Sarah Palin: Un-Christian behavior?
Douglas Todd
I have been one of the journalists focusing on the Pentecostal beliefs of Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin. She has interpreted her branch of Christian faith to dictate against contraception, homosexuality and deny global warming. She also advocates for Creationism and seeing both the Iraq war and the imminent end of the world as God's will.
But the new Alaskan governor's actions in office may be just as important, even more important, than her stated religious beliefs. Jesus brought the world one of its most profound teachings when he said: By their fruits shall you know them.
It's been helpful that some American reporters are getting beyond lipstick jokes and Palin's ability to deliver a feisty speech and have been working on uncovering her political habits and history. That's how you get to know someone.
Reporters for the mainstream media have found that throughout her political career Palin has pursued vendettas, fired officials who crossed her and sometimes blurred the line between government and personal grievance.
The New York Times discovered when there was a vacancy at the top of the State Division of Agriculture in Alaska, Palin appointed a high school classmate, Franci Havemeister, to the $95,000-a-year directorship.
A former real estate agent, Ms. Havemeister cited her childhood love of cows as a qualification for running the roughly $2 million agency.http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/thesearch/archive/2008/09/20/sarah-palin-un-christian-behavior.aspx