Every minute that a candidate talks about his or her faith is a minute

[WCGreen]

they aren't addressing the real issues of the day...

I really feel like keeping track of a candidates "faith" outbursts and vote for the person who cites faith as a motivating factor the least...

I have faith that god will give me the answers...

Screw that, I want you to listen to temporal advisor's and quit pretending you are asking "god" for guidance in these troubled times...

Do you really believe these candidates who name drop God at the drop of a hat really believe...

I'm sorry, I don't...

Perhaps I am far too cynical, but I don't just don't see it...

Maybe it's because my old man use to say, watch out for those who wear god on their sleeve...

There the one's that'll fuck you hardest...

[jillan]

1. Watch out for the ones that advertise their religion on their vehicles

They are sure to cut you off in traffic.

[saltpoint]

9. Agree. A lot of New Testament Christians have a devil in their dashboards.

Some wild folks careening out of the church lot every Sunday mornin'.

__________

Hi ya. Hope's all's well your way.

[WCGreen]

13. I don't care if it rains or freezes...

Long as I got my plastic Jesus...

Sitting on the dashboard of my car...

[saltpoint]

16. Hi, WCGreen. I'm embarrassed to say I know a good handful of

versus to that song.

And the Rev. Franklin Grahama wouldn't like even ONE of them, either.

[WCGreen]

18. I love that old song...

[jillan]

25. In Arizona it must be the fashionable thing to advertise Jesus on your

car. I always have to wonder how Jesus would feel about that.

Things are good - how about you?
I see you support the UAW stike too.

:thumbsup:

[saltpoint]

30. Yes. Mr. Edwards, my guy, and Mr. Biden, your guy, also join in support of

the workers -- the ones currently effected & their family and friends as well as all those who've gone before us.

I was prompted by the great post yesterday by DUer WildEyedLiberal.

[gateley]

2. If you do keep track, please share the results. nt

[rusty quoin]

3. Your old man was right.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. It's as though they don't want you to question them...

Maybe they're hiding from us, behind their religion?

Or are they using their religion to screw us over, as your old man thought?

Well, whatever their reasons are, I too wish they would cut it out, and get to the real issues, the ones that really impact us...

[LittleClarkie]

5. Shrug, It's the same as the candidate spending time telling me about him or herself.

I don't mind some personal info about the candidate. I can either agree or disagree, and gage if they are sincere or pandering. I don't assume pandering merely because the subject is brought up.

[sandnsea]

6. The right will talk about faith

If we can focus on the liberal values informed by faith, then that neutralizes one of their biggest campaign themes.

[WCGreen]

7. But the minute you start talking about he liberal ideals ff Christianity...

They go all old testament on you and that negates the whole thing...

[sandnsea]

8. It presents alternative views

I heard nothing but complaints around here about letting the right claim God. Now someone is challenging that and that isn't good enough either. Chronic malcontents.

[AndyTiedye]

11. Attacking a Foreign Country to Steal Their Oil Doesn't Seem Like Something Jesus Would Do

I think we have a case there.

[sandnsea]

14. One would think

But apparently half the Dem Party is confused about that too.

[WCGreen]

20. I'm not a malcontent....

I don't really give a shit what the republicans do...

But talkin' about religion to try and pry a few fundamentaists from the grasp of the GOP is just a waste of time and tells me something about that candidate that I really don't like...

[sandnsea]

21. Whose trying to get fundamentalists?

I don't know who you're talking about.

[WCGreen]

22. If people talking about God in a personal way floats your boat....,

Then have at it...

But to me, and it is my opinion we are talking about here, the people who are eager to hear that this candidate prays or that candidate prays before they make a decision about electabilty are just plain wrong...

And if that is a measuring stick for whom they vote, then they probably tend toward the fundamental side of the religious spectrum...

[sandnsea]

24. Is the exploitation of God a problem?

Do you think the way the right has claimed to own Jesus has affected the morals debate in this country? Do you think them labeling groups of people as a-moral has alienated people from Democrats? Do you think it's a good idea to continue to ignore what they're doing?

[WCGreen]

26. Look, I ran for office several times...

And I was asked quite frequently if I was a person of faith...

I was very uncomfortable with that, it made me feel as if belief in god is a litmus test...

It's personal, and anyone who professes faith in search of a few votes to me is suspect, to me, remember, this is all about me and how I feel about god and politics...

And if people of faith can't see what embracing Jesus by one political faction or another has done to this country, then they are probably not going to cozy up to someone who supports a Womans's right to choose...

That's my experience...

[sandnsea]

27. So you were uncomfortable

that the right's claim to a monopoly on faith put you in a position of feeling you had to pass a litmus test - but you don't support someone who challenges that mentality by condemning it. Why?

