Render Unto Caesar-Some Christian conservatives confuse religion and politics

FrontPageMagazine.com | ^ | May 27, 2003 | David Horowitz

[jwalsh07]

That is my personal view, but it is irrelevant to the issue at hand. Even if Knight were correct in thinking that homosexuality is a moral choice, and that Christians and Jews have a moral obligation to oppose it, this would not alter the fact that it is inappropriate and self-defeating for philosophical conservatives to make this their political agenda. A mission to rescue homosexuals is a religious mission; it is not an appropriate political cause. Would Robert Knight like the government to investigate every American to determine whether they are homosexual or not and then compel those who are to undergo conversion therapy -- or else? This is a prescription for a totalitarian state. No conservative should want any part of it. But this is how Robert Knight sums up the political agenda of social conservatives. Those who agree with him should think again

Judging by the girth of the strawman in this last paragraph, David Horowitz has lost the debate.

To attempt to argue that there is not a "homosexual agenda" has led him down the road of perdition where he ends up accusing Christians of Naziism.

[Zavien Doombringer]

Who was it that quoted..."A moral people do not need a government"...?

It is true though. Back in the day in the 18th century and not much farther back as the 1950's. The People of the United States had 2 governing bodies. The Kingdom of Heaven and the United States Government. The Kingdom of God being the first and formost Governing of all, including the United States Government. Our Constitution was written on Christian attritbutes from many denominations, primarily Episcopalian!

[steve-b]

The people who need to be written off (or, more accurately, chopped off like a gangrenous limb) are socialist "conservatives" who advocate government social engineering.

[steve-b]

No strawman there. Knight is either an advocate of totalitarian government intervention in citizens' sex lives, or he is not.

[sirchtruth]

A mission to rescue homosexuals is a religious mission; it is not an appropriate political cause.

So do abortion and drug abuse among other issues hold the same weight?

[Chancellor Palpatine]

David, David, David - I can't believe it took you this long to find the fickle core of the social conservative. It'll take a few more slaps to the face to get you to realize that you can't forge any real consensus with them, and that they are unappeasable. As Bruce Willis said in the first Die Hard (after the terrorists shoot up the black cop's car) - "welcome to the party, pal".

To them, you'll always be known as "that Jew who used to be a communist, and who is just letting his true colors shine through."

[jwalsh07]

No strawman there.

Of course there is. Horowitz introduces an argument of whole cloth stating that Knight and, by proxy, Christian Conservatives are advocates of a totalitarian state.

It's a lie with no foundation created to avoid the argument that homosexuals do indeed have an agenda, a strawman.

Knight is either an advocate of totalitarian government intervention in citizens' sex lives, or he is not.

Horowitz need's to cite source, quotations, date and time to back up such an argument or basically sthu.

[jwalsh07]

Clarify please.

[jwalsh07]

It'll take a few more slaps to the face to get you to realize that you can't forge any real consensus with them, and that they are unappeasable

LOL, a fine example of a bigot defending against "bigotry".

[wideawake]

Religion and politics have never been separate, are not separate and will never be separate.

To pretend they can be compartmentalized is foolish.

We can either be a society which hates the family and encourages deviancy or we can be a society which cherishes the family and discourages deviancy.

[PatrickHenry]

Horowitz is walking a very fine line here, but I think he's correct. He could have avoided most of this mess if his earlier article hadn't brought up Jesus' silence on the issue. It proved nothing, and it wasn't essential to his point, but it caused a lot of knees to jerk. We shouldn't demonize Horowitz. He's on our side and he's very effective.

[jwalsh07]

I like Horowitz but he is simply digging a bigger hole here in an effort to extricate himself from the other hole.

[Larry Lucido]

"welcome to the party, pal".

Sgt. Al Horowitz?

[Chancellor Palpatine]

When you start shrieking like a hysterical bunch of harpies at the thought that a party honcho is meeting a gay advocacy group, then yes, it kind of telegraphs intentions.

Isn't it tronic that Knight and the other hysterics would be the very same people that dismiss Catholics and blacks who get upset when GOP candidates go to Bob Jones "University"?

[steve-b]

Do they, or do they not, advocate the use of government force to control the sexual behavior of consenting adults?

[Servant of the Nine]

So-called conservatives who write off "social conservatives" are completely missing the point of conservatism.

Despite attempts to self label themselves "Social Conservatives", the politico-religious right has nothing to do with Conservatism.

Conservatives favor limited government, as limited as possible.
The politico-religious right favors laws governing every aspect of a citizens behavior.

So9

[Chancellor Palpatine]

"tronic"="ironic"