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My Faith: Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), from Catholic to Muslim
CNN ^ | 9/1/11 | Chris Welch

Posted on 09/02/2011 9:07:47 AM PDT by marshmallow

Minneapolis, Minnesota (CNN) –Prior to 2006, few people even knew that then-Minnesota state legislator Keith Ellison was a Muslim. Because of his English name, he said, no one thought to ask.

But five years ago, when he ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives - a race he would go on to win - word of his religious affiliation began to spread.

“When I started running for Congress it actually took me by surprise that so many people were fascinated with me being the first Muslim in Congress,” said Ellison, a Democrat now serving his third term in the House.

“But someone said to me, ‘Look Keith, think of a person of Japanese origin running for Congress six years after Pearl Harbor–this might be a news story.’”

Though Ellison's status as the first Muslim elected to Congress is widely known, fewer are aware that he was born into a Catholic family in Detroit and was brought up attending Catholic schools.

But he said he was never comfortable with that faith.

“I just felt it was ritual and dogma,” Ellison said. “Of course, that’s not the reality of Catholicism, but it’s the reality I lived. So I just kind of lost interest and stopped going to Mass unless I was required to.”

It wasn’t until he was a student at Wayne State University in Detroit when Ellison began, “looking for other things.”

(Excerpt) Read more at religion.blogs.cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Catholic; Islam; Theology
KEYWORDS: blackmuslims; islam; keithellison; muslim
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To: Natural Law

What? You think Catholics should be allowed potty language and non- Catholics shouldn’t?


381 posted on 09/04/2011 9:21:08 PM PDT by metmom (For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery)
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To: Judith Anne
Annointing the sick is not only for the dying. I don’t, frankly, see a lot of protestant ministers in the hospitals I’ve worked in. They seem uncomfortable around death, like they don’t know quite what they are supposed to do in a sickroom. Maybe they just need more training.

I'm really not sure what to say here, other than maybe it's a regional thing as I know for a fact that it's a common practice for local Pastors to visit the sick and shut-ins to pray over them and basically just see to their spiritual needs. One other thing which may make identifying these Pastors a little more difficult is that they don't usually wear any special vestments or other signs of their office. Most just wear their normal street clothes.

382 posted on 09/04/2011 9:23:12 PM PDT by Avalon Hussar
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To: Religion Moderator
"Potty language and references to potty language are not allowed on the Religion Forum."

Not every use of that word is "potty language". The American Heritage dictionary defines it as:

1. n. (Verboten)
2. v. (Verboten)
3. Foolish, deceitful, or boastful language. (highly applicable)
4. Cheap or shoddy material. (highly applicable)
5. Miscellaneous or disorganized items; clutter. (highly applicable)
6. Insolent talk or behavior. (highly applicable)

383 posted on 09/04/2011 9:24:29 PM PDT by Natural Law (For God so loved the world He did not send a book.)
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To: Avalon Hussar

When a protestant minister comes to the dying, is s/he always POSITIVE that he knows the state of their souls, that they are saved? Or does s/he just assume it, if they are a church member, that they don’t need to accept Christ as their personal Savior and come to Him in repentance and love. What if they just faked it for social reasons? What if the dying one has doubts? What is the special ministry to the dying, of the Baptists?


384 posted on 09/04/2011 9:24:34 PM PDT by Judith Anne ( Holy Mary, Mother of God, please pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.)
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To: Judith Anne
How many jobs have you been fired from for Christian witness? Been thrown out of any stores? Which mosques do you picket?

What part of being led by the Holy Spirit went over your head? With your response I'll say - it totally went over your head.

No fear?

You mean with ALL the commands NOT TO FEAR - catholics still fear? Fear has torment - not good to dabble in it nor to disobey His commands.

Prove it!

LOL!! There is NO such thing as proving anything to Catholics.
385 posted on 09/04/2011 9:24:34 PM PDT by presently no screen name
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To: presently no screen name

Yet, you want me to preach Christ to the moslems who come to my store, by other than courtesy and respect? Come on, be clear, what am I supposed to do, in your book?


386 posted on 09/04/2011 9:26:09 PM PDT by Judith Anne ( Holy Mary, Mother of God, please pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.)
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To: Religion Moderator; Natural Law
Potty language and references to potty language are not allowed on the Religion Forum.

Why were Natural Law's posts deleted then? If I recall correctly, he only said something similar to "or intentional flamebait."

Really, I am surprised that the word I used is considered potty language.

