Call for Less Religious Blabbering on Campaign Trail
Wednesday January 16, 2008
Mike Huckabee was quoted the other day as saying that it's better to change the Constitution than the word of God -- and if that doesn't scare you into getting registered to vote, nothing will. At any rate, one of the hot issues on this year's campaign trail seems to be "Who's more religious than the other guy?" While officially, on paper -- you know, that piece of paper we call a Constitution -- it's illegal for religious preference to be part of a test for holding office, it's become just that. In an endless cycle of one-upmanship, each candidate wants to be known as the one who likes God best.
It looks like us Non-Mainstream-Religion types aren't the only ones tired of hearing about it. Now, according to a Reuters report, several Catholic, evangelical and mainline Protestant leaders are asking that candidates put a stop to all the spiritual posturing. Authored by members of Faith in Public Life and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, they're hoping that Huckabee and his competitors will stop using religion to "advance partisan political agendas on the presidential campaign trail". In fact, they've laid out a few guidelines that sensible people of any faith can probably get behind.
The announcement included the following statement, signed by over two dozen religious leaders: “In this year’s presidential campaign, we are troubled to see candidates pressed to pronounce the nature of their religious beliefs, asked if they believe every word of the Bible… and faced with prejudicial analyses of their denominational doctrines.”
It goes on to recommend three standards they'd like to see members of both parties adhere to during the campaign:
It looks like us Non-Mainstream-Religion types aren't the only ones tired of hearing about it. Now, according to a Reuters report, several Catholic, evangelical and mainline Protestant leaders are asking that candidates put a stop to all the spiritual posturing. Authored by members of Faith in Public Life and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, they're hoping that Huckabee and his competitors will stop using religion to "advance partisan political agendas on the presidential campaign trail". In fact, they've laid out a few guidelines that sensible people of any faith can probably get behind.
The announcement included the following statement, signed by over two dozen religious leaders: “In this year’s presidential campaign, we are troubled to see candidates pressed to pronounce the nature of their religious beliefs, asked if they believe every word of the Bible… and faced with prejudicial analyses of their denominational doctrines.”
It goes on to recommend three standards they'd like to see members of both parties adhere to during the campaign:
- That religious differences should not be used to marginalize or disparage candidates.
- That candidates should acknowledge “that no faith can lay exclusive cliam to the moral values that enrich our public life.”
- That while it is appropriate for candidates to connect their faith to their policy positions, their positions on policy must respect all citizens regardless of religious belief.
Well, a campaign run following those principles would certainly be nice. Imagine a candidate who honestly believed in freedom of religion, for all religions, and maybe even the separation of church & state.
never gonna happen if they r honest on this then they will tik off the god of american politics. ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY VISA. lol
RON PAUL believes in following the constitution that has a separation of church and state. He does not want to change the constitution!. Get out and vote support RON PAUL our only sane choice!
Obviously, it is important to vote, due to the risk of a theocracy in our country. I like most of what Ron Paul stands for, but I don’t know if I can trust him because he repeats that lie about America being founded by Christians which is popular among the Republican Party (America was actually founded on Deism, as we can see from the Declaration of Independence’s references to the “Creator” and “Nature’s God”, and from the fact that we have a separation of church and state, which was an idea that originated among Deists). He also has the support of the Christian Reconstructionists (including their leader Gary North; all Ron Paul supporters should Google this guy’s name), an extremist group which desires to impose the Mosaic Law on America (a scary thought, as anybody who has read it would be aware).
Personally, I trust the Democrats more as they are the party that doesn’t push their religion into the public square. The Democrat race is between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Obama is the more electable candidate according to the polls (he performs about 5 points better than Hillary against the Republicans), so the best way to keep religious extremists out of power is to vote for Obama (and they realize it, as Republican propaganda outlets have been slandering Obama constantly for the last week or 2).
I think the Democrats are deliberately trying to help Huckabee get nominated because he’s so easy to beat. If he were the Republican nominee and lost in a landslide, it would forever discredit Fundamentalist Christianity. If he somehow steals the general election, religious minorities and the nonreligious will have to flee persecution.
Adolph Hitler (who was a Christian) came to power through democracy. If the vast majority of Americans who oppose the agenda of the fundies and their allies in big business fail to vote this year, history may repeat itself.
America’s founders were not Deists. They were almost all Christian.
