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 Callista and Newt Gingrich campaign this week at a retirement community in Sumter County, Florida. My Take: Why evangelicals should dump GingrichBy David French, Special to CNN Editor’s note: David French is a constitutional lawyer, veteran of the Iraq war and the co-author (most recently) of "Why Evangelicals Should Support Mitt Romney (And Feel Good about It!)." (CNN) – At the moment, Newt Gingrich appears to be riding high with evangelical voters. After dismal performances in Iowa and New Hampshire, Gingrich dominated the evangelical vote in South Carolina and has made a strong pitch to evangelical voters in Florida. There’s no question that evangelicals are intrigued, and they are just now starting to take a close look. They won’t like what they see.
In 1998, at the height of the Clinton impeachment battle, evangelical voters were constantly confronting accusations from their secular, leftist friends that “it was all politics,” that evangelicals were less concerned with Bill Clinton’s indiscretions than they were about his party identification. Evangelicals just wanted to bring down a Democratic president, these critics said, and the Lewinsky scandal was merely the best weapon at hand. I remember well the evangelical response. To evangelicals, the Clinton scandal was about much more than the legal definition of perjury. It was about trust – about integrity. Yes, we care about issues. But we care as much about character. To us, the claim that our outrage against Clinton was mere “politics” was slanderous. If character counts, then so do values like fidelity, honesty, humility and charity. Sadly, Gingrich fails on all these counts. Those virtues, combined with a record of engineering dramatic economic turnarounds in business, the Olympics and Massachusetts, have led me to become an “evangelical for Mitt.” Churchgoing evangelicals have one of the lowest divorce rates in the country. Gingrich is a thrice-married, serial admitted adulterer. While the former House speaker tries to change the subject, biblically literate Christians understand that his conduct is a real and present issue. Simply put, a man doesn’t cleanse the moral stain of adultery by marrying his mistress. Matthew 19:9 is crystal clear: “I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.” Gingrich has divorced his wife and married his mistress twice. Evangelicals strive to be honest not just in their personal lives but in their business dealings as well. Here again, Gingrich’s record is dismal. In 1997, he became the first sitting speaker of the House to be reprimanded for ethics violations. The vote was overwhelmingly bipartisan (395-28), and he was fined $300,000. His offense? Misleading the House ethics committee. The bipartisan ethics report contained this damaging statement: "(O)ver a number of years and in a number of situations, Mr. Gingrich showed a disregard and lack of respect for the standards of conduct that applied to his activities." Gingrich ultimately acknowledged he misled Congress. Evangelicals also understand the necessity of humility while living life before a just and holy God. As every evangelical learns in Sunday School, pride is a serious sin. Psalm 101:5 declares “whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure.” Proverbs 16:5 contains this warning: “The Lord detests the proud of heart. Be sure of this: they will not go unpunished.” Yet is there a more arrogant public figure in American political life than Gingrich? His self-regard is legendary. He’s compared himself to world historical figures from Ronald Reagan to Margaret Thatcher to Abraham Lincoln to Pericles. He has said that people like him stand between America and Auschwitz. His self-congratulatory statements fill press releases, and former colleagues tell tales of his erratic and bullying behavior. Is that the right witness for evangelicals? Finally, evangelicals are generous people, possibly the most generous subgroup of Americans. Gingrich is not. Lost in the controversy over Mitt Romney’s wealth was this telling statistic: While Romney gave 16% of his 2010 income to charity, Newt Gingrich donated only 2.6%. Many evangelicals are angry, and rightly so. They’re angry with a president who embraces abortion rights, who restricts religious liberty and who saddles their children and grandchildren with a mountain of debt. They understand the necessity of protecting life and the imperative of financial stewardship. But they also understand that we don’t discard our core values for the sake of political victories. Fidelity, honesty, humility and charity matter. No one doubts that God forgives, but only God knows Newt Gingrich’s heart. We only know his actions, and we know that he has a history of deceiving even those who are closest to him. Three other Republican candidates are anti-abortion. Three other Republican candidates have been faithful and honest in their personal and professional lives. With honest alternatives to choose from, evangelicals will soon abandon Gingrich.
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The fact is that it would be political suicide to not be a Christian, therefore even if you are a militant athiest you are going to say you are a Christian in order to get votes.
Of course.
When in Rome do as the Romans.
Then overthrow Rome.
I know HUNDREDS of people who admit its all lies in private but are TERRIFIED to come out of the religious closet.
I believe 30 percent of Christians don't believe a word of it.
If nothing else you can tell by their actions!!!
I do it at work. I work in a very conservative are of the south. I know very well how an athiest would be considered for promotions and such. Plus, I find it easier to play along than to get into a theological debate every 5 minutes.
lunchbreaker
Welcome to the insurgency! Fight them any way you can!
I usually sleep with their wives, but vandalisim is a simple option for a newbie!
@just sayin "Everytime i see a butterfly, or a tree sway in the gentle breeze, I see God and his creation."
And every time you see starving children, natural disasters, waste, famine, murder, suicide, natural habitat destruction, the ruin of the rain forests, pollution, acid rain, cancer victims, children dying of disease, polluted drinking water, drunk drivers killing teens on the way to the prom, suicide bombers, r.a.p.e, etc......
What do you see then? If God made a pretty butterfly, he also made pain and suffering. Nice God you have there.
