Posted on 06/18/2007 9:29:04 AM PDT by nckerr
I fell for it. And I'm sure I'm not the only one.
In attempting to beat the rush, I was inflexibly on the bandwagon of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.
Obama's hype and charisma took America by storm in 2004 and many (myself included) have been hooked ever since. That is, until YouTube happened.
Specifically, I used my beloved movie clip-finding Web site to do something more productive than watch Jennifer Lopez dance - not that I've stopped doing that.
Politicians who use their faith to guide their legislating frighten me more than the possibility of a third term for President Bush.
Unfortunately, the pious voting block has been expanding from the conservative wing of the Republican Party. Ballot-by-belief is now leaking into the Democratic side as the left scrambles to include religion in its platform for the upcoming election.
Obama is one of those liberals. During a debate a couple of years ago, he claimed to use his Christian faith to help guide him toward the correct political decisions.
For voters like me who believe reason trumps devotion and who demand policy that doesn't consult the Bible, this is very problematic.
To be clear, I support an individual's right to choose and adhere to any creed he or she prefers. I do not believe that religious people are illogical. I do not believe religious people are all brainwashed.
I do, however, seek candidates who separate their religious views from their political views upon entering the political arena. I believe in separating the personal from the professional in all walks of life.
Just as college professors shouldn't politicize lecture material, politicians shouldn't be injecting their own views into matters that affect the nation.
In essence, it comes down to the appropriateness of when to express religious and political views.
Each year, my family sends out Christmas cards. My father, who is obstinately anti-war, suggested that we hold up peace signs with political messages for last year's cards. Although I mostly support his political views, I didn't support his timing.
A Christmas card is not a forum for opinions. There is plenty of time during the year for him to convey his anti-war message.
Obama has some practical and potent ideas for our nation and I think his leadership skills can revive our country. Yet I remain weary of his inclination to rely on personal faith for political guidance.
In the name of religious faith, our country has failed to pass a sufficient stem cell research bill, grant homosexuals equal rights in marriage unions or adequately teach the theory of evolution.
This needs to change - and the Democratic Party's most charming star, Obama, should be the leader of this change.
The Democrats have held a resolute belief in the separation of church and state. In fact, President John F. Kennedy once said, "Whatever one's religion in his private life may be, for the officeholder, nothing takes precedence over his oath to uphold the Constitution and all its parts - including the First Amendment and the strict separation of church and state."
If we don't take Kennedy's advice, America will lose its edge to countries like China and India.
Oh wait, that's already happening.
-Conor Shapiro is a political science senior.
-This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail to letters@thedailyaztec.com. Anonymous letters will not be printed - include your full name, major and year in school.
The writer needn’t worry. I’m sure he knows anything coming out of a Dems mouth concerning religion is pandering and doesn’t reflect their true convictions.
I wouldn't worry too much about it. Obama is just playing to the crowd. He doesn't mean what he says.
As if that's going to happen. Sheesh!
Now that's one of the most religious statements I've ever heard. The problem is not that faith is used to determine ethics but, only which faith.
So much of choosing a candidate is determining what is their true faith, not just their confessed faith. But make no mistake they all have faith!
What an idiot.
He’s fallen for his own side’s propaganda.
It sounds more like common sense to me. So whats the problem? Am I missing something? A person doesn't have to be a Christian to have common sense.
The article is written by a retard college kid.
Please name one politician who actually consults the Bible when setting domestic or foreign policy?
But I bet he loves those who use The Manifesto of the Communist Party to guilde their legislating.
Hello? You cannot ban religion as a basis for values. Why would you even want to? It is only legislating faith if you order people to attend a certain denomination, to profess a certain creed, to hold specific theology, or to practice certain sacraments. Legislating against murder is not imposing religious belief just because you draw your values from the commandment "Thou shalt not murder."
The secret is that Obama is a muslim plant.
That is exactly why the ACLU hates, I mean HATES, anything even remotely associated with Christianity, but at the same time LOVES the Black Revs.
It is because everyone on the Left knows that these, so called, Reverends(whatever that means) are not religious people in any way.
