God and Politics Ohio Style
http://carolinademline.blogspot.com
It was bound to happen, God being mixed into the gubenatorial race in the Buckeye state of Ohio. In a speech this week, Republican nominee J. Kenneth Blackwell, made comments regarding the Democratic Party and religion. In the speech, Blackwell stated, ``Democrats still believe that government is God, and God is not.'' This language is unacceptable and I hope that the people of Ohio reject such talk at the ballot box in November.
Before I was involved in politics, I was a churchgoer. My Catholic faith was instilled to me by my family and I rarely use it for political purposes. I am tired of the Republican Party using religion as a vote mechanism and painting Democrats as a Godless group of people.
I ask Republican Party officials a few simple questions and hope they will refference their Bibles for the answers:
1. Is it moral to allow 1 of 5 children to live in poverty?
2. Is it moral to live in the richest nation in the world and have people go without healthcare?
3. Is it moral to pollute the environment and ruin the planet that GOD created for his children?
4. Is it moral to spend the country into debt beyond repair and pass it along to the next generation of leaders?
5. Is it moral to Judge another's beliefs without examining one's own beliefs?
6. Is it moral to discriminate because of a person's race, color, sex, or sexual orientation?
Reading articles about politicians who use religion against my party makes my blood boil. I have met thousands of Democrats who are churchgoing. They are wonderful people living the life God has planned for them.
In a previous post, I referenced a political candidate from North Carolina, Vernon Robinson. Ken Blackwell and Vernon Robinson are two of a kind. They claim to love America, but truly hate the people who call America home. In my christian faith, that is wrong because Jesus teaches us to love each other as Children of God.
I hope we as Democrats can begin to stand up to this Christian bigotry that many candidates on the right use to divide our party and the electorate. It is time to stick our thumbs into the eyes of candidates like Robinson and Blackwell (Old Testament Style!!!) The time to be timid is over. Let's take our gloves off and start punching back.
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/14866814.htm
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Amen.
I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments.
My gloves are off.
We have let these extremists pull the center of our country so far to the right that the whole nation is lopsided. Unless and until we punch back hard, we'll find ourselves compromising all the way into a fascist theocracy.
I'm with you.
Anglico
I thought this was a diverse country and that includes our religious preferences. Don't we have freedom of religion? Why do the Republicans think that we have to think and act exactly like they do or we are Godless and unamerican. As Christians, have these people not actually read the bible? Aren't we supposed to try to be like Jesus?
John Dean's new book (can't think of the name right now) sounds like it is very interesting reading. Rebublicans follow their leaders no matter what. One of the beauties of being a Democrat is that we certainly aren't lemmings.
Say a little prayer for you...
From TCV and syndicated at "Christian" and conservative websites
"Rev". Mark H. Creech registered lobbyist for and executive director of the Christian Action League of North Carolina, Inc.
Oh, Rev.
The hair splittin' done by the Rev. in the above piece would be funny if it weren't so twisted and clearly inhumane.
I just have to beg to differ with the Rev.
Logical Step 1: The Scriptures, in fact, do direct us -- people, Christians, etc -- to be very involved in matters of housing, food, child-care, health-care, etc. for the least of our brethren. Many times over we're are thusly directed.
Logical Step 2: Our Government is a republican democracy, Yes? In fact, we are specifically a government "of the people, by the people and for the people", are we not? So, if people run this democracy, and we people have been clearly directed to care and concern ourselves with the matters listed above ...
Logical Step 3: The Rev. fell on his head and lost his train of thought.
I don't know how else to explain how a man who clearly reads and writes could have reached the conclusion that he did in the above statement. Have mercy.
Given the huge tax cuts we've given to the rich...
I would like to see the Right's convictions tested. Have charitable contributions to the homeless shelters, battered women shelters, orphanages, foster homes, and free clinics risen? They state that if only we gave them more money back, then they would take care of the downtrodden (that is why the government is bad).
So? The feds have slashed their taxes, have they increased their charitable giving by a large hunk? It would be a hard tally to determine given that we have been faced with more "Worst Ever" natural disasters in the last five years than, well, ever.
Uncharitable contributions
Changes to estate tax law will mean even less money diverted to foundations and charity organization because the tax benefits of giving will be reduced or eliminated.
True.
One of the primary means of reducing one's tax burden when one is wealthy is to give to charities. If you get nifty little tax cuts on your earned income, and then you also get really big nifty tax cuts on your capital gains income ... the rich man's previous motivator for donating generously to charitable institutions is reduced.
Now, that's incredibly cynical of me and it's all just my opinion. But it's an opinion formed from having close contact with folks who's financial managers recommended going heavy on charitable contributions at the end of every year. I don't know what's being recommended now 'cause I no longer have close connections to anyone so wealthy that they need a financial manager.
It would be interesting to see hard data on changes charities have seen in large dollar private donations, though.
A Political Christian
Thirty-five years ago being a Christian in public life meant aligning with the Berrigans: Against war, for public welfare, etc.
Nowadays in public life you have no place in the Kingdom of Heaven if you don't support the Bush Administration in everything, especially tax cuts and the Iraq war (in that order), and line up to kick the poor.
I was hoping the best-seller status of Jim Wallis's book would help change that, but the corporate media give ear only to the extreme right on matters of religion.
Politics and war
drove me away from Christianity. I was raised a Southern Baptist, and the more I got immersed in that religious denomination, the more dissonance I experienced. Today I'm a UU if I'm anything, which is a long, long way from the Second Baptist Church in Richmond.
I never understood Religion and Politics
At least not today's version of the relation between the two. How can people who claim they are moral and religious, which means in today's terms "have a higher moral sense", be in a Party which calls for little society help to the poor? Less restrictions on pollultion? And hammers home devisive issues to divide us?
Democrats need to take back religion. How can they not when you look at it rationally?
Amen.
Be just, and fear not.