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Helping Democrats Bridge the 'God Gap' - How to Connect With Religious Communities
Washington Post ^ | October 21, 2006 | Daniel Burke

Posted on 10/21/2006 4:06:30 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife

At a meeting of the House Democrats' Faith Working Group, a perplexed congressman turned to his colleagues for pastoral guidance. How could he counter a local preacher who argued that all of Jesus's moral teachings were about the world to come, not the here and now?

Rep. David E. Price (D-N.C.) stood amid the sympathetic sighs and "you can't convert everyone" comments to offer a new spin on an old parable.

The Good Samaritan is walking down the road and cares for a stranger who has been beaten and robbed, Price said. The next day, on the same road, another person has been beaten and robbed. So it goes for another week -- more robberies, more victims.

"How long is it going to take before the Samaritan says, 'Hey, maybe we ought to patrol this road,' " Price said. In other words, the lawmaker argued, there are some problems that individuals can't solve on their own. They require the resources of a morally responsible government.

As Democrats seek to reframe America's debate over moral values and close their "God gap" with religious communities, conversations such as these are blowing like a mighty wind through party circles.

.... issues such as the environment, poverty, war and health care on which Democratic positions dovetail with those of many religious Americans, party leaders say.

"It's not always pretty," Casey of Wesley Theological Seminary said of Democrats' fledgling efforts to reach these voters. "But the good news is everybody realizes the party has to do a better job."

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: conservatism; faith; fauxchristians; fauxreligion; moralabsolutes; politics; religions; religiousleft
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"....the party has to do a better job."

A better snow job.

1 posted on 10/21/2006 4:06:31 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

If you put a pig in a tuxedo, you don't have a gentleman, you have a pig in a tuxedo.


2 posted on 10/21/2006 4:08:45 AM PDT by jmaroneps37 (DON'T BELIEVE PESSIMISM: FEELINGS ARE FOR LOVE SONGS. FACTS ARE FOR PREDICTING WHO WINS IN NOV)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Hey, maybe while they're trying to spin this, they'll actually find God. I think what is going to happen is they are going to try to convince people of their belief so hard that they will expose what they truely believe. People of faith know the difference.


3 posted on 10/21/2006 4:13:20 AM PDT by McGavin999 (Republicans take out our trash, Democrats re-elect theirs)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

As long as the Democrat Party defends the killing of God's unborn children, they don't have a moral leg to stand on. Socialism is their religion, and abortion is a sacrament for liberals.


4 posted on 10/21/2006 4:16:20 AM PDT by kittymyrib
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

The Democrats down't have a "God gap".

They just picked the wrong god.


5 posted on 10/21/2006 4:17:42 AM PDT by DB (©)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Hey, I've got an idea. Maybe the Democrats could try supporting the things that these "religious" people support.

You know, like:
1. Real religious tolerance instead of religious tolerance for non-Christians.
2. Stop the taking so much of their wages in taxes so that they could do more charitable work with their own money instead of trying to do it with what's left.
3. Support the protection of marriage act and ban homosexual marriage for all time in this country.
4. Support an Anti-Flag burning Amendment so that others can't desecrate the Flag that their family members fought and died for.
5. ....

Well you get the idea. Unfortunately, these are things their base hates the the Republicans love.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)

LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

6 posted on 10/21/2006 4:22:02 AM PDT by LonePalm (Commander and Chef)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

7 posted on 10/21/2006 4:23:05 AM PDT by HisKingdomWillAbolishSinDeath (Psalm 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.)
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To: McGavin999
Hey, maybe while they're trying to spin this, they'll actually find God

Their god is social engineering by government rules and regulations.

8 posted on 10/21/2006 4:31:46 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
The party of satan wants to deceive you!

LLS
9 posted on 10/21/2006 4:33:15 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (Preserve America... kill terrorists... destroy dims!)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
The reason these DEMONcrats have been so unsuccessful is that precious few of them are EVER truly religious, they only pretend to be to attempt to harvest votes.