We are living in a fallen world. Evil is not from God. Becuase of man's sin, we live in a world where the devil has been given power to rule this earth. And so he is allowed to cause damage (sickness, poverty, accidents, storms, earthquakes etc). What we need to understand is that this world is temporary, that God has prepared (as was His original will) a permanent residence for us with Him in heaven. This world and our life here is like a drop in the ocean of what lies ahead which is eternity. This life is a testing ground for what lies ahead. If you believe in Jesus Christ, believe that He, Jesus died for your sins and make Him your Lord and Savior, you are guaranteed a place in heaven for eternity with God. If you don't believe, you will go to hell, which is a place originally created for the devil and angels who followed him. Accept Jesus today and you will go to a place so wonderful that no eye has ever seen or ear ever heard of a place to compare it to. A place where there will not be a single more tear shed, no sickness or hunger or war. This is the place God has prepared for us to spend eternity in. Most poeple get caught up in this 'preparatory' transitory earth and it's problems and start accusing and questioning God. This is not His ultimate plan for you or me. Accept Jesus today so you will see the great things God has in store for you when you leave this earth.
@ Ran
Please don't cut and paste your bible without reading it.
if you believe that God is all-powerful, then you also should acknowledge that God didn't HAVE to make the world this way, that God didn't HAVE to make people suffer, that God did not HAVE to give the world over to the devil.
Which means that God, if he/she/it exists, is capable of both good and evil. Just like a human! Coincidence? No.
Ran sounds like Socrates in "The Republic", cutting out all references from the poets of negative exploits of the Gods to try and fool the young into believing that "God is good".
Just read the Old Testament. The guy is clearly a psychopath on a power trip. Genocides aplenty.
Just Sayin wrote, " Your science religion is ever changing, mine is the unwavering true word of God with the promise of eternal life. You can have your theories, you’ll have lots of time keep changing them where you’re going."
It's not my science. It's science. Science is always open to accepting new information, new data, new knowledge. That's the whole basis of science. The fact that you don't know this, just supports the fact that you choose to be ignorant.
Plus, if your god is unchanging, how come he keeps changing his mind? If my rights come from your god, why do these rights change over time, location, and culture?
God never changes. It is only society that changes and tries to change God. But God never changes.
And, I agree, science is the religion of the unblelievers.
@george. Indeed, god never changes, He always has been imaginary and continues to be imaginary.
One must admire his consistency
I just don't get why Christians are so obsessed with caling science a religion. So does that mean we are the same, just a different god? So we aren't actually athiests? Without defining your terms the whole argument is lost to semantics. So what if we call science a religion? Does that equal "I win" in Christian logic?
@George: advance the christian agenda? that is seriously scarey. we are a religiously diverse country. like someone else stated, we our not a theocracy! don't vote someone into office just so you can force your religion on the rest of us.
Like it or not, you are living in a majority Christian nation.
Georgie boy, you do understand that the majority does NOT rule the US?
Our system is designed to prevent exactly what you seek.
I hope you also realize your numbers are dropping like a stone! And once the Mexican economy keep them at home and the right brings in illegal Chineese labor (which they did often in the past) your belief system will spiral even further from the majority.
Pluralisim will be the second and FINAL death of Christ.
Georgie: Perhaps the majority of the nation identifies itself as Christian. I would be willing to bet that most are not anywhere near as a-n-a-l about it as you are
Tea Partyer: "Who the heck are you?"
Man: "I'm running for office. I run on a platform that we don't need any weapons because we shouldn't shoot anyone, that you should give all your money to the poor and that you should not have any plans for the future and let whatever happens happen. We should have never invaded Iraq and we should release everyone in guatamo. We shouldn't imprison anyone because people who are harmed by robbery or ra-pe should get over it and move on."
Tea Partyer: "You're some right wing hippy nutbar. What the heck is your name!"
Man: "Jesus."
The thing the most confuses me about evangelical is their bigotry and hypocrisy. They hate the Jews but will die defending their "right" to put up a statue of the ten commandments at the town hall
They hate Jews? Some of the biggest supporters of Israel are Evangelicals. You must live under a rock with your perceptions colored by your own prejudices.
George.
You're just silly. Most evangelicals believe Jews are sub human.
They support Israel, but just try and be Jewish in the south and you will find yourself in a gas chamber!
The whole pro Jew thing is a scam (its the apocalyptic nonesense from Revelations that created that)
Please! Evangelicals are by nature bigoted and close minded. If you took them to a real Jewish area in Brooklyn, they would start carrying on about Satan and hide behind their pedophille pastors skirt.
@William
People burn in hell for lying.
George, the only reason you fundiots support Israel is because you think it will hasten Armageddon.
I get off on thinking about people burning.
George
Hell is a little boy bent over by one of you men of God.
The truth is right in front of you, just fight the indoctrination!
Any Christian candidate will be smeared by the unbelievers. As I mentioned below, we are not electing someone to sainthood. We are electing someone to advance the Christian agenda.
Who is this "we" to which you refer? Separation of church and state is a foundational principle of this country (and civilization in general).
It is not smearing when it is true George. It is known as reporting.
@JeffA
Separation of church and state is a fiction not found in the Const.itution. Only secularists want separation of church and state because they know it will be their downfall if good Christians are in office.
In violation of the consti tuition?
In all honesty, if you ignorant fundiots try and set up a theocracy in our country, I hope you are ready for the coming bloodbath.
We all saw what you rabid theists did to the Jews in WWII. It won't go so easy for you this time.
