My Faith: Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), from Catholic to Muslim

CNN ^ | 9/1/11 | Chris Welch

[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.”

[CynicalBear]

>>I'm tickled pink I never worked for you, too. Because I don't want to be forced to proselytize, as your employee, a false and phony church I don't and never could believe in. Did you make your employees sign a statement of faith? Or did you refuse to hire Catholics?<<

Now there you go again. You project your own views or prejudices onto someone else. You accuse me of “forcing” employees to proselytize. You “assume” that I belong to some organized “church” of any kind other then the church Christ calls His bride which consists of those who profess Him to be their Lord and Savior. Just being a card carrying member of some earthly organization doesn’t cut it.

As for my employees? People who didn’t openly profess Jesus as the savior usually weren’t even going to be comfortable working with us. As for the Catholics, they learned pretty quickly that we pray in Jesus name to the Father and believe what He said about the only way to the Father. No beads, Saints, or Maryology. No pagan “queen of heaven” rituals.

[Iscool]

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,

Here's one error of your creed...

Of course Jesus is the Lord...But the Holy Spirit and God the Father are the Lord as well...A little scripture research will reveal that to any bible student...

the only Son of God,

Here's another error in your creed...There are many sons of God...Jesus is the only BEGOTTON son of God...

One right after another...

eternally begotten of the Father,

Act 13:33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.

Was Jesus the Son of God in Genesis??? When was Jesus begotton??? Eternally begotten??? Will Christians worship God in heaven or Jesus, the Son???

And of course this one...

We believe in One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

There were no Catholics hanging around with Jesus...Of course you can believe anything you want...Your Nicene creed however is too unbiblical for me...Most everything in your creed is unbiblical...I'll stick with a biblical creed...

[Salvation]

I believe you are mistaken in your beliefs about what the Catholic church teaches about Mary.

We venerate her. We do not worship her.

I wonder if we Catholics will ever be able to quash this indiscretion voiced by so many.

Click on my name to see apologetics threads about Mary.

[GiovannaNicoletta]

Plus the treatment of women by Muslims just horrifies me.

I know! That's whats so surprising (/s) about the eagerness with which the Democrat party, those vaunted defenders of the oppressed and rescuers of female victims of male violence, accommodate Muslims however and whenever they can.

[CynicalBear]

>>ARE YOU NUTS? Prosyletizing could get me fired. -- Judith Anne, post #317<<

I had actually forgotten that she had put it that blatantly. Thanks for catching that. How can she then ask me that question? Do they think we don’t pay attention?

[Judith Anne]

Catholics are so ingrained with the following a religious leader mentality, that it's clearly beyond their comprehension that someone can follow Christ alone, >

Well, if we ever saw someone DO it....

[metmom]

Anyway, I'll readily agree that some of the preachers in Quix's denomination have gotten into territory which is false teaching at the least, but do you really want to be branded by what some of the Catholic Priests have done in the past?

Also kind of ironic and hypocritical. It goes both ways, even if they can't see it now.

For that matter, there are some alarming statistics of what Catholic priests currently believe. Daniel1212 has them I believe.

[smvoice]

You just hit the nail on the head, metmom. Baseless opinion, and seeming justification for being rabid anti-Protestants. Just another way to try to shut down the only conversation that matters: the Gospel of the Grace of God. Thanks for posting this. Stand strong, brave Protestants. The rocks being hurled are only stale rolls..

[Jvette]

It is a common practice within Islam to use this type of hyperbole to recruit their pawns. That is why the suicide bombers are always poor young men and women. They exploit the circumstances telling the black convicts that they are in prison because of the white man and not because of their own illegal actions.

I agree that we are too complacent in our acceptance of Muslims and mosques all throughout this country. But, those who stand up and try to bring attention to what is happening are treated as bigots.

CNN ran a story last night on the opposition of the mosque being built near Murfreesboro, TN. It was a Muslim friendly piece and made the citizens who protested it look like rednecks and intolerant hicks.

[count-your-change]

“Many of the “Christians” here are followers of Paul, not Christ.”

Names? Or perhaps Mark would explain what the difference is for the us folks in the back of the class. Yes? No?

I mean I quote Paul a lot and I did have a priest make much the same statement to me years ago and till now no one has said what, if any, difference there is between Paul’s teaching and Christ’s.

[metmom]

You mean like this guy? From what I understand, he knew the Bible way better than you guys do.

Hey, your church claims to have WRITTEN the Bible.

If people who follow it are wrong, what does that make YOUR church for writing it?

Your priests claim to know the Bible better than their parishioners, so they have to explain it to them so the laity can understand it.

Oh wait a minute, did the Bible knowledge help Catholic priests any? There's probably a bunch of children we could ask.

[stonehouse01]

Lest we miss the point -Let me break it down - this discussion is about free will.

Eve chose to say no to God and let sin into paradise. Mary chose to say yes to God and let the Rededemer come. If Mary had said no - no Redeemer. Mary is the new Eve.

Mary is the new ark of the covenant.

This does not take away from Our Lord’s sacrifice. The plan is perfect - God made humans and only human’s could help him fix it.

Again - to reiterate - free will is the issue here. If humans had no no free will we would have been just pretty creatures - and God wanted us to be “like” him with intellect and reason.

The whole Mary situation is a reflection of this!! It’s not a difficult concept.

