Posted on 10/25/2015 6:55:01 PM PDT by markomalley
Until now, Donald Trump and Ben Carson have been content to co-exist as the two Republican “outsiders” dominating the presidential campaign scene.
Together, the bombastic billionaire real estate executive and the eerily soft-spoken former neurosurgeon have shared about half of the overall Republican support in the presidential sweepstakes while the other candidates have languished with single digit showings in the polls. But as Trump and Carson prepare for another crucial Republican presidential debate in Boulder, Colorado on Wednesday, the gloves are definitely coming off.
With two new polls showing Carson surging ahead of Trump in Iowa, Trump has begun lashing out with the same tactics he has used effectively against former Florida governor Jeb Bush earlier this year – saying that Carson lacks the energy and negotiating smarts to be president and that he is too soft on immigration. “Carson is lower energy than Bush,” Trump declared during a Jacksonville, Florida rally on Saturday. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”
Carson immediately retorted in Iowa that “My energy levels are perfectly fine,” noting that he often spent as many as 15 to 20 hours in the operating room during his career as a nationally renowned surgeon. In an obvious reference to Trump’s showboating, combative political style, Carson added that “jumping up and down and screaming” doesn’t qualify one to be president.
During an appearance on NBC News’ Meet the Press today, Carson said that Trump and other critics often mistake his soft-spoken manner as a sign of a lack of energy. “I have plenty of energy,” he said. “But, you know, I am soft-spoken. “I do have a tendency to be relaxed. I wasn't always like that. There was a time when I was, you know, very volatile. But, you know, I changed.”
Over the weekend, Trump also veered into more treacherous political territory – and may have offended the state’s politically active evangelical Christians -- by singling out Carson’s Seventh-day Adventist faith and suggesting that it somehow puts his chief rival on the religious fringes when contrasted with Trump’s more “middle of the road” Presbyterian faith.
“I’m Presbyterian,” Trump said on Saturday in Jacksonville. “Boy, that’s down the middle of the road, folks, in all fairness. I mean, Seventh-day Adventist I don’t know about. I just don’t know about it.”
Carson angrily demanded an apology. He also suggested during an interview on Fox News Sunday that Trump’s outbursts might be a sign of desperation, especially his attack on Carson’s religious faith after complaining two months ago that Carson had improperly questioned his own faith.
Back in September, Carson caused a stir when he credited his faith for his success in life and contrasted that with Trump, who had said that he never asked God for forgiveness and refused to cite his favorite Bible verse. Carson later apologized.
“He went a little ballistic on that, so it seems a little interesting that he would now be doing that,” Carson said. “You know, I really refuse to get in the mud pit. You know, Hillary [Clinton] was actually right when she said the Republicans are there trying to destroy each other. I really think that was a huge mistake in the last [presidential election] cycle, and I’m certainly not going to get into that no matter what anybody says.”
Evangelical voters make up a substantial part of the Iowa’s Republican base, and it’s a group that Trump has had difficulty wooing. Why he called out Carson on being a Seventh Day Adventist and further offending evangelicals more generally is hard to fathom.
By Sunday, Trump was back-pedaling on the controversy, even while refusing to apologize to Carson for having raised the topic in the first place. Questioned by George Stephanopoulos of ABC News’ This Week on why he even brought up the subject, Trump sputtered, “I just don’t know about that particular religion.”
“I would never say bad about any religion,” Trump said. “I said, ‘I don’t know about it.’ That’s not an insult.”
For a front-running candidate who lives and breathes polling results and who has been riding the crest of an anti-establishment movement in his party, Trump suddenly has something to worry about.
Let me add this in:
What cultish types of things are there that you think Adventists participate in?
Devil worship
Spells
Mutilation
Mass suicide
Encantations
Hexes
Indentured servitude
Theft of church members funds
Declaring people forever damned to hell
The selling of access to heaven
Sexual activity for the pleasure the pastor or church leaders
The demand of church members to sell all worldly belongs and donate the proceeds to the church
SDAs meet on Saturdays and listen to sermons about living a good life and treating their fellow men as they would want to be treated
They study the Bible and it’s teachings
They do not get together on Sabbath and study Ellen White’s works, although some things that pertain may be touched on. The Bible is the main focus, for 99% of the time.
They talk about mission work, community welfare work, and disaster relief
how can a 7’th day Adventist run a military when they are dead set against war?
White certainly struck down the tenet from Hebrews that Christ entered ONCE for all the sanctuary and presented the Blood of His Sacrifice, as a done-deal.
White says that, in fulfillment of Miller’s prophecy that Christ would return in 1844 (which He didn’t), He went into the sanctuary a SECOND TIME to do an “investigative judgment”, to check up on who all is enduring to the end, and who is not. That is a gross contrivance which no one can prove or disprove, and is thus worthless — yet it is a major tenet of SDA.