387 posted on 09/04/2011 9:26:47 PM PDT by WPaCon
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To: WPaCon

He quoted your post which included the use of the potty language.


388 posted on 09/04/2011 9:28:46 PM PDT by Religion Moderator
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To: Religion Moderator; Natural Law

RM, was the “c word” used in 367?

Thank you.


389 posted on 09/04/2011 9:29:06 PM PDT by WPaCon
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To: Judith Anne; presently no screen name
Yet, you want me to preach Christ to the moslems who come to my store, by other than courtesy and respect?

What do you sell in your store, that attracts all these moslems? Korans?

390 posted on 09/04/2011 9:29:36 PM PDT by Alex Murphy (Posting news feeds, making eyes bleed: he's hated on seven continents)
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To: Religion Moderator

Understood.


391 posted on 09/04/2011 9:30:00 PM PDT by WPaCon
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To: Judith Anne; Avalon Hussar
Annointing the sick is not only for the dying. I don’t, frankly, see a lot of protestant ministers in the hospitals I’ve worked in.

Would those happen to be Catholic hospitals?

They seem uncomfortable around death, like they don’t know quite what they are supposed to do in a sickroom.

Did you personally watch or observe while they were in visiting the patient? The whole time? Were all of the patients they visited on their deathbed for sure? You know that they were all dying?

How did you determine that they were unsure or uncomfortable? Did they say so or were you reading body language?

Are these facts that they were uncomfortable or was it just your opinion on those you presumed to be ministers? Did you know their denominational affiliation?

392 posted on 09/04/2011 9:30:05 PM PDT by metmom (For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery)
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To: Natural Law

No dice. I will not split hairs.


393 posted on 09/04/2011 9:30:30 PM PDT by Religion Moderator
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To: Judith Anne
what am I supposed to do, in your book?

You should be asking the Holy Spirit what you are to do, not me. BTW, I have no book.
394 posted on 09/04/2011 9:31:20 PM PDT by presently no screen name
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To: Avalon Hussar

All pastors check in at the nurse’s station. None that I know of have ever visited the locked psych wards.


395 posted on 09/04/2011 9:31:54 PM PDT by Judith Anne ( Holy Mary, Mother of God, please pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.)
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To: WPaCon

No it wasn’t - I restored 367.


396 posted on 09/04/2011 9:32:46 PM PDT by Religion Moderator
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To: metmom
Would those happen to be Catholic hospitals?

Protestant ministers are never denied access to patients at Catholic hospitals. Nor are they ever discouraged. EVER.

397 posted on 09/04/2011 9:33:28 PM PDT by Judith Anne ( Holy Mary, Mother of God, please pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.)
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To: Judith Anne
When a protestant minister comes to the dying, is s/he always POSITIVE that he knows the state of their souls, that they are saved? Or does s/he just assume it, if they are a church member, that they don’t need to accept Christ as their personal Savior and come to Him in repentance and love. What if they just faked it for social reasons? What if the dying one has doubts? What is the special ministry to the dying, of the Baptists?

I'll use my experience with the Southern and Freewill Baptists to speak to this, so bear that in mind when reading my replies.

When a Pastor comes to minister to the dying and their family, one of the first questions that they're taught to ask the dying is to confirm the state of their soul. No matter how long they've been a member of the Church, it's a question which is always asked. If there are doubts, the Pastor attempts to determine the root cause of the doubts and then addresses them, answering any and all questions. What I mean by root cause of the doubts is that the Pastor attempts to determine if the doubts are stemming from a wavering faith or if the doubts are originating from a lack of faith which has been, as you said, generated by a false conversion originating from a socially generated decision.

I know these things because I saw them ministered to my Mother when I was 23 and several of my grandparents over the years. It's very clearly understood, at least in the Churches which I have experience with, that this is the very last chance to make certain that everything is as it should be between the dying and God.

398 posted on 09/04/2011 9:33:35 PM PDT by Avalon Hussar
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To: Natural Law

I doubt it has anything to do with that.

Most likely it’s to do with ultra nasty very personal assaults that y’all’s cult seems addicted to.


399 posted on 09/04/2011 9:34:09 PM PDT by Quix (Times are a changin' INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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To: Alex Murphy

Nope, pretty much everything.

By “my store” I mean, the store where I work.


400 posted on 09/04/2011 9:34:33 PM PDT by Judith Anne ( Holy Mary, Mother of God, please pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.)
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