To the Left, GOD is just a prop to be used to gain power over what the Left consider to be the superstitious unwashed masses. Hence Hillary’s newfound faith in Jesus.
If a Republican comes out and says he is an Evangelical Christian and rely on faith in God to make decisions, he is mercilessly pilloried by the Press as an ignorant, primitive racist, homophobe(whatever that means).
When a Black, an Arab, or a Communist/Socialist says exactly the same thing, they are praised “getting in touch with their roots” or “remaining grounded in faith”.
This is because no one believes the Left, but they know that the Republican(normally) means it.
Would that they did. The religion of today's politicians is, for the most part, an aggregate of humanism, secularism and naturalism. Their faith determines their epistemology, ethics and metaphysics just as mine does for me. Their rejection of the Bible is a religious decision, their belief in the civil magistrate as an instrument of social change to improve a society is religious tenant dogmatically held. Equally religious is their ethic as to what constitutes a better society.
This Shapiro is not quite the crispest cracker, is he?
This article is so lacking in critical thinking, I don’t know where to begin. And what the heck is the Daily Aztec?
Why do I get the feeling that Hillary is somehow behind this article?
The Press Conference
It's a personal thing, and I find it odd
you would question my believing in a personal God
I'm devout, I'm sincere, ask my mother if you doubt it
I'm religious, but I'd rather not get radical about it
the old-time believers had timidity and grace
but this new generation doesn't know its place
you're entitled to believe, but the latest Gallup Poll
says you mustn't interfere--that's the government's role
chorus:
'Cause when you throw your hat in the bullring
before you know it's a personal thing
and when he comes to the day of reckoning
he's gonna tell 'em, "uh, uh, uh, it's a personal thing"
The nomination speech
It's a personal thing, and I boldly state
that my views on morality will have to wait
'til my personal life's out of the public eye
and the limitations statue can protect my alibi
I'm devout, I'm sincere, and I'm proud to say
that it's had exactly no effect on who I am today
I believe for the benefit for all mankind
in the total separation of church and mind
(chorus)
The victory night
It's a personal thing, and I plainly speak
(from the same code of ethics that I held last week)
as I promised if elected this election day
with the help of God almighty...I'll do it my way
(chorus)
Jesus Would’ve Been a Democrat, Dean Says
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean says “evangelical Christians ought to vote Democratic because Jesus would have.”
While admitting that Jesus might have had problems with Democrats’ pro-choice stand on abortion, “I don’t think he would’ve been a one-issue voter,” Dean speculated. “His demographic profile—poor, unemployed, unmarried—looks like a Democrat.”
“I haven’t read a single word about Jesus criticizing gay marriage in the Bible,” Dean said in an address at a Democratic fundraiser at a Reno, Nevada casino. “In fact, Jesus himself may have been gay. He spent most of his time hanging out with men. The women in his life were all ‘just friends.’ It’s a classic gay lifestyle.”
“Then there are the fiscal issues,” Dean went on. “Jesus said of money ‘render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.’ This pretty clearly said that all the money belonged to the government. This is a core value of the Democratic Party today.”
“Take foreign policy,” Dean continued. “Didn’t Jesus say ‘turn the other cheek?’ We Democrats have been trying to get George Bush to turn the other cheek for the last four years. Isn’t the Republican insistence on meeting violence with violence profoundly unchristian?”
Dean closed by suggesting that there might be some “wiggle room” on the abortion issue. “In Jesus’ time we didn’t have the technology we have today,” Dean said. “If Jesus had known that stem cells could help provide relief for sufferers of Parkinson’s disease or that ultrasounds could detect birth defects, maybe he’d have seen the need for a more open mind on this issue.”
In related news, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) claimed that embryonic stem cell research is a “gift from God. That is why taxpayers must fund it. To do less would be the height of ingratitude.”
read more...
http://www.azconservative.org/Semmens1.htm
Don’t worry Connor they are as Godless as ever.
Oh my word... another Steve Taylor fan.
For the longest time I thought I was the only one.
Have the first 3 albums on Vinyl, cassette and CD. Have his next 2 on cassette and CD, and have CG and the rest of his stuff on CD. (No videos though, odd that.)
I also was able to catch CG live at Cornerstone.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.