We live in a democratic republic. If the majority Christian voters elect a Christian to office then that is the way a democrace works. Threatening civil war if you don't get your way is typical of people with no morals.
Root post by George is an instance of the circu-mstantial ad hominem fallacy.
http://www.iep.utm.edu/fallacy/
George
Good Christian = Evangelicals, the most pro-militaristic, pro-gun, and pro-corporate sect in America. No thanks.
What do the bad or mediocre Christians have to offer?
@George: You said, "Threatening civil war if you don't get your way is typical of people with no morals."
Funny part of it is you would be the one to fire the first shot. Let me explain how the whole thing would happen...
1) Christian fundamentalist gets elected to office.
2) Laws with no basis other than Christian theology are passed.
3) Laws are deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
4) Christian militias take to the streets screaming persecution.
5) Reasonable law-abiding folks are forced to defend themselves.
@Sean
What you don't get is that the laws would not be unconsti.tutional because the first thing is to get a Christian Amendment passed. So forget the Supreme Court. Also, Christians in office would appoint Christians to the courts.
Finally, there are no Christian militias are you are just being hyperbolic.
George
In my view what you just said is treason.
I look forward to burning your agenda to the ground.
You are not loyal to America, you are loyal to a figment of your imagination.
" We live in a democratic republic. If the majority Christian voters elect a Christian to office then that is the way a democrace works. Threatening civil war if you don't get your way is typical of people with no morals."
There is a huge difference between electing a christian to office and running a right-wing talibanesque theocratic agenda.
@George: You said, "What you don't get is that the laws would not be unconsti.tutional because the first thing is to get a Christian Amendment passed."
I think you're sorely understimating how difficult it is to amend the Constitution, hence the reason it's only been done 17 times in the last 225 years.
Suffice it say George, that even if you were able to get one of your fringe members elected, the likelihood of instituting much of your "Christian agenda" is pretty close to zero percent.
@Sean
We shall see. But the age of secularism is coming to an end. I expect a wave of pro-Christian conservatives to come into office in the Fall.
Here's the bottom line. All people can vote for whomever they so desire (heck you can write Mickey Mouse on the ballot, if you so choose.) EVERYONE votes for the candidate that best represents their beliefs.
If the Christian Evangelicals find Gingrich supports their interests better than Romney, then they should vote for Gingrich. If Romney better represents their interests, they should vote for Romney.
Simply because you don't agree with the Christian doctrine is no reason that they should not get to vote for the candidate they like best. If the Christians (the vast majority of the United States) were to say, "Well, we don't agree with atheism, so atheists can't vote" there'd be a HUGE uproar. Luckily, our country hass a couple of Consti.tutional amendments that are protecting the atheists (specifically the 1st Amendment and 26th Amendment).
Suffice to say, the Christian evangelicals have a large support base and can get done what they want done. Why? Because they have a lot of members, each one with a vote. And each person is given the right to vote by the U.S. Consti.tution to vote for whomever they choose. Therefore, if the Christians have a majority and vote one way, that's not a failure of the system. That's the system acting as it should. The majority rules.
@DamianKnight: You said, "Suffice to say, the Christian evangelicals have a large support base and can get done what they want done. Why? Because they have a lot of members, each one with a vote."
And yet, they can't even get their preferred choices nominated, let alone elected in a general election.
I'm afraid you and George both have skewed perspectives on how much clout the evangelicals actually wield.
@eorge: You said, "We shall see. But the age of secularism is coming to an end. I expect a wave of pro-Christian conservatives to come into office in the Fall."
Just a couple more things that you'll be terribly wrong about. Don't worry; I won't wait for the mea culpa.
George is either a really good troll or disturbingly ignorant. "Separation of church and state is fiction." lol
@Sean,
I think I wasn't clear in what I was saying. The Evangelicals do have some clout (after all, why would we be talking about them if they didn't?), but it is in no way an end-all, be-all vote power.
There are many groups who have a lot of voting power. The one that most readily comes to mine is the Hispanic vote. Why do you think almost none of the candidates make immigration a big part of their campaign? Because any talk of immigration besides "amnesty for illegal immigration" is not going to get the votes from the Hispanic community.
My only point was, any person or group should vote for the candidate who best represents their ideals. That's how democracy works.
In reality, these ignorant fundiots don't understand that they are being played. They've been played since 1980 when Reagan first went courting the moral majority (oxymoron).
These people had the perfect storm from 2000 to 2006. They owned the White house, the Senate, the House, and the Supreme Court. Did they overturn Roe? Why not?
@DamianKnight: You said, "My only point was, any person or group should vote for the candidate who best represents their ideals. That's how democracy works."
I don't think anyone was advocating against candidates being excluded based on their platforms, or that voters shouldn't choose those people if they feel that reflects their viewpoint. However, to assume that those elected people will be able to somehow override years of law and judicial precendent in the course of a few terms in office is incredibly naive.
@Sean,
Oh I wholeheartedly agree. It's incredible naivety. I mean, look at how people cheered over the election of Obama, like he would come in, riding on his unicorn and fix the defecit, healthcare, stop the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and still have time to shoot hoops with his friends.
I think there have been some things that Obama has done well. I think there are things he hasn't done well. But isn't that the same with most presidents out there?
Better be careful with these religious nuts. They are fun to poke fun at, for sure. But they have a terrifying "wishlist".
Christian Right Agenda = Christian Theocracy
Theocracy = A government ruled by or subject to religious authority.
