THE JESUS THING
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp.../thejesusthing
By Ann Coulter

An intersting column. How accurately do you think this describes politicians, regardless of their party?

It's accurate in that politicians on all sides are full of ****. 90% of their job is doing what they can to get in or stay in power. That's a neccessary evil of the system, 'cause if they're not "in" they can't DO anything. That aside, I absolutely loathe Ann Coulter. She's a shrew and a right wing nut being run out there for the republican party. She makes Rush seem palatable.

Then again Geno, is she any worse than any of the columnists as the NYTimes?

Ann Colter is hardly a reliable authority on bi-partisian politics. She is slanted so far to the right that she probably walks with a limp (which conversly could be said of others who lean to the left, of course).

About the NY Times, Steve, yes their editorial staff are generally social liberals, but they also print conservative columns and points of view, such as William Safire, George Will and others.

Anyway, that aside, I think religion is a significant issue to Americans- polls have consistently shown that nearly 97% of Americans either pray or have some sort of spiritual or moral beliefs- so therefore it is important to politics.

There was an excellent piece on this very question on NPR the other evening. Terri Gross, of WHYY, had guests from both Democratic and Republican campaigns on the show and asked about the mixing of politics and religion. The consensus from both sides seemed to be that people want to know what values and beliefs influence candidates, because that will influence- either directly or indirectly the way that candidate will make decisions when they are in office.

The guest on the show cited Jimmy Carter and his faith as a Baptist, and his statement admitting to lustful thoughts. Also discussed was Reagan and the theological language he employed, although he was not an avid church attendee- i.e. "overcoming the forces of evil, etc" in talking about America's role in the world.

Bush I and II have both invoked theological language in their speeches- "May God Bless America" and "defeating the axis of evil", etc. Clinton referred back to his faith, and also used theological language. Lieberman, Kerry and even Dean (despite his gaffe about Job being his fav NT book), have all cited their faith as an important factor in their formation as leaders.

Religion and belief are such an ingrained part of our culture, that candidates almost have to address it if they are to have broad appeal to American voters.

What they do once they are in office may or may not be a different matter. That is the deeper question beneath the question- how will the spiritual beliefs and values of our elected leaders influence their decision-making?


Peace,

John

I agree that Ann Coulter can more lean to the right, but in this, like many cases, her opinion seems very valid. Many liberal candidates..i.e. all of the current Dem candidates use religion or acting religious as an act to help garner votes. There are certainly some Reps who do the same thing, but focusing on the current candidates, her points seem valid.

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"Ann Coulter can more lean to the right." LOL. Dude - she herself would be offended by that statement. She is a rabid and unapologetic rightwinger.

Her attempted point is that Dems feign religiosity to get votes. But she offers no evidence - just levels the accusation. What evidence does she or anyone else have about what the Democratic candidates' religious beliefs actually are?

The only Dems whose faith I know anything about are Lieberman, Dean, Kucinich and of course the good Reverend.

Lieberman is an observant Modern Ortho Jew who has been open about his faith for his entire political career. He certainly has not pandered to Christians on issues of religion. He is a genuinely religious man whose faith guides him in his work.

Dean has spoken about increasing his public conversation about his faith, and confessed his reticence to do so, and clearly he is reaching out to voters by talking about his religion. His personal instinct is to keep his faith private, and the talking about it could in the most negative light be considered pandering, but I've seen nothing that suggests that he is fabricating his faith for the voters, merely that he is overcoming his discomfort in speaking about what his beliefs actually are.

Kucinich is a Catholic who also has been open about his religious observance for his entire career, and has spoken about how his faith inspires his conviction in social justice and pursuing peace. He has had to anwer critics who have called his conversion from voting anti-abortion to stating that he would consider a commitment to upholding Roe v Wade a prerequisite for any Supreme Court nominees. He has articulately explaine his wrestling with the Church's teachings and coming to his current position.

Rev. Sharpton has of course spoken about his religious faith for his entire professional career and comes to politics via his faith-based commitment to social and racial justice.

If you've got the goods on Kerry, Edwards, or Clark talking about their religion in a deceitful manner, bring it on. Otherwise you and Ann are just making crap up.

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Thomas Taylor

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Steve,

I may have misunderstood the context of your post- but it certainly seemed to me like you suggested that many Democratic candidates invoke religious language in their rhetoric and campaigning solely to get votes.

That may well be in some cases but: 1) Who are we to judge who is sincere and who is not, and 2) I think that you can't say that just about Democrats, but must include all candidates of all parties in the mix as well, including Republicans.

Many Conservative politicians, pundits, and columnists seem to want to claim that Republican candidates are the only ones who can invoke religious language and talk about their faiths in a genuine way.

As you probably have figured out by now, I am socially liberal on many issues (I like to think of myself as progressive, but I think labels cannot accurately express one's ideology and beliefs- we are all unique).

I'll tell you why I am socially liberal, and what faith has to do with all this- all too many conservative politicians seem to talk about their Judeo-Christian beliefs, then turn around and in the next breath support measures that hurt the very people that this faith has called us to reach out to- the least and the lost.

Democrats do the same thing to a degree- it is all a big tightrope act and dog and pony show for a lot of politicians in Washington and Harrisburg. My hope is always that our leaders will rise above the temptations to cave in to big business and begin to truly work for the people they are called to represent- common Americans.

Many Republicans are fond of the WWJD saying- (What Would Jesus Do?)- would Jesus want most of the world's population (and more than a third of all Americans) to be without healthcare when they could easily be covered if the corporate world and wealthy Americans were not so greedy? I think not.

So I guess my point is that we need to be careful when we accuse our leaders, candidates and politicians of invoking faith in an insincere or trite way. First we need to look in the mirror and examine our own hearts.

Peace,

John

Right on ThomasT. I agree entirely. Did I read in another forum that the candidate you most identify with philosophically is Kucinich? I would have to say that the same is true in my case. Pretty much the other dems are just "not as bad as Bush" to me. As far as Ann Coulter, she has zero credibility to me. I can't take a single sentence she writes seriously and I can tell you up front I never will. My mind is closed on the subject of her. The New York Times comparison is invalid. Like peace said, they may lean a bit to the left but in a more main stream way. She's lunatic fringe. Michael Savage in a skirt. The equivalent on the left would be the American Communist Party or something like that.

I love Ann Coulter. :clapping:

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Jason
Lynn Swann 06'

"Individualism is absent when other peoples' standards, not reality and reason, are ones primary guide."

Beats independent thinking, I guess.

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