[stonehouse01]

sorry - meant let the Redeemer come

[MarkBsnr]

Please refer me to the various heretical terms that were applied to Paulianity and that were condemned during the first millennium. And also, condemned by whom? Rome?

I see that your grasp of Church history is equivalent to your grasp of Christian doctrine. Permit me:

Let's start with Marcionism.

Marcionism was an Early Christian dualist belief system that originated in the teachings of Marcion of Sinope at Rome around the year 144;[1] see also Christianity in the 2nd century. Marcion believed Jesus Christ was the savior sent by God and Paul of Tarsus was his chief apostle... Paul's epistles enjoy a prominent position in the Marcionite canon, since Paul is credited with correctly transmitting the universality of Jesus' message.

Later groups accused by their contemporaries of being in line with the "gnostics" of Irenaeus. Various later groups were also associated with earlier heretics by their contemporaries:

The Paulicans, an Adoptionist group of which little is known first-hand, were accused by orthodox medieval sources of being Gnostic and quasi Manichaean Christian. They flourished between 650 and 872 in Armenia and the Eastern Themes of the Byzantine Empire

The Bogomils, the synthesis of Armenian Paulicianism and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church reform movement, which emerged in Bulgaria between 927 and 970 and spread throughout Europe

(thanks to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnosticism)

There were many others, but I'm sure that your research will uncover some of them quite easily.

[Judith Anne]

Proselytizing (verb proselytize is pronounced as ˈprɒsələtaɪz ) is the act of attempting to convert people to another opinion and, particularly, another religion .

You should know what it is. You guys do it here all the time, attempting to convert Catholics (I have no doubt you would use force if allowed) to Paulianity.

And yes, proselytizing could get me fired, and no, I won't do it. I will make no secret of my faith, however, and I will be the best example of it, at work that I can. How would you like a proselytizing Catholic employee at your place of business?

[MarkBsnr]

Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

:)

Applause. You alone (thus far) have picked up on my reference to the practice run, rather than the final Commission.

[Salvation]

??

Bible Prophecy Numbers

Isn't this all Old Testament references?

The 1335 days of our prophecy chart,
(and the 430 of Ezekiel)

 

 

Bible Prophecy Chart

Theme: Exile and Tribulation

From the seven-year "world-wide" famine of Joseph,
until the falls of Egypt, Israel, Assyria, Judah, and Babylonia…

1878–1871 BC Enter Egypt 1876

1446 BC	722 BC	612 BC	586 BC	539 BC
Joseph’s world-wide seven-year  famine			Fall of Egypt (i.e., the Exodus)	Fall of   Israel	Fall of Assyria	Fall of Judah	Fall of Babylon
Total years later from the famine -->			390/430 years (Ezk.4) from famine	1150   years (Dan.8) from famine	1260 years (Rev.12) from famine	1290 years (Dan.12) from famine	1335 years (Dan.12) from famine

"At first my people went down to Egypt to live;
lately, Assyria has oppressed them."
(Isaiah 52:6b)

[metmom]

You know, Peter himself called Paul’s writings *Scripture* and even he recognized that Paul wrote some things that are hard to understand.

Kind of makes you wonder why modern day Catholics have such a problem with that.

[Salvation]

??

From many translations

New International Version (©1984) Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. New Living Translation (©2007) And blessed are those who wait and remain until the end of the 1,335 days! English Standard Version (©2001) Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. New American Standard Bible (©1995) "How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days! GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995) Blessed are those who wait until they reach 1,335 days. King James Bible Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. American King James Version Blessed is he that waits, and comes to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. American Standard Version Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. Bible in Basic English A blessing will be on the man who goes on waiting, and comes to the thousand, three hundred and thirty-five days. Douay-Rheims Bible Blessed is he that waiteth and cometh unto a thousand three hundred thirty-five days. Darby Bible Translation Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days! English Revised Version Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. Webster's Bible Translation Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. World English Bible Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred thirty-five days. Young's Literal Translation O the blessedness of him who is waiting earnestly, and doth come to the days, a thousand, three hundred, thirty and five.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Blessed is he that waiteth - This indicates a patient expectation of an event that was to occur, and the happy state of him who would reach it. The angel refers to another period different from the "time, and times, and an half," and different also from the twelve hundred and ninety days. He speaks of this as the consummation - as the desirable time; and pronounces him blessed who shall be permitted to see it. The idea here is, that of one looking out for this as a happy period, and that he would be regarded as a happy man who should live in that age.

And cometh to - literally, "touches." That is, whose life would reach to that time; or who would not be cut off before that period.

The thousand three hundred and five and thirty days - The article is not used in the original, and its insertion here seems to make the period more distinct and definite than it is necessarily in the Hebrew. There is much apparent abruptness in all these expressions; and what the angel says in these closing and additional communications has much the appearance of a fragmentary character - of hints, or detached and unexplained thoughts thrown out on which he was not disposed to enlarge, and which, for some reason, he was not inclined to explain. In respect to this period of 1335 days, it seems to stand by itself. Nothing is said of the time when it would occur; no intimation is given of its commencement, as in the former cases - the terminus a quo; and nothing is said of its characteristics further than that he would be blessed who should be permitted to see it - implying that it would be, on some accounts, a happy period.

[MarkBsnr]

to be renewed, remoulded, changed, modified

Does Spiritual growth involve change?

God is eternal. Only men change.