Posted on 11/19/2008 7:45:33 AM PST by EveningStar
As Republicans sort out the reasons for their defeat, they likely will overlook or dismiss the gorilla in the pulpit.
Three little letters, great big problem: G-O-D.
I'm bathing in holy water as I type.
To be more specific, the evangelical, right-wing, oogedy-boogedy branch of the GOP is what ails the erstwhile conservative party and will continue to afflict and marginalize its constituents if reckoning doesn't soon cometh.
(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...
McCain is the exact type of politician these idiots are calling for. That didn’t turn out too well.
She makes some good points but misses the mark.
It’s not religion or religious people that are the problem. It’s those that believe that their religion gives them the right to dictate the behavior of others that don’t subscribe to the same beliefs.
Abortion is the perfect case in point. In the 1970s and 80s, conservatives were up in arms over how liberals were using the judiciary to force others to allow abortion. Forcing others to follow their beliefs.
And now it’s the exact opposite, religious conservatives are trying to outlaw abortion, forcing those that believe in it to cease and desist.
Most recently, it’s also ‘gay marriage’. We see that a good number of states passed constitutional amendments defining the status of marriage.
Why?
Because gay/lesbians were using the courts to force the citizenry to do their bidding - ie: gay marriage.
And now is the backlash against it. In time, we’ll most likely see religious conservatives try the reverse. And there will be the corresponding backlash to that.
The point is that one *CANNOT* legislate morality. One can only hope to influence people enough to have them change their beliefs. And once they change, their behavior changes as well.
Morality is something you get from your parents and your religious institution.
It is *NOT* something you should find in governmental law!
That is the problem with Evangelicals.
But I understand that it is the evil Evangelicals and or Catholics that beat up old women and smash their signs when a vote doesn't go their way.
Or was that the secular homofascists?
There’s no whiskey or prostitutes in heaven...
;-P
(Makes ya think... one man’s heaven is another’s hell.)
I'll kill this right now. The only thing that legislators do is legislate morality. There is no law that doesn't have some moral component imprinted on it. Including traffic laws.
elections are about whose morailty gets imprinted.
I resent being categorized as an “evangelical”. It is almost as a slur grouping all religious conservatives as an extreme right. But remember, the extreme right is supposed to counterbalance the extreme left.
The left wants no part of balance.
The only law that pertains to religion in the Constitution is that the State cannot make any one religion official as a preference. If there is nothing that distinguishes right from wrong how can there be anything but anarchy?
---
Yes, yes... amazing that.
That this is *NOT*:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by Jesus..."
Note the difference...
You make my point.
You can’t legislate morality. But morality influences legislation.
What evangelicals would like is the legislation of morality. Ban abortion, ban homosexuality, etc, etc.
I don’t believe in either of those examples, but I’m not going to force my beliefs on those that believe otherwise... and I will fight to my last breath to stop others from forcing their beliefs on *ME*.
Remember that little phrase we were supposed to learn as kids? You know, I think it was called something... something like, oh! I remember... the GOLDEN RULE.
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!”
Would you want liberals forcing *THEIR* beliefs on you? Then you shouldn’t be forcing yours on them!
... and raise you one oogedy boogedy "Ooga Booga."
I didn’t “make your point”. I refuted it absolutely. There is NO law with out a moral component. Legislators make laws. This is pretty simple stuff amigo. The juvenile, “you can’t legislate morality” is just that juvenile. It is what legislators do.
As a rule, parties should worry less about who they are and think more about what they have to offer the public (Note: I'm not talking about a Christmas list of goodies at taxpayer's expense, but rather about the appeal that they make to win votes).
If you've got real issues that reflect the concerns of the people as a whole, the question of who your base is will be moot. You will appeal to more than a few small groups, and you may even win elections.
So all this talk about who we are, rather than what we'll do is counterproductive.
Do you not know that Jesus IS the Creator?
“And God said, Let us make man in our image...” Genesis 1:26
Jesus and God ( and the Holy Spirit) are the Creator. If you don’t agree, who is this “us”?
That was Henry the Old King
>>>>>Maybe you should have to get out of the tent? And KP?<<<<
I disagree with most of your post except the above. If Religionism is to be the rejuvenated GOP, and conservatism is to become synonymous with the Protestant Christian Bible, it is time for many of us to bail out.
BTW, I’m a plain old conservative, and not a FiCon or a SoCon or a DefCon or any of the other stupid hyphenated divisions that have done so much to destroy the GOP and the meaning of “conservative”.
I buy the whole ball of wax and not these cheap little refinements.
First the commies came for the Evilgelicas and I said nothing.
Every law ever made is based upon someone’s sense of morality, religiously inspired or not.
If “And G-d said, Let us make man in our image” is your basis for defining diety-hood...
...then you must worship me, as I am a man - made in G-d’s image!
And I say, give me all your money!
:-P
Laws are created to allow for the smooth functioning of society.
End of story.
Anything else is excess and should be removed.
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