as close to us as possible during what we knew would be a difficult time," Kerry's longtime friend and Vietnam veteran Daniel Barbiero told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
In 1970, he returned to America, aligned himself with Vietnam Veterans Against the War and married Julia Thorne, an Episcopalian.
Kerry wanted the marriage recognized by the Catholic Church. So the couple held two marriage ceremonies, one in the Catholic Church, and another ecumenical one outside of a church.
Kerry also went through a period of agnosticism after his return from Vietnam. The war haunted and angered him. Kerry found his way back to his faith only after "a lot of reading and a lot of thinking," he told Time magazine. But over time his Catholic faith became significant for him.
"It's an important part of my getting through tough periods in my life and remains a bedrock of values -- of sureness, I guess -- about who I am, where we all fit, what our role is on this planet," he said.
But while Kerry's faith was deepening and his political career escalating, his marriage fell apart. The couple separated in 1982 and divorced in 1988.
In 1992, he met Teresa Heinz, the widow of Pennsylvania senator John Heinz. The two first met at a Mass in Brazil while they were both attending an environmental conference.
Heinz first noticed Kerry because he was singing along with hymns in Portuguese. That impressed the woman who was the daughter of Portuguese parents, grew up in Africa and spoke five languages, according to a New Yorker article.
Heinz was a devout Catholic and felt uncomfortable marrying Kerry without church approval. In 1995, Kerry applied for an annulment for his first marriage. It was granted, which allows the couple to receive Communion. Both Kerry and his former wife have said they will not publicly disclose the reason for the annulment.
Kerry has been much more private about his religious beliefs than President George W. Bush has. However, in Kerry's book "A Call to Service," he said he believes the Bible calls for practicing social justice and equal rights. He also criticized religious opposition to gay rights.
"I believe that this and every other form of discrimination is opposed to the spirit of the Bible," he wrote.
Kerry also wrote that he believed in the separation of church and state while remaining committed to his faith.
"I am a believing and practicing Catholic, married to another believing and practicing Catholic," he wrote.
Religion and the Kerry campaign: Earlier this year John Kerry came to the Lehigh Valley to campaign.
As he often does when traveling, Kerry went to Mass on Sunday morning a few hours before his scheduled speech. During the Mass he received Communion at Ss. Cyril and Methodius Roman Catholic Church in Bethlehem.
Although some priests and bishops say they will not give Communion to Kerry because of his voting record on abortion, same-sex partnerships and stem cell research, Monsignor Michael Chaback, of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, said he thought it was the right thing to do according to church law.
Kerry along with New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey is one of several prominent Catholic politicians who some bishops say cannot receive Communion in their churches.
However, that ban may not have a major impact at the polls.
Seventy-three percent of Catholics disagreed with bishops who denied Kerry Communion, and 70 percent objected to the church trying to influence the way Catholics vote, according to a poll published last month in Time Magazine.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will not develop guidelines on giving Communion to Catholic politicians until after the election. And one Kerry campaign adviser said the Communion controversy has now become a "non-issue" which Republicans are trying to take advantage of politically.
However, Kerry also has another political reality related to his Catholic faith: he can't take Catholic votes for granted.
John F. Kennedy is the only Catholic who has ever become president. Kennedy received more than 80 percent of the Catholic vote in 1960.
However, Catholics aren't as supportive of Kerry.
Catholics are almost equally divided between Kerry and Bush. Forty-five percent of Catholics support Kerry and 43 percent support Bush, according to a Time poll. That's just about the same as the 2000 election when Bush received 47 percent of the Catholic vote to Al Gore's 49 percent.
"Most Catholics don't vote for a candidate just because someone is the same religion, they vote the way most Americans do," says Mary Segers, chairwoman of the Political Science Department at Rutgers University. "They vote on a variety of issues and the character of the man."
But while Bush has talked openly about his religion, Kerry finds it more difficult to do so.
Recently the campaign hired a religion outreach director who was planning to put together a section devoted to religion on Kerry's official Web site.
However, The Washington Times recently reported that plan has been postponed because Kerry's advisers are divided about how to integrate religion into the campaign. Some caution Kerry to avoid too many references to religion while others say Kerry must use religion more aggressively to appeal to voters.
