Haley's path to Christianity leaves some evangelicals uneasy

CNN ^ | 6/15/10 | Peter Hamby

[redk]

(CNN) - Whispers about Nikki Haley's Sikh heritage burst into public view in the final days of South Carolina's Republican gubernatorial primary when state Sen. Jake Knotts called the Indian-American legislator a "raghead."

Knotts offered a pseudo-apology and was roundly condemned for the remark. Haley went on to win the primary in dominant fashion, capturing nearly 50 percent of the vote in a four-way race. She now faces Rep. Gresham Barrett in the June 22 runoff election.

But while Haley's commanding win last Tuesday proved her electoral viability - she won 42 of the state's 46 counties in the primary, including evangelical-heavy areas like Greenville and Spartanburg - it did not completely erase suspicions about her faith.

[Mr. Lucky]

In Morgantown, Indiana, the adherence to Scripture observed in both the Baptist and Methodist congregations is virtually indistinguishable. Some years ago, I was making small talk with the Methodist preacher at my Grandmother's funeral. He was relating that he and the Baptist preacher would fill in for each other whenever an emergency, vacation or the like required. He revealed that there were some serious difficulties, however.

He would invariably wear his wool suit on Sundays when a baptism was scheduled.

[DoughtyOne]

The stupid thing is, a Sikh observer is not a Muslim observer.

That being the case, this is such a non-issue that it baffles the mind why CNN would bother to develop this report in the first place.

It’s completely meaningless. It would have been a much better service for them to explain what the Sikh religion is.

Gurus, not Mohamed are the focus.

These are a peaceful people. There are twenty-six million of them around the world.

Calling them a raghead reveals a vast ignorance on the part of the person using the term. Raghead is generally a term used to describe Middle-Eastern Muslim supporters, who can be very violent toward the West.

Sikhs are not.

[gitmogrunt]

Is Jake Snott’s a republican or demon-rat?

[antiRepublicrat]

Let's see a little more media scrutiny of closet Muslims.

Sikhs are very different from Muslims. Their most beloved martyr was tortured and beheaded by the Muslims because he was protecting Hindus from forced conversion, and wouldn't convert himself so that they would follow. This guy is their ideal, that you would give your life to protect people of another religion, not even your own. That's pretty much the opposite of Muslims.

Of course, directly attacking them and their religion is dangerous, as Indira Ghandi found out.

[MBB1984]

My comparision was between two conservatives. Jimmy Carter was a liberal, always a fraud and an evangelical Christian in name only.

[MBB1984]

I am glad. However, my experience with most Methodists is that they do not believe that faith in Christ is the only way to heaven.

[onedoug]

ping

[Genoa]

my experience with most Methodists

It makes a difference in which part of the country you are. Until the reunion of 1939, there were two Methodist Churches (not counting the smaller ones): the Methodist Episcopal Church (in the north) and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. (This was because of a split over slavery before the Civil War.) The northern church was heavily affected by modernism, but the southern church not so much.

[Fiji Hill]

...my experience with most Methodists is that they do not believe that faith in Christ is the only way to heaven.

Unfortunately, that seems to be the case too often. Over the past few years, our church has accepted interns from the Claremont School of Theology, which trains most of our local pastors, and virtually all have reflected the school's hard-left ideology.

Our current pastor is not a productg of this school. He was born in Korea and turned to the ministry after a career in business. However, it probably is only a matter of time before we get a leftist in our pulpit--and when we do, many of our parishioners will likely leave for the Evangelical Free Church just up the street.

[rintense]

Doesn’t surprise me. Remember whose dirty finger prints are all over the SC race (Huckabee).

[Fiji Hill]

Methodists have the best music of any denomination. Hymn writers of the Methodist faith include Charles Gabriel (”He is So Precious to Me”), Phillip Bliss (”Hold the Fort,” “Let the Lower Lights Be Burning”), William Kirkpatrick (”Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah,” “Jesus Saves”), Leila Morris (”The Stranger of Galilee,” “Sweet Will of God”) William Tomer (”God Be With You Till We Meet Again”), and Daniel Towner (”The Old Ship of Zion,” “Trust and Obey”).

[conservativebuckeye]

I have doubts about Barrett. He did vote for TARP.

[conservativebuckeye]

I think you answered your own question, at least from a liberal perspective.

[Genoa]

We wouldn't want to omit Charles Wesley.

[Genoa]

It makes a difference in which part of the country you are.

I might add that in the north, you pretty much know what you're going to get. In the present-day south, it's like a box of chocolates. The cities and the countryside often present a startling contrast.

[RipSawyer]

May as well plant some Longleaf pines too, you’ll have timber before anybody finds that.

[WOSG]

“This is the best they can do against her? The left must really be panicking.”

Yes, they are ... she will make a great Governor.

[red tie]

It just shows how dated and out of touch the reporters from CNN really are. Odds are most of these reporters have never set one foot in SC in the last 20 years if ever.

[DoughtyOne]

I wouldn’t be surprised.

[Dawgreg]

That too........LOL