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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: smvoice; metmom
We know that Mary knew she needed a Savior. She herself acknowledged this when she prayed, "My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior" Luke 1:46,47.

A counter argument to this has been offered at least once on this thread. I saw no answer to it.

The fact that Mary DIED is proof enough that she was subject to the FULL penalty of sin. Rom. 6:23, Gen. 2:17, 3:19.

Just FYI the Catholic Church is silent on whether or not she died.

Which leads to the next point. If the Virgin Mary had an inherited sin nature (which she most certainly did), she could not bring forth a pure offspring.You disagree then with metmom who thinks the "sin nature" (not a term I am familiar with -- is it in the Bible?) only passes from the man?

But I take it you are saying that God made the embryo, that Jesus is not really descended from anyone through Mary, and that the "substance" she provided was not genetic but nutritive?

Again,no gotchas. This is a line of thought unfamiliar to me.

I think this is pretty clear that the embryo that was deposited in the womb of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Ghost contained no taint of sin, and that Mary's womb was SIMPLY THE VEHICLE FOR THE FORMATION OF THE HUMAN BODY OF CHRIST. Into which the "Spirit of Christ" entered AT BIRTH and THUS WAS FORMED THE GOD-MAN.

So John erred when he leaped in Elizabeth's womb because it wasn't his Lord yet, just the body which would later be adopted by investment of the Divine nature at parturition?

4,541 posted on 09/21/2011 4:16:20 PM PDT by Mad Dawg (Jesus, I trust in you.)
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To: Mad Dawg
Ok; I failed to fully describe what I meant.

In Genesis, GOD says, "Let US make man in OUR image."

This implies at the least a dual personality (we believe it to be Three fold, after seeing the things in the NT).

Since we must worship GOD in Spirit because HE is spirit, ONE of the three (Jesus was to be the name given) - of the WORD came to earth as a human (Jesus; the INCARNATION)


I should have left the word 'father' out of my first statement.

4,542 posted on 09/21/2011 4:17:49 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going)
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To: Elsie
>>You left out the FIRST of the verse:<<

Your question was about being with the Lord when we die. Either way you look at the verse it would indicate that it was Paul’s perception that to be away from this body was to be with the Lord.

4,543 posted on 09/21/2011 4:18:51 PM PDT by CynicalBear
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To: Iscool
Bible doesn't tell us either way, does it...

Yes; it does.

All will 'sleep' until the last trumpet sounds. Then the DEAD IN CHRIST will rise...


I see no reason for the soul of Mary not to be in heaven.

While I don't see any reason for it TO be.

4,544 posted on 09/21/2011 4:20:21 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going)
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To: RnMomof7
"Type" can't be worked like that. Hint: she wasn't covered in gold or made of acacia wood either.

how could they see His Glory while He was in the womb of Mary?

I'd ask John and Elizabeth.

4,545 posted on 09/21/2011 4:21:25 PM PDT by Mad Dawg (Jesus, I trust in you.)
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To: Mad Dawg

I don’t know, MD. I’m asking. Just for a reasoned, well-thought response. With Scripture. That’s all.


4,546 posted on 09/21/2011 4:21:37 PM PDT by smvoice (The Cross was NOT God's Plan B.)
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To: Elsie

Not sure what you meant by posting that.


4,547 posted on 09/21/2011 4:22:19 PM PDT by CynicalBear
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To: CynicalBear
Either way you look at the verse it would indicate that it was Paul’s perception that to be away from this body was to be with the Lord.

It does NOT say that at all.

It merely speaks of Paul's PREFERENCE.

4,548 posted on 09/21/2011 4:22:31 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going)
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To: CynicalBear

It fits it with one of these conversations going on... ;^)


4,549 posted on 09/21/2011 4:23:55 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going)
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To: OpusatFR
“Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the Sanctuary, which faces East; and it was shut. And He said to me, “This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it; for the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it shall remain shut. Only the Prince may sit in it to eat bread before the Lord; He shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gate, and shall go out the same way” (Ezek 44:1-3).”

The Bless~ed Mother is set aside and holy.

If Mary is Bless~ed, we Christians are all Bless~ed as well...

Eze 4
4:1 Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut.
Eze 44:2 Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut.
Eze 44:3 It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.

It not only boggles my mind that they somehow convinced you guys to think these verses have something to do with Mary, but what is more remarkable is that you go on a public forum with bible readers and believers present and submit these verses as though you pulled a nugget out of the pan of your defense of the verneration of Mary...

There's not a single syllable in there that represents Mary...

4,550 posted on 09/21/2011 4:25:27 PM PDT by Iscool (You mess with me, you mess with the WHOLE trailerpark...)
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To: Elsie

The feast at the wedding in Cana testifies that Mary believed in Jesus, for it was she who told them to do whatever he said, knowing and believing that He was about to astonish them. Take care when you discuss Mary the Mother of Jesus. Science tells us that a Mother carries cells from her children who have gestated in her womb ... and these cells are there for the rest of her life barring a radical hysterectomy.


