60 Minutes described Evangelical political influence!

[napi21]

The first item n 60 minutes tonight Morley Safer described how Evangelical Christians influence politics, and what they believe.

I am a Catholic, and a Christian, but according to their beliefs, I'm going to hell, because I don't have THEIR beliefs. They firmly stated that GWB, Tom Delay, and a few others named were Evangelicals, and believe they must make others believers too!

I never thought I had any prejudices, but this really made me shiver!

I don't even know how you fight people like that!

[Stephanie]

1. yup

http://www.rollingstone.com/features/nationalaffairs/featuregen.asp?pid=2771

[info being]

2. You treat them as loonies...like anybody else mentally ill

...other than family, of course.

My point is you can't legitimize their beliefs by taking them seriously. Make them doubt their convictions.

[napi21]

3. I hate to say this but....

Isn't this trying to make this country into a theocracy?

I thought that was what they were trying to stay away from in Iraq and Iran!

[sallyseven]

4. Wait until the figure it out.

delay and bush think that money is god. They are playing a game with the people. When they get caught watch out.

[napi21]

6. Does that mean

that you don't believe they really are Evangelicals, but are just playing a mind game?

[hang a left]

16. I know you didn't ask me but, that's what I believe.

n/t

[NashVegas]

7. Not Taking Them Seriously

Has put them in the margins where they've been free to drum up support.

[Sibanetta]

5. Hey, can we hookup in hell..

Because I'll be going there too...I'm a Presbyterian...and apparently that isn't good enough either!

This has been the underbelly of the Bush Administration right along. If you don't believe the way they believe, in the way they believe it...you're toast!

Think about the judge in Alabama...the one with the Ten Commandments...he had people out there in the courtyard PRAYING to the monument...and they talk about the Muslims..Sheesh!

Any kind of religious fanatic is a bad thing...and Bush and his bunch give Christianity a bad name!

Sibanetta

[Catshrink]

8. Fundamentalism is scary regardless of what religion is professed.

Whatever sect it may be, the danger is that they believe God speaks to them. They are convinced that their way is right. When you look at it that way, Islamic, Jewish, and Christian fundamentalism are pretty much the same. This is scary shit.

[RhodaGrits]

9. The sooner the Rapture takes them, the better. n/t

[anti-NAFTA]

10. It's embarrassing. 70 million??? 70 million US citizens are INSANE!!!

This is embarrassing. ...and these people insult the French for being terra-sympathizers? At least France has allowed progress and ENLIGHTENMENT. Quite frankly, it's disgraceful. Instead of looking down on this sort of delusional thinking, we've encouraged it by nominating resident-idiot Presidents Carter, Reagan, and Bush Jr.. Not to mention the facts that Bush Sr. and Clinton, two very intelligent men, played the Evangelical role during election time. Very sad.

We're the laughingstock of civilization. This is as bad as Islamic fundamentalism. It might even be MORE stupid. tragedy...

[Nomad559]

11. They lie

Don't believe the 70 million number, Evangelical Christians always lie about their numbers.

[anti-NAFTA]

12. I hope so. but they certainly have fucked up our political strategies

Look how Dean tried to cater to their interests and it backfired on him (and they were very rude about it too, insulting him for preferring Job to Revelation).

Mentally unstable people should not be exerting a FUCKING NOTICEABLE political force. They drove the Repuke Party from antilabor capitalists to evangelical nutballs.

[LoZoccolo]

15. Some 30+% of them vote Democratic...

...and chances are there's a pretty big contingent here. Please, I wish we wouldn't have these broad-brush attacks when we're trying to get people together to oust Bush. There's a lot of good, legitimate discussion that could go on here about violations of the establishment clause of the first amendment - we would do a lot better to move the discussion of religion and politics to that area rather than name-call.

It's against the DU rules to begin with.

[no_hypocrisy]

13. What's important is that the evangelicals are in positions of power. They

CAN dictate to the rest of us how to live according to their tenets and beliefs, no matter how limiting. The Constitution will protect us up to a point, but with their ability to get the calibre of elected officials like *, etc., there go the judges who interpret the law.

I give the evangelicals credit for being so organized and persistent: they started by taking smaller positions like town counsel and learned how to campaign and get elected to higher office. It happened under our watch. Now we have to be more vigilant to fight for American democracy and a strong wall separating religion and government.

[hang a left]

18. Oh bull pucky!

They are masquerading. They are all putting on a show. IMHO

[ithacan]

14. www.TheocracyWatch.org

go to http://www.TheocracyWatch.org/ for all the details on how the GOP has been taken over by the religious right.

Every one of the GOP leaders in Congress is a Religious Right person. A huge number of state GOP committees are now run by the religious right.

Check out the website. It's scary. And pass it on to your secular Republican friends. They might just decide to stay home in November.

[proud patriot]

17. Starting in 5 minutes on the west coast

:kick:

[Moderator]

19. Locking.

Dupe.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1098390