All they have ever seen the religious community as is a group of silly insipid people who should be able to be tricked into voting for them. They can't figure out why they can't exploit and deceive these "fools." How could they not deceive these people who believe in something like God. After all, how "gullible" can you be?
10 posted on 10/21/2006 4:34:51 AM PDT by jonboy
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

They've got the Mohamhead vote.

But they won't get most evangelicals, and they're beginning to lose the Jews.

.


11 posted on 10/21/2006 4:40:31 AM PDT by Westbrook (Having more children does not divide your love, it multiplies it!)
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To: jonboy

They're worming their way into a lot of churches with the environmental angle.

Forty odd years of indoctrination in schools and by the media have primed otherwise thinking people into buying the notion the world is in danger and they need to be faithful "stewards of mother earth."

Conservation is a good thing and has been around longer than environmentalism.

Environmentalism is the true religion of LIBERALS, designed to tear down a strong America with the notion of caring.


12 posted on 10/21/2006 4:57:06 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
...issues such as the environment, poverty =(raise taxes) , (Stop Bush's) war (on terror) and women's health care =(keep abortion on demmand legal and raise taxes) on which Democratic positions dovetail with those of many religious Americans, party leaders say.

There. I did my best to read between the lines, but I found most of the "invisible words".

13 posted on 10/21/2006 4:58:23 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952 (Friends don't let friends vote for RATS.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Some at Democratic Party headquarters are taking an under-the-radar approach to religious outreach and are reluctant to divulge all the party's plans and advisers.

Given that a significant portion of the Democratic Party spends most of it's time sneering at the very thought of religion and it's adherents, this is probably wise.

See, religion isn't a ribbon you can wear. The truly faithful do not express their devotion by merely putting a bumper sticker on their car.

For the faithful, religion is who they are. It is not something that can be faked. Their politics are determined by their faith, not the other way around. It is a result of prayer, study and personal experience not sloganeering and political expediency. Unless and until the Democrats figure this out, this effort will not only fail, but, it will backfire. It's like putting on a minstrel show, painted on black faces and all, in an effort to reach out the the African-American community. It just won't work.

14 posted on 10/21/2006 5:26:52 AM PDT by Reaganesque
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Agreed, unfortunately many are deceived by the progpoganda.

Ephesians 4: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;


15 posted on 10/21/2006 5:32:05 AM PDT by Rameumptom (Gen X= they killed 1 in 4 of us)
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To: McGavin999

The only way to overcome a "God Gap" is to repent and draw closer to Him. Dem's miss this because then they would have to give up their sins, (baby murder, sexual immorality, hatred of Freedom, etc.)

Isa. 59: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.


16 posted on 10/21/2006 5:35:20 AM PDT by Rameumptom (Gen X= they killed 1 in 4 of us)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Well looks like these liberals are still in 'we are gods' mode cause "The Good Samaritan" is but a sliver of the Word of the Heavenly Father. Their "The Good Samaritan" act is always about taking from one (theft) and giving to another with the expectation of votes.


17 posted on 10/21/2006 5:36:17 AM PDT by Just mythoughts
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Here's how Democrats can prove they are really people of faith.

They can pray, in public, asking that
1. THE LORD bless the good people of Iraq and
2. THE LORD confound the enemies of Iraq.

18 posted on 10/21/2006 5:41:21 AM PDT by syriacus (God bless the good people of Iraq. May the LORD confound those who plot evil against them..)
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To: Just mythoughts
Their "The Good Samaritan" act is always about taking from one (theft) and giving to another with the expectation of votes.

Yes. The Good Samaritan gave up his own money.

19 posted on 10/21/2006 5:42:51 AM PDT by syriacus (God bless the good people of Iraq. May the LORD confound those who plot evil against them..)
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To: Reaganesque
....Some at Democratic Party headquarters are taking an under-the-radar approach to religious outreach and are reluctant to divulge all the party's plans and advisers....

"Given that a significant portion of the Democratic Party spends most of it's time sneering at the very thought of religion and it's adherents, this is probably wise."

How true. The Democratic party base might get jittery if they acted moral.

20 posted on 10/21/2006 5:45:11 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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