4,551 posted on 09/21/2011 4:29:09 PM PDT by MHGinTN (Some, believing they can't be deceived, it's nigh impossible to convince them when they're deceived.)
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To: CynicalBear; OpusatFR; Judith Anne; Mad Dawg; metmom
He changes in chapter 44 and begins to reference Mary even though He’s still describing the Temple? Then in verse 4 again describes the Temple but also in verse 5 talks about marking well those going in and going out?

This demonstrates what happens when people are never taught how to rightly divide the word of God.. the cult leader..be it Joseph Smith ,Joe Olsteen, Benny Hinn or the 'magisterium " put the cult spin on it and the people all accept it without reading the word IN CONTEXT for themselves..

1Cr 2:14 — But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.

4,552 posted on 09/21/2011 4:29:56 PM PDT by RnMomof7
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To: Mad Dawg
Scripture isn't clear how it's passed on only that it is.

Whatever it is that gives us a soul, I suppose. Where does the soul come from? Is that wired into the DNA as well? I don't know.

Romans 5:12-19 12Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

15But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

18Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

4,553 posted on 09/21/2011 4:40:02 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: Elsie

Don’t know where I heard this:

The Utah Department of Employment, Division of Labor Standards claimed a small art dealer was not paying proper wages to his help and sent an agent out to investigate them.
The following is the transcript of the event:

GOV’T AGENT: “I need a list of your employees and how much you pay them.”

ART DEALER: “Well, there’s my hired hand who’s been with me for 3 years. We pay him $150 a week plus free beer and a lounge in the bunk house. Then there’s the two mentally challenged workers. They work about 18 hours every day and do about 90% of all the work around here. They make about $10 per week, pay their own room and board, and we buy him a bottle of VODKA and her a bottle of WINE every Saturday night so they can cope with life. They also sleep in the same bed.”

GOV’T AGENT: “Those are the ones I want to talk to . . . the mentally challenged ones.”

ART DEALER: “That would be us.”


4,554 posted on 09/21/2011 4:44:50 PM PDT by Utah Binger (Southern Utah where INVITED Freepers will meet again next summer. Jim Robinson Too)
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To: Elsie; Iscool
While I don't see any reason for it TO be.

Considering that Mary saw her own need for a savior, that would indicate that she recognized that salvation was not through the Law, but by faith. I would then think that it would be reasonable to conclude that she is in heaven.

If, however, you are speaking in terms of where souls go before being reunited with their bodies, Jesus went into Paradise and opened it for access to heaven.

4,555 posted on 09/21/2011 4:49:36 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: Elsie
D00d, NONE of US who live the new life, the ζωη, are fit for common use. We are kingly and priestly, and it might do us a lot of good to remember that more often.
4,556 posted on 09/21/2011 4:50:47 PM PDT by Mad Dawg (Jesus, I trust in you.)
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To: Elsie
It merely speaks of Paul's PREFERENCE.

It does not say that at all...

It speaks of Paul's willingness, not preference...A willingness for something that he is confident will happen, and that is to be present with the Lord when absent from the body...

4,557 posted on 09/21/2011 4:50:51 PM PDT by Iscool (You mess with me, you mess with the WHOLE trailerpark...)
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To: Elsie
>> It merely speaks of Paul's PREFERENCE.<<

Well, let’s look at another verse.

“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.” (Phil. 1:20-26)

Does that make it clearer? You don’t think the reference there to “depart and be with Christ” doesn’t indicate that at least he believed that if he departed this body that he would be with Christ?

4,558 posted on 09/21/2011 4:55:35 PM PDT by CynicalBear
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To: MHGinTN
The feast at the wedding in Cana testifies that Mary believed in Jesus, for it was she who told them to do whatever he said, knowing and believing that He was about to astonish them.

I don't read anything in the text that indicates that she knew how Jesus was going to deal with the situation.

Another possibility is that the wedding was for Mary's family and that somehow she was involved in providing the food. When the wine ran out, since Joseph is not mentioned much after Jesus' twelfth birthday and one can conclude that he died, Mary would have logically gone to Jesus as He was the oldest son. For all we know, and all the text implies, she could have just expected Him to send them out to buy more.

We know a miracle is coming because we have the advantage of hindsight. Looking at it from the perspective of being there, as it happened, there is no indicator that anyone knew a miracle was forthcoming.

4,559 posted on 09/21/2011 4:58:01 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; Cronos
Mark, Cronos, are you guys reading this page?

I briefly scan once in a while, but don't have time right now to engage the heretic, the apostate and the pagan. Right now, except for certain posters like we Christians, this thread resembles nothing more and sometimes less than the attitudes displayed in the usual Daily Kos threads.

4,560 posted on 09/21/2011 4:59:54 PM PDT by MarkBsnr (I would not believe in the Gospel, if the authority of the Catholic Church did not move me to do so.)
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