Christian Right = Predominately Evangelicals
The Texas history books are rewriting history to give the conservative slant. The objective of this effort, is to create a Christian Nation, a theocracy with Jesus as Head of State.
The recent article about the letter to the Jews, from George Washington, must sting like a son-of-a-gun. We are a secular nation. Thank god!
A huge campaign is underway, to convince the American people, the founding fathers never intended a separation of church and state. Thomas Jefferson's role as a founding father is played down. In some cases Jefferson is smudged.
Expect an attack on the 1st and 14th Amendments. The founding fathers will weep.
Most of the Tea Party are for a Christian Theocracy. The Tea Party is in bed with the Christian Right. A vote for any Tea Party candidate, is a vote for Christian Right domination.
The Republicans are the puppets of the Christian Right and Rich White Men. If you aren't rich or if you aren't white, then this is not your party. Remember Rand Paul's wish to have limited government that should not force private businesses to abide by civil rights law? Isn't that a tad racist or is it just me? Can you say: "You want me to sit where on the bus?" Like father, like son, I guess.
You will see an amendment defining marriage as between a man and woman. Existing gay marriages will be revoked. Gay rights will dwindle and die.
Roe Vs. Wade will be reversed. Women will once again be forced to seek back alley remedies. Men may be forced to buy condoms on the black market. You will procreate! Or you will be abstinent! It is not up to you!
Stem cell research will stagnate. The hopes of damaged and sick people will be dashed. Little Billy better get used to that wheelchair.
All scientific research will be scrutinized by the Christian Right. "Whether or not a theory is in agreement with the Evangelical's interpretation of god's will", will be the new metric. Get use to hearing "God Did It". No one will dare question otherwise.
Science classes will be much easier. Much less to remember or think about. 90% of the answers will be "D" – God did it. 30% correct will be passing. 50% will be Valedictorian.
Makes it pretty easy to get their "sheep skin". Baaaaa!
Education doesn't matter! Jesus is coming soon. When Perry told of his poor academic performance, The Republicans (Tea Party?) applauded.
Let's glorify ignorance and stupidity!
You say you've developed a vaccine that will prevent women from getting cervical cancer? No, Mr. Scientist. You will pour it down the drain! And you will make drugs that prevent STDs no more! So sayeth the Lord...According to the Religious Nuts.
"Giving the HPV vaccine to young women could be potentially harmful, because they may see it as a license to engage in premarital $ex. Abstinence is the best way to prevent HPV" – Bridget Maher of the Family Research Council
I would much rather my daughter was lying there dying of cancer, rather than having taken a shot that might have given her out of control urges.
There was a recent article on the Religious blog about how Evangelical young'uns are not waiting for marriage.
Little Betty is not praying so often, because she is so devout. She is praying for her Aunt Flow. Amen!
P_ornography will be illegal. The Religious Right will decide what is p_ornographic , as well as what is art. You will watch television programs approved by the Evangelicals. Lots of reruns of "Growing Pains", starring that Evangelical darling Kirk Cameron. Thank you Jesus!
Will museums exhibiting transitional fossils and other evidence of evolution, be deemed po_rnographic and closed? Their exhibits burned? To be sure, they will receive no funding.
Creationism will be taught in public school, most likely alongside evolution rather than instead of, but no guarantees. Creationism/ Intelligent Design will consist of 10 chapters. Evolution will be mentioned on the book jacket cover.
Vouchers will enable parents to send their child to religious schools. Funds to public schools will dwindle. Quality education will be out of reach for the masses. The finite amount of money, will be spread too thin. Destroying the public school system is the purpose of the voucher system.
If each faith attends their own school, interacts only with children who believe as they do, Might this not interfere with the melting pot, we often brag about? Won't this increase prejudices? The Catholics once told their children that Jews have horns. *sigh*
Segregation, is not beneficial. We need to learn to get along, and work together. Toddlers are really good at playing well with others.
Little Johnny will believe in talking snakes and Zombie Messiahs. He will spend his free time watching the heavens, waiting for Jesus to return. The rest of the world is spending their time learning real science and math. Good luck Johnny. Can you say: "Would you like fries with that?" And you Betty! Lots of jobs overseas. With your qualifications, there is a pole with your name on it, waiting for you.
State-sanctioned Prayer will be in our schools. The Christian Right think they know better than the Founding Fathers and want to tamper with the Bill of Rights. They want to amend the U.S. Const_itution, so that the Government would legally sponsor and take over the activity of prayer. Only the one true god, the Christian god, will be given homage. The god(s), of all other faiths, will be subservient to the Christian god. Muslim parents will need to make this clear to their children. Will the Catholics and the Mormons be Christian enough? What about the Jehovah Witnesses? The Evangelicals / Jesus will determine this.
The non-Christians will be allowed to put their heads down on their desks, during the morning worship. They can contemplate their damnation, for not accepting Jesus.
$ex education will consist of abstinence only. Studies have shown it is a worthless concept. But, it will please the religious fanatics. Why did little Betty have her purity ring reshaped into a tongue stud?
The war against unions, commenced during the Reagan administration, will continue. Labor will be humbled. They will accept the wages they are offered and should be grateful to get it. The Mexicans won't come here for jobs, anymore. The rate of pay won't justify the effort.