But the part you neglected to mention is that, as I said, much SDA literature impugns the Sunday-worshipping evangelical masses for being part of the antichrist world system, tantamount to being the Mark of the Beast. Just try answering for that on the campaign trail. Also try answering for the SDA interpretation that a Pope will be the antichrist himself.
People have a right to hold these views; but they have no right to expect that they will not be scrutinized.
it does when the religion one is from is a pacifist religion like 7’th day Adventism - this is a key bit of info the voters should be made aware of as it will affect this nation- We’ve seen what damage passivism has after 7 brutal years under our current regime
That’s not even the worst of his ideologies- He’s for a panel to decide which seniors deserve life saving treatment/end of life care, and which ones don’t
[[Our mind-set is to automatically pull out all medical stops—even if that means literally torturing loved ones during their last few months of life. What if rather than always putting terminally ill patients in intensive care units—where we poke, prod, test, and operate ad nauseum—we allowed most people the dignity of dying in relative peace and comfort, at home, surrounded by loved ones, with hospice care or some other medical attendant if necessary? Agreement on who should be treated and who should not be treated would require an extensive national discussion that could hopefully result in some helpful basic guidelines. Obviously any such guidelines should allow for flexibility and choice. And decisions should be based not merely on age but on the viability of the patient. (From his 1999 book, The Big Picture.)]]
[That’s not even the worst of his ideologies]
It’s beyond me why evangelical leaders have not vetted BEN CARSON.
He should instead expose Carson’s support for Sharpton and the ties of some of his aids to Louis Farrakhan. Then he should also go after him on his weak stand on immigration control, and the 2nd Amendment.
Unfortunately, there are way too many white guilters within republican ranks who will vote for Carson no matter what.
Interjecting religion into this campaign does not strike me as a good idea.>>>
altho i did like trump calling out obama’s war on christians. which was correct.
Just like the states need to take their power back from the fed, the Republican State Committees need to take their power back from the RNC.
Maine has closed caucuses. Many states have closed primaries. That’s the way it oughta be.
Oh no. Kasich will take credit for this - hope we don’t end up with Kasich as VP nominee with Trump.
The Three Persons of the God-Head are present in the book of Genesis, the very first book of the Bible. When a religious teacher instructs us to reject the Trinity, as it is illogical and unreasonable, we can know for certain we are being the entering into the blasphemous teachings of a cult.
Also, any religion that does not center around Jesus Christ only, and raises up some other individual, such as Joseph Smith, Ellen White, Joseph Rutherford, Herbert Armstrong, Harold Camping, Mary Baker Eddy, L. Ron Hubbard, Louis Farrakhan, or Mohammad, who teaches another gospel, a gospel that was not taught by the Apostles, is not a Christian and its leaders are under condemnation, as are those who follow those teachings and lead others into falsehood, for the truth is available to all, and Christ forbids us to be deceived.
The book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible makes that clear, the Bible is complete, let no man (or woman) add or take away from scripture, for there is a curse if they do.
I believe that Christians have a duty not to vote for Carson, as they had a duty not to vote for Romney — or Obama as they belong to cults. You must look elsewhere for a candidate, but first look to God.
Carson is not just a harmless, well meaning, cult member, his status lends prestige to the cult, and mainstreams the false teachings of the cult. When you do this thing, you create the perception that the cult is Christian, and innocent souls are mislead into the cult, and may lose their salvation. And if they do, their blood is on Christian hands, because they did not inform themselves or else not think this important.
Then how to reconcile “the smoke of their torment arises forever and ever” with your idea there is no eternal hell?
I think Trump should have supported Kim Davis, I do think he was in the wrong about this. He certainly is not the perfect candidate, he is just the best we have.
Especially since the baby, even though the product of incest, is likely to be healthy.
Exactly.
I haven’t seen anyone in my lifetime claiming to have written new works that should be included in the Bible.
Please point one out for me. I’d like to learn something.
Are you saying that it is impossible for God to select an individual and give them new information? I sure hope God is listening. I’d sure hate to see Him make a mistake.
Seems to me God will do what he wishes to do. If someone does claim to have visions from God, their message should be studied to see if it is in harmony with God’s word. If it is, then I would hard pressed to find fault with it.
Here is a list of what Adventist’s believe.
I posted it and realized I had not included Baptism by immersion.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3351949/posts?page=196#196
These are generally things that cults participate in. Please tell me which of these the Seventh-Day Adventist church participates in.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3352853/posts?page=61#61
Interjecting religion into this campaign does not strike me as a good idea.Not even if one or more were Muslim?
You don't get to pick and choose which campaigns get to "interject" religion and which ones don't.
Be careful what you wish for.
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