[WCGreen]

28. I believe I am condeming this as we speak...

But Who is challenging that mentaltity by condemning it....

[sandnsea]

29. glad you asked

"My intention was to contrast the heated partisan rhetoric of a distinct minority of Christian leaders with the vast majority of Evangelical Christians - conservatives included - who believe that hate has no place in our politics. When you have pastors and television pundits who appear to explicitly coordinate with one political party; when you're implying that your fellow Americans are traitors, terrorist sympathizers or akin to the devil himself; then I think you're attempting to hijack the faith of those who follow you for your own personal or political ends.

But as I said in my speech, it's critically important to understand that these are the "so-called" leaders, not the real leaders. The real leaders are clergy and lay folks who are living out their faith every day in ways large and small, trying their best to determine how best to serve God and their fellow man. They may not agree with me on every issue, they may not even support me in an election (heaven forbid), but they know that hate has no place in the hearts of believers."

http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/204017.aspx

[fenriswolf]

38. i want a candidate that states

my faith has no impace upon my policies whatsoever and therefore my faith is my own private concern, I could get behind a candidate like that.

[fenriswolf]

10. gotta fill in the talk time somehow

without slipping how much their policies suck for the average american.

[WCGreen]

12. There you go...

Good one...

[provis99]

15. Your assumption that they aren't talking real issues is wrong

Of course when they talk religion, we on DU may feel they aren't talking real issues, but to their potential supporters, how religious they are IS the issue. Different strokes for different folks.

[WCGreen]

19. But obviously, using the current occupant of the WH as an example...

Talkin' religion don't mean you are livin' reigion...

[fenriswolf]

34. and even though

their constituants are religous does not make pandering to them right. remember religion and state are / seperate

[Cameron27]

17. Until someone can use their religion

for the same purpose as MLK, then they probably should keep it to themselves.

[1932]

23. If they actually have faith, I don't mind it.

I have friends who have a lot of faith, and it motivates them to do good things, and I'm impressed by it, and I wouldn't want them to feel like they couldn't talk to me about it.

[LanternWaste]

31. I think that in this world of electronic multi-media

I think that in this world of electronic multi-media, multiple messages can be managed without any one losing import or getting lost. Seems to me that it becomes incumbent on the receiver as to which message(s) they choose to hear or not hear.

[PurityOfEssence]

32. Any policy that can't be justified without faith isn't worth enacting

Politics should live and die on the premises and plans alone. Right and wrong are issues that are obfuscated and clouded by religion NOT aided by it. Religion ABSOLUTELY misses the point.

[fenriswolf]

33. biggest hyporcracy of them all

almost all religious mandates state that war is wrong so why are the religious always the first to suggest/sponsor/support war?

[Stop Cornyn]

35. I'm an atheist and I disagree. I could as say that "every minute a candidate talks about ethanol is

a minute that they aren't addressing the real issues of the day." Personally, I'm very invested in alternative energy, but I'm not sold on the idea that ethanol is a good solution. While I appreciate the effort to stir up interest in alternative and renewable fuels, I'm ambivalent about the topic of ethanol.

I could say that, but I wouldn't say that.

I understand that other people feel differently than how I feel about ethanol. I understand that some people are quite passionate about ethanol. It's not a key issue for me, but I'm glad that candidates are taking the time to address ethanol because I know it's an important issue to some people.

I feel somewhat similar about faith, but there is an important difference in how I react to a candidate's discussion of faith.

On the one hand, I am glad that candidates are taking the time to address their faith because I know it's an important issue to some people and it is nice for them to have the candidates take the time and make the effort to address issues that are important to some people.

In the other hand, I am glad that candidates are taking the time to address their faith because some of these guys (and it is guys, not Hillary -- specifically Republican guys) are crazy. I am not inclined to name names or call out anyone's faith in particular, but some of these Republicans have views tained by their religious faith which -- in my view -- disqualifies them from the presidency.

If some one is an atheist, or agnostic, or Catholic, or Jewish, of Islamic, or Protestant, or whatever, I generally do not find that disqualifying because there are cultural components to such faiths and -- to some degree -- people adhere to the culture and faith they were raised with and I would hate to blame someone for that. But if someone allows their faith to cause them to believe that the earth is flat (or only 6000 years old), this raises questions about their capacity to reason.

When the candidates discuss their faith in a way that causes me to conclude that they are irrational, I'm glad they took the time to have that discussion because it tells me that I could not support them under any circumstances. I know there are people who view this issue differently than I do, and who may be drawn to a candidate because of the same characteristics and faith which I judge to be irrational, but that's just how democracy works.

[Hissyspit]

36. Litmus Test. n/t

[cobalt1999]

37. I'm an atheist, but they've got to do what they've got to do.

It's unfortunate, but required.

[greiner3]

39. That's why I can't support Obama!