Say goodbye to enti_tlements. Medicare will be changed to a voucher system. When Grandma is out of vouchers, she is out of luck. Social Security is a Ponzi Scheme! We will reduce Grandmas' pension a % for each, predetermined, increment of life. God said to honor our fathers and mothers – the elderly. But, I guess the Evangelicals know best.
Our elderly will die earlier than they would like. But, they have the promise of an afterlife to comfort them. Unless of course, they haven't accepted Jesus. Then, they will burn in a place created by an all loving and all just god, for all eternity.
Best for them to concentrate on the pie in the sky. Works better than opium for a lot of people.
Go toward the light, Grandma... Grandpa is waiting for you.
We love you Grandma. But, the Republicans have taken away Medicare and cut your Social Security. Go to sleep, now.
The government will turn over Medicade and the rest of the programs for the p_oor, to the Christian Right. They will decide who will receive help and who will not. No longer will the criteria for receiving help, simply be income. Every dime given, will have "strings". The poor will be beholden to the Evangelicals. If you receive assistance, you WILL be watched. Perhaps a Christian brother will be assigned to be sure you are acting in accordance to the Evangelical's desires.
The Christian Right has embraced Paul as the moral lawgiver. Paul's First Ep_istle of Paul to the Thessalonians, is often quoted by the Republicans. You never hear them quote Jesus' advice to the rich. You don't bite the hand that feeds you. Jesus will understand.
The Tea Party / Evangelicals applaud the executions, of human beings. The more the merrier. They will be a burden to the state, no more! If it turns out some were actually innocent, god will set it right... Providing they have accepted Christ.
Perhaps trials aren't necessary. Send the accused directly to god's justice! We are a Christian nation!! Are we not the hand of god?
The accused are of another faith, you say? Give them a chance to pray the Sinners Prayer, and send them to judgment.
The Tea Party Republicans screamed, "YES", when asked if an uninsured man should be allowed to die.
If you read the Good Samaritan parable told by Jesus, you might come away with the idea that Jesus wouldn't agree.
But, I bet Jesus will change His mind once the Evangelicals rule in His name. Jesus will decide that it was the sick fellow's personal responsibility. Good Christians should not be bothered! Thus saith the Lord! Wow! I didn't even see His lips move...
Could be, Jesus will feel compelled to rewrite the entire bible, leaving out those obviously unclear parts. The Evangelicals will help Jesus clear them up. Guaranteed!
Jesus will be the Head of State! He will be represented by an empty chair at the head of the leadership table. Only the Evangelicals will be able to hear His voice. They will tell the rest of us His will.
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!
The Evangelicals will rule in the name of a non-existent demigod.
NOTE:
"Theocracies generally do not tolerate freedom of expression. They believe their dogma is divine; that it comes from divine revelation (directly from God as in Moses on Mount Sinai) and therefore, no dissenting opinion can be accurate or helpful. This often leads to widespread abuse of basic human rights."
http://www.duhaime.org/LegalDictionary/T/Theocracy.aspx
WoW! If the above quote doesn't make you wanna puke...
The Evangelicals are not content to run their own lives. They want to get, by political means, what Jesus never has and never will give them, by returning.
Vote for the Dems in 2012. There are a lot of things I would like to see changed in the Democratic Party, but at least they are not insane.
Thank God, this country is a secular nation.
Remember, Jesus won't really be in charge. It will be an Evangelical idiot.
Cheers!
You post this same trash every day. You are as bad as Reality.
Keep posting it DJ. The readers change every day and the more who hear it, the better.
George, one man's trash in another man's REALITY.
You post your nonsense every day George. You are as bad as....well no one is as bad or stupid as you George.
@DJ
Keep postin' brother !
@Colin
What's happening mate...?
Peace...
David Johnson
“The Texas history books are rewriting history to give the conservative slant. The objective of this effort, is to create a Christian Nation, a theocracy with Jesus as Head of State.”
=>California has rewritten history books to eliminate reference to Jesus and only includes negative implications typically showing the terrible things done by religion. Beginning this year a new rewrite of history books was mandated to highlight contributions by ho-mo$exuals in all fields. What would you say this goal is David?
As to Jesus as Head of State you claim he never existed so we would have a nonexistent head which equals no head. Just what the communists wanted to do; kill religion and cut off the head of the snake. You are in good company with the other communist heads of state that killed off religious groups over the years. How is that better?
Christians know full well that God created and puts in place secular governments as He chooses. God does not want an Iran type government led by Christians as God knows full well where that would lead. If it was workable God would have allowed it.
“We are a secular nation. Thank god!”
=>David you are a quick study
“Expect an attack on the 1st and 14th Amendments. The founding fathers will weep.”
=>The short verse in the Bible “Jesus wept”. Those were real tears for a real cause. A fly can attack a lion but it has no teeth. Nothing will come of the “attack” and you know it because it is just noise.
“Most of the Tea Party are for a Christian Theocracy.”
=>bs show me some proof.
“ The Tea Party is in bed with the Christian Right.”
=>The result is nothing but stained sheets David. Only 50% of the Christian Right voted last election.
“The Republicans are the puppets of the Christian Right and Rich White Men.”
=>Check your facts the richest elected officials are predominately democrats. But, your liberal party does a great job selling the idea republican politicians are rich and democrats poor.
“If you aren't rich or if you aren't white, then this is not your party.” Isn't that a tad racist or is it just me?”
=>Glad you said it and based on how you said it “It is just YOU”
“You will see an amendment defining marriage as between a man and woman. Existing gay marriages will be revoked. Gay rights will dwindle and die.”