Hitler was not a Christian. He was agnostic. His mentor got his marching orders about racism and jews from wicca… a seance!
There is something better than living in fear of curses and evil spirits. Jesus Christ liberates from fear.
Love rules Christ’s Kingdom, not fear, hate or revenge. What a far better way to live.
tubby said:
“There is something better than living in fear of curses and evil spirits. Jesus Christ liberates from fear.
Love rules Christ’s Kingdom, not fear, hate or revenge. What a far better way to live.”
We as Wicca do not fear curses and evil spirits; that emotion is generally the domain of fundamentalist Xian sorts who visit websites with an agenda of proselyization. We also do not acknowledge the concept of “evil” as you indicate. There is beneficial and baneful uses of Energy, but describing those as “good” or “evil” is something that is black and white while ignoring the gray – again, something that is the domain of fundamentalist Xians like yourself.
Tell you what: I’ll not come on your message boards and tell you how historically flawed your religion is if you’ll kindly refrain from preaching here. Agreed?
Blesséd be,
Scolaí
@ Tubby — Deism is a form of Christianity. Though I doubt you care about the facts or will even bother to come back here.
Thomas Jefferson himself said: “But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.”
I doubt you’d ever hear that from Mike Huckabee.
@ other pagans: If we expect the Christians running for president to follow these principles, then so should we. It does us no good to blame Hitler on Christianity, and I don’t know how relevant the Crusades are to modern life (except in discussing the Middle East). Let’s focus on what the candidates and the fundamentalists of our own time are doing to damage this country — there’s plenty of examples if you just read the news!
I am sick to my stomach over all of this. I’m actually worried about who will win the election. Huckabee’s Christmas ad just made me so angry – I’m from NH so we saw them all! He is just so scary. Please get out and vote!
In our constitution it guarantees freedom of religion and while presidential candidates are saying things like this it makes me nervous. I’m a very accepting and open-minded person and I believe that everyone should have the choice to choose whatever religion they want to practice. I don’t think that religion should have any part in political campaigns though because to me it just seems unethical. There is supposed to be a separation between religion and our government and when candidates openly voice their religious beliefs while campaigning it gives me less faith in them. I know that religion does play a big part in peoples beliefs and values I just don’t think that the candidates should voice their religious preferences. Becoming president would become their job, while it’s great if they go to church every Sunday or however they perform their religious practices (if any), I think it has no bearing on how effectively or ineffectively they would do their job as president. I want to know what they’re going to do to help and benefit the country and also where they stand on certain issues. I don’t care about their religion, I care about how effective they will be as being the leader of this country.
Ron Paul should not be defined by his supporters. Paul & Kucinich, the 2 most principled candidates so far in this election cycle, attract all sorts of loonies.
In general, a libertarian leaning candidate is going to be your best defender of religious freedom.
Understanding how obsessed voters are with their beliefs, however, can be seen in the Louisiana caucus.
http://www.infowars.net/articles/january2008/250108Win.htm
The “Pro-Life/Pro-Family delegate slate” ?
yikes
Please, please, please register and vote! What America decides also impacts on the rest of the world…it could be the next guy to persuade our guy into war or not, so please choose wisely.
In the UK it doesn’t matter as much what a party leader believes, although Tony Blair hushed up his practically Catholic faith for years out of fear he would be derided in the press for it, (there is an inherited fear of powerful Catholics in the UK – think Bloody Mary I, Guy Fawkes and James II!), however, I think pretty much anyone of any faith could get in to a position of power in the UK government; you either are a respectable form of Christian or Jew, or you are a member of a minority religion who knows how to cry ‘persecution!’
Good luck with the election, please, may the best one win!
I, for one, am very happy that Huckabee’s blabbering has exposed him for the religious fanatic he is — I wouldn’t want to NOT have known this!
But, I also agree that religion shoulnd’t even be the issue in all of this –unless we’re talking about reformation of religious freedom!!!
Personally I think it is time that a Witch becomes President then no one need ask who is the right one for the job the Great Mother shall decide.
Blessings
I also believe that religion has no place in the race . I do hope the facts reach the right people, vote. I have been saying for sometime that the other path should stand together and not let religion run the race . i do plan to vote this year and every year the goddess gives me to vote . me so far i like obmama however you spell it . but, its all about the issiues . i would love to see are troops to come home, i love this country , but, enought is enought , bush made his money get him out. gt someone who cares in . blessed be…