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March 28th, 2011
02:11 PM ET
Gingrich fears 'atheist country ... dominated by radical Islamists' Newt Gingrich at Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas. By Dan Gilgoff, CNN.com Religion Editor Hours after declaring Sunday that he expects to be running for president within a month, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said he's worried the United States could be “a secular atheist country, potentially one dominated by radical Islamists,” in the foreseeable future, according to Politico. Gingrich was addressing Cornerstone Church, a megachurch in San Antonio, Texas, led by the Rev. John Hagee, an influential leader among American evangelicals. Hagee's endorsement of then-presidential candidate John McCain in 2008 was plagued by