=>Gays will never vote anything but democrat so why rattle that cage, or are you a tad racist….oh you already admitted to that.
“Roe Vs. Wade will be reversed. Women will once again be forced to seek back alley remedies. Men may be forced to buy condoms on the black market. You will procreate! Or you will be abstinent! It is not up to you!”
=>Democrat slogan of “safe $ex” has done a bang up job in helping our young. You cannot promote destruction of morals without abortion and condoms to remedy the result. Democrats caused the problem and now you wish to pin the tail on a republican instead of donkey? It is a simple game David take off your blinders.
Keep posting David and while you are at it have Colin adjust the aluminum foil on your head so aliens cannot get any ideas on how to destroy America from within.
David Johnson
“Stem cell research will stagnate. The hopes of damaged and sick people will be dashed. Little Billy better get used to that wheelchair.”
=>Don’t need to kill in order to get Stem cells, turns out there was a better way. Suggest you drop this issue or may as well rant on the earth not being flat any longer.
“All scientific research will be scrutinized by the Christian Right. "Whether or not a theory is in agreement with the Evangelical's interpretation of god's will", will be the new metric. Get use to hearing "God Did It".”
=>A board of atheists would be better than a board of liberals which is better than a board of Republicans which is equated to Hitler. Oh, Hitler had good secular reason for medical experiments on humans. David show me how your elite board of Atheists has supreme knowledge (please do not mention Stalin or Mao’s great ideas)
“Education doesn't matter! Jesus is coming soon.”
=>You are 50% correct.
“You say you've developed a vaccine that will prevent women from getting cervical cancer?”
=>Once again the “safe $ex” indoctrination by democrats of our young needs science to step in and cure STD’s and everything else brought about by our new morals.
“P_ornography will be illegal. The Religious Right will decide what is p_ornographic ,”
=>Yes we need more of this as it shows how enlightened we are and we can prove how beneficial it has been for our children. Bring on the scientists as we have brought upon ourselves great STD’s.
“Will museums exhibiting transitional fossils and other evidence of evolution, be deemed po_rnographic”
=>No David, any honest museum would be 90% empty to began with displaying the Gaps in evolution theory.
“Creationism/ Intelligent Design will consist of 10 chapters. Evolution will be mentioned on the book jacket cover.”
=>truth is that in public schools Creationism and Intelligent Design if mentioned at all contain derogatory implications about God and or religion. Stay real David
“Destroying the public school system is the purpose of the voucher system.”
=>Purpose is to allow children to attend the same schools Obama and Clinton kids went to. Never forget Bush sent his kids to public schools. Keep your rhetoric a little honest if possible David.
“Little Johnny will believe in talking snakes and Zombie Messiahs.”
=>Once again David get some facts. 80% of Christian kids who regularly attended church stop attending church after college.
Oh, David I beg you never to remove the aluminum foil from your head. It is important for everyone even aliens to hear the thoughts of the godless so we know what happens when God is removed.
The author doesn't realize that the term 'evangelical' means absolutely nothing. It is an empty buzz word that acts as a chameleon in any given boast or veiled argument. Just as 'pro-life' is now meaningless as a buzz phrase -because how can you be against abortion but for unnecessary war which also is a given set up for death. If anything – 'evangelical' refers to people who prefer to use coded words because it is considered wrong, in society and/or in their particular religion, to have the belief that they have to cover up.
Jesus was the Original Liberal
So called 'Christians' today would hate that about him if they ever admitted that to themselves.
They do hate it. They just ignore it. Lie about their religious beliefs and profit from the business of religion.
Jesus unambiguously preached mercy and forgiveness. These are supposed to be cardinal virtues of the Christian faith.
And yet Evangelicals are the most supportive of the death penalty, draconian sentencing, punitive punishment over rehabilitation, and the governmental use of torture.
Jesus exhorted humans to be loving, peaceful, and non-violent.
And yet Evangelicals are the group of Americans most supportive of easy-access weaponry, little-to-no regulation of handgun and semi-automatic gun ownership, not to mention the violent military invasion of various countries around the world.
Jesus was very clear that the pursuit of wealth was inimical to the Kingdom of God, that the rich are to be condemned, and that to be a follower of Him means to give one's money to the poor.
And yet Evangelicals are the most supportive of corporate greed and capitalistic excess, and they are the most opposed to inst.i.tutional help for the nation's poor - especially poor children. They hate anything that smacks of "socialism," even though that is essentially what their Savior preached. They despise food stamp programs, subsidies for schools, hospitals, job training - anything that might dare to help out those in need. Even though helping out those in need was exactly what Jesus urged humans to do.
In short, Evangelicals are that segment of America which is the most pro-militaristic, pro-gun, and pro-corporate, while simultaneously claiming to be most ardent lovers of the Prince of Peace.
Do Evangelicals hate Jesus? No, they love Jesus for what Jesus does for them.
Neither evangelicals nor secularists should support Newt because he's a self-serving liar and cheat, plain and simple.
Regardless of his purported religious affiliation, he is as crooked as the day is long.
I do love his rationalizations for cheating on his wife though.
He loved his country so much and worked so hard to preserve freedom that he HAD to have an affair.
Therefore, anyone in a monogamous relationship is a freedom hating commie terrorist.
Doc – was that for wife #2 or wife #3?
Article VI, Section 3 of the US Consti tuition states – no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.