But while some voters may be concerned about Bush's alliance with conservative Christians, many voters don't view Kerry as a religious man. Just 7 percent of Americans feel Kerry is a man of strong religious faith, a Time poll stated.
There is one religious group where Kerry receives overwhelming support.
Among Jews, 75 percent support Kerry and just 25 percent support Bush, according to the Time poll.
"Jews care enormously about the separation of church and state, so many of them aren't pleased with Bush's faith-based initiative programs," Segers says.
What's more uncertain is Kerry's support among Muslims, which may influence the election, particularly in the key battleground state of Michigan, which has a large Muslim population.
"The Republicans won the Muslim vote in the 2000 election, but it's not sure if the war in Iraq and concern about the Patriot Act will cause Muslims to change their votes to Democrats and what influence that will have on the election," Segers says.
This solves one big mystery---Why a guy from the middle of Europe would pick an Irish name. Unfortunately, for Fritz Kohn, by picking the name of Kerry, it probably led to his suicide years later. Think of the real world. Fritz Kohn/Kerry moves to America and lives in Boston and Chicago---two cities with heavy Irish populations. Every time he opened his mouth, his distinctly NON-Irish accent, coupled with his Irish name, made him a laughing stock. According to the official version of his suicide, it was caused by financial problems. I think that poor Fritz couldn't stand to be laughed at. Most likely he would have lived much longer if that pencil fell on London or Berlin.
Kerry knew his paternal grandmother was probably Jewish.
And somehow he couldn't figure out the truth about his grandfather? I read that his grandmother lived until until well after John Kerry reached adulthood. And we are expected to believe he NEVER ONCE quizzed his grandmother (or father) about how he had a very Irish name without being Irish. Of course, the next question would be if our name isn't really Kerry, then WHAT was it? And if his father or grandmother told him it was Kohn, he was so clueless as to not be able to connect the dots?
Are there any quotes from Kerry claiming Irish ancestry ?
Can some of your Iranian friends get this somehow to the Mass Murdering Mullahs of Iran. Their buddy al Kerry may be Jewish!
But just last year the Boston Globe revealed another religion in Kerry's background.
Kerry knew his paternal grandmother was probably Jewish. But the Boston Globe discovered what Kerry didn't know.
His grandfather was a Czech Jew named Fritz Kohn who changed his name to Frederick Kerry to escape anti-Semitism.
Kohn randomly dropped a pencil on a map of Europe, spotted Ireland's County Kerry, and adopted the name, according to the Globe. Kohn and his wife, Ida Lowe, who was born Jewish in Budapest, changed their name to Kerry, were baptized as Catholics in 1902, and immigrated to the United States in 1905.
Liz your comments here aka Joey Lieberman may be appropriate here.
Kerry never seemed like he was Irish, although he has pretended now for a long time that he were, what with attending the Boston St. Patrick's Day parade and all.
The old timers see right through this mess. Seems like Kerry is constantly trying to get by on the cheap. This Irish business is no exception. I guess I should be glad that my Mom is not here to see it. I just can't wait to vote against his lying *ss.
This sounds very contrived to me.
Who told the Globe this story and why didn't Kerry know it?
You mean Joe "Beeberman".
(Just thought I'd say it before someone else did.)
I always thought his middle name was Finocchio..
Did you know Kerry served with soldiers in Vietnam?
I'm stuned!
You don't say. Really?
Religion really has nothing to do with Kerry.
Kerry is as Kerry does.
Which explains why he's an insubstantial presence and boring as h-ll.
That's the first time I've read this anyplace. I'd sure like to see a source.
I've heard this many times. Even though Kerry had children with his first wife, he tried to or did get the marriage annulled. Gee, thanks Dad.
Kerry randomly dropped a pencil on a page of Forbe's richest women, spotted Theresa Heinz, and adopted the money...
It was posted today on an earlier thread with some details. You can probably find it. Do a search.
Of course the super rich and the poor want higher taxes on the working class. They don't have to pay them. The super rich can deflect envy and feel good about helping the little people, and the little people can be paid to be permanently poor.
The thread I found (posted today) reports old news -- that Kerry applied for an annulment. It has nothing to say about whether he received one, and I happen to doubt that he did.
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