Posted on 05/12/2007 11:58:35 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
This time it may be the Democrats who are getting religion. Former Sen. John Edwards invoked "My Lord" when asked about moral influences on his life in the first Democratic presidential debate. At a campaign event on the day of the Virginia Tech massacre, he offered a prayer and — in a pointed break from Democratic candidates' usual wariness of offending religious minorities — closed with the words "in Christ's name."
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. comfortably works in references to his faith at public appearances. Even before his presidential candidacy, he gave a well-received speech arguing for a greater role for religion in politics and cultivated relationships with influential church leaders, including mega-church pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., included a paragraph about faith in the official biography on her campaign Web site. And in her Senate re-election campaign last year, she drew notice in the New York press for wearing a cross at some public events.
Reversing recent political history, it's the leading Republican candidates who for various reasons have so far been reluctant to speak too much about matters of faith.
"Give the advantage to the Democrats at this point," said Rich Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals. "You would have to conclude that the Democrats have a lot more interest in faith than the Republicans based on what they've had to say."
Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a twice-divorced Catholic, holds liberal views on abortion and gay rights. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a divorced Episcopalian, has a tense relationship with leaders of the Religious Right. And former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is a devout Mormon whose religion arouses suspicion among many evangelicals.
(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...
In short, no.
Phony krap. And Rich Cizik is either a gold-plated idiot or a liberal activist. And the organization that hired him is either double-dipped stupid or liberal.
Which will be the first to trot out Rick Warren?
Phoniness, however, can work in politics, especially against weak opponents. So yes, the Rats think they can fool a significant number of Christians. And they may even turn out to be right. To some extent, that’s up to us. To a greater extent, it’s up to the Republican candidates, top to bottom, who are nominated and run in ‘08.
The party that uses condems for business cards is not going to get very far down this road—unless “Pastors” like Rick Warren let them borrrow their pulpits. Wait. Too late.
This is also the hour that I am going to separate the sheep who have followed after my voice from those goats who closed their ears and hardened their hearts when they heard my voice. This is the hour that I am going to destroy the nature of the beast in those who have hated the beast, but to them who loved, and worshipped, and served the creature rather than the Creator, they shall be judged. This is the hour that I am going to give all those who have made light
of my calling and rejected the counsels of my words over, and they shall walk in the name of their god; in the fullness of the nature, the characteristics, and the authority of the beast. To those goats who not have me to reign over them, they shall have no power to restrain the powers of darkness that are coming upon the earth; for no evil or wicked thing shall be restrained from entering into
the desires of their hearts or the thinking in their minds. This is the hour that the sons of perdition shall manifest the fullness of sin; for the man of sin is he who rejected my counsel, refused my correction, doubted my words, betrayed my trust, and was fearful to come before me. For the sons of perdition have hated God’s dominion and sovereignty, and neither have they feared their God. They have despised his instruction and exalted their own thoughts to be more righteous than God’s thoughts. These are they who have loved being their own lords, and they are confident that they shall be justified by their own efforts and words. I was always there for them but they mocked my love and would have nothing of me. These are they who have praised me with their mouths and honored me with their lips but delighted in keeping their hearts far from me. These are they who allowed for themselves to be deceived because they loved the flattering lies and rejected me; they rejected me because I am the truth that they hate.
Look for another manufactured scandal just before election time to clinch the deal.
I don’t know how anyone can proclaim faith whose primary focus when it is all said and done, is abortion—the killing of human life.
Anything can be spun. The key is how gullible the audience is. And there is a growing Emerging group of (middle-aged and younger) “Evangelicals,” tired of being demonized and lumped in with Pat Robertson as the Evilist Creatures Ever to Inhabit the Planet, who are buying into the Jim Wallis, Tony Compolo shtick.
But what made it possible in many ways was the fact that too many Pubbies did use and abuse the religious right, merely mouthed the talk and did not walk the walk in Washington. How many times, from 1995 onward, were we told, “just be patient with us, we’ll get to your social issues agenda, but fiscal issues are more important.” Congressional Republicans are the villains here, more so than G. W. B.—he did fulfill his promise on SCOTUS, the Partial Birth Abortion Ban etc., and his threats to veto hate-crimes (Christian-criminalizing) legislation has helped. Congress is the real problem, particularly Senate ‘publicans.
Exactly true. And now the leading candidate for the GOP nomination has told religious voters to put their concerns on the back burner once again and focus entirely on national security/economics (and, oh, to pay for abortions with tax dollars). Is it any wonder the Republican Party is going down in flames?
Shad to have been wearing an asbestos top to protect from burns.
Religious people are gullible, right? I mean they vote Republican don't they? And Republicans say "God" at them a lot.So I figure they'll forget I'm war with them and vote for me if I say "God" at them even more than the Republicans. Yeah, that's the ticket.
I wish they would stop referring to Rudy as a Catholic, I don’t see how he fits that classification by any stretch of the imagination.
Consider this:
said Rich Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals. "You would have to conclude that the Democrats have a lot more interest in faith than the Republicans based on what they've had to say."
It would appear that Mr. Cizik has never heard the proverb "Talk's cheap." If he actually means what he is saying, then he is every bit as credulous a fool as the 'rats think he is.
The Rick Warren type of evangelical. Blech.
Who knows. Jim Wallis is having them for a ‘meet the candidates’ debate or Q&A or something like that. “Get your tickets now” and all that rot. Oh supposedly they’ll have the Republicans later in the year...
I think it’s because that event is coming up that they figure they’d better start using god-speak again.
LOL that's about right! (their reasoning, though it's obviously untrue -- except among the emergent/sojourner/apostates who still think they're Christians.)
^
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