The other thing I don't understand is when did the fundiots pervert the image of their Jesus? They seem to have this image of him as a cross between Chuck Heston and Arnold Schwarzenegger, with the 10 commandments in one arm, and an Uzi in the other. Jesus, according to your bible, is about the biggest liberal ever. Where the heck do you think the phrase "bleeding heart liberal" comes from?
"My feelings as a Christian points me to my Lord and Savior as a fighter. It points me to the man who once in loneliness, surrounded by a few followers, recognized these Jews for what they were and summoned men to fight against them and who, God's truth! was greatest not as a sufferer but as a fighter. In boundless love as a Christian and as a man I read through the passage which tells us how the Lord at last rose in His might and seized the scourge to drive out of the Temple the brood of vipers and adders. ...Today, after two thousand years, with deepest emotion I recognize more profoundly than ever before the fact that it was for this that He had to shed his blood upon the Cross."
- Adolf Hitler, speech on April 12, 1922
I hope the failure of David French to mention the good moral foundation of Sen. Rick Santorum is not the silent treatment for a lifelong practicing Roman Catholic. I am always amazed at how much latent anti-Catholic sentiment continues to survive in parts of America no matter how much we American Catholics admire and respect evangelicals and other Bible-believing Protestants and appreciate their stong stand to defend unborn children who cannot defend themselves. May God bless all evangelicals in their witness for Christ. Sen. Santorum has led an honorable life and has waged a decent campaign and many evangelical groups and leaders have endorsed him in preference to either a recent Catholic convert Gingrich or Romney who has other issues relating to his conduct as governor of Massachusetts that are still a matter of record and should be troubling to some evangelicals in his home state.
Catholics, Protestants, Evangelicals, it's all Iron Age mythology with slightly different views on the putative wishes of the magic sky-fairy they all believe in.
Yeah, we all want a nutcase who sleeps with corpses to be President.
The reason we kicked his as s out of PA was his corrupt Senate career.
Great ethics role model.
Santorum? Moral? Are you nuts?
He's a fundamentalist ldiot who wants to impose a Christian sharia law in the US.
Santorum is the best choice of all for Christians. He will advance the Christian agenda with character and conscience unlike Newt who seems to give lip-service to Christians and not live a good Christian life.
George – we are not a Christian nation. We are not a theocracy.
Sorry.
@Primewonk
George would like it to be.
Seize early the minds of the young and indoctrinate them with Christian mythology.
Deny citizens access to dissenting opinions and facts. (Nothing like a good old fashioned book burning!)
Restrict access to medicine and hinder research in any field that may anger God's duly appointed representative.
Drive all heretics, blasphemers and other assorted heathens underground/in jail/in the grave.
Santorum 2012!
Hey, I would love to see Santor-dum get the nod. It would hilarious watching him get laughed right out of the race and a very easy Dem win for our excellent president Obama.
"Matthew 19:9 is crystal clear: “I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.” Gingrich has divorced his wife and married his mistress twice."
And yet the dumas s fundies still support him.
And christians wonder why we atheists think they are so stupid.
It's just like the Bible says multiple times that life begins at its first breath, and yet all the pro-life Christians claim life begins at conception. These people don't even read their Bibles. They refuse to think for themselves and are therefore easily manipulated by right-wing politicians.
@derp
We're not electing someone to sainthood. We are electing someone we hope will advance the Christian agenda.
@George – What does Article VI Section 3 of the Consti tuition say?
I'm not being flippant here, I actually don't know... Where does it say in the bible that life begins at first breath?
Gingrich is probably the only candidate that has the political know-how to get things done in the whitehouse, but history teaches that he is unethical and untrustworthy. That the majority of evangelicals have switched from him to a mormon should tell us something. But what? That evangelicals would rather install the first non-christian ever to the whitehouse because their motive is for political advantage rather than true representation of their faith. If Romney makes it, I wonder how many evangelicals (perhaps even those that voted for him) will quickly withdraw their support for the first-ever president that belongs to a non-christian "cult."
10 Signs You Are an Evangelical
1. You honestly believe, despite everything we have been taught by cosmology, astronomy, geology, biology, history, paleontology and archeology, that the World began about 6,000 years ago with one man, one woman and a magic talking snake. You have no evidence to support you, but your unmatched ability to ignore inconvenient facts and bury your head allows you to maintain this silly mythology into the 21st Century.
2. You think that, despite Jesus getting it wrong, despite the apostles getting it wrong and despite every single time it was said to be “about to happen” over the last 2,000 years being wrong, the Second Coming is imminent. You fail to see that believing that the “end is nigh” is generally recognized by psychologists as a basic human reaction to one perceiving themselves as a failure in life.
3. You accept the “leap of faith” as a valid basis for believing in god in the absence of evidence, but fail to see that this makes you a pantheist, because you have to accept that the same leap can be made to any god with equal validity.
4. You consider simple thoughts like lust and mast.urbation a sin, but have no issue with the disgusting, degenerate way your Bible treats women and $ex and, even today, admire people like Michele Bachmann who consider women second class citizens to men.
5. You likely deny global warming for no other reason than it makes you uncomfortable and hold science to the impossibly high standard of having to explain every conceivable mystery about the natural World before you will accept it, but some moron getting on his knees and clasping his hands is enough to convice you a god is reading his mind (or "hearing his prayers") as you euphamistically put it.
6. You will regularly be ripped off and cheated by charismatic “preachers” who are obviously crooks to everybody but you. Ted Haggard, Jimmy Swaggart, Eddie Long, and the other dozen or so who have ripped you off are not enough to convince you that you are a mindless sheep that is regularly being fleeced.
7. You spout off about the importance of charity and generosity as Biblical principles, but likely support movements like the tea party that promote the evisceration of social policies.
8. You fail to see that, given your personality, the only reason you are not a fundamentalist Jew, Hindu or Muslim is an accident of where you were born. Had you been born in Iran, you would be one of those bearded half-wits that burns American flags.
9. You will defend the Bible, an Iron Age collection of Middle Eastern mythology, despite it being indisputably wrong and literally infested with outdated morality, contradictions and barbaric cruelty.
10. You believe that anybody who does not accept your silly faith will burn in hell. You don’t have to kill, you don’t have to rob, hell, you don’t even have to litter. All you have to do is reject a belief in the Christian god and he will inflict a punishment upon you an infinite times worse than the death penalty….and he loves you. You see no contradiction in using the same sky-fairy as both the carrot and the stick.
11. You are strangely influential and your vote is sought after with almost desperate vigor.
Amen to that Colin!
@Colin
Ahhhh.... One of my very fav's !!!!
Love it Colin !
Peace...
Reason #1: There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever anywhere in the universe that any form of god or deity exists.
Reason #2: Religions are intolerant of any other ways of thinking or being, they become oppressive when given any power whatsoever, and they behave inhumanly towards those that their texts speaks badly of.
The evidence is all around you. You're just unwilling to accept it. The beauty found in nature is all the proof i need. Everytime i see a butterfly, or a tree sway in the gentle breeze, I see God and his creation.
@ just sayin
I see complex physics at work and fluid dynamics. Still beautifully eloquent, but that's what I see and my knowledge of all these things plus many others is evidence enough to me to not believe in any deity
@Just Sayin
That's Spinoza's and Einstein's pantheistic God, not the Abrahamic one.
@Just Sayin
And what do you think when you see a child dying of cancer or starvation? Or drowning or crushed from a disaster your god caused or allowed?
Good and bad things, beautiful and horrid things, occur at just about equal abundance.
Your god is very unlikely to exist
Cheers!
@ Just Saying – that's because you choose to be ignorant about science.
@I’m The Best
You have your religion, I have mine.
@Doc Vestibule
Read Romans 1:18-22 if you want more proof.
@David Johnson
God works in mysterious ways, and has a divine plan for all his creatures. Who are we to question his ways.
@Primewonk
Your science religion is ever changing, mine is the unwavering true word of God with the promise of eternal life. You can have your theories, you’ll have lots of time keep changing them where you’re going.
@ just sayin
No, I have science and understanding, not religion, they're two different things. Mine has proof to back up the theories and will happily change said theories to fit new proof that disagrees with those theories.
Yours on the other hand, when faced with new evidence countering your original claim, sticks its fingers in its ears and yells that its right
I like to blow sailors
The evangelicals are screwed in this election. The only candidate with a chance of beating Obama is Mormon.
Evangelicals deserve to be screwed in all elections. Thay are religion at its worst, and they are power-crazed totalitarians who think that everyone else is the problem.
@It's like this
Sing it preacher! Amen!
Romney is not a Christian. The Evangelicals should stick with Gingrich. He has made mistakes in the past, but has sought and received forgiveness.
Cheers!
Newt 3.0 is Catholic. May we ask what he did for penance?
Of course David, idiot christians should support the candidate the embodies the opposite of everything their storybook characters stand for.
That's why atheists think christians are so stupid.
Many evangelicals believe that Catholicism is as apostate as Mormonism.
@observer
Who cares?
@derp
Christians are deluded sheep. But, I think Gingrich would be easier for Obama to defeat. A Republican win is win for Christian Right domination. That, is too horrible to contemplate.
We will be force to obey a non-existent demigod.
Cheers!
I'm polishing my jack boots for that inevitable Republican win. No fear, it won't be Newt.
I'm fairly certain the "real" Christians are all out of the race now. The only ones left with a real chance at winning the nomination (Romney and Gingrich) are only pandering until the nomination is locked up, at which time you'll see a change in tactics for the general.
I thought Romney was their best chance to take back the White House, but now I'm pretty sure we'll have Obama for another four years. By 2016, this pack of pretenders will be forgotten and Christie should be ready to give it a run.
The Democrats have nobody viable for 2016 that I can see at the moment.
@David Johnson
Romney is Not Christian, huh?
He fits it by Bing's Defination:
http://www.bing.com/Dictionary/search?q=define+Christian&qpvt=define+christian&FORM=DTPDIA
And By Wikipedia's
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian
And By Dictionary.com
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/christian
And also by Webster's
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/christian
In fact, by some of these definations, Romney is more a Christian than most Christians are. As they define it as not only believeing Christ is the only way back to God but also developing attributes like Christ.
Example:
(http://www.snopes.com/politics/romney/search.asp)
While I am full aware of and believe in the ultimate power of Repentence and Forgiveness, but the past records and characters is all we have to go on for what these men will do in the future.
I, for one, do not want to support someone who has had proven ethical issues and has had obvious difficulties being faithful to ailing spouses. While I do not support infidelity, it is so much worse in my book when you are not faithful once the spouse is seriously ill or of poor health.
Support Romney, Santorum, or even Paul. But please, please, don't make Gingrich the canidate that I'll have to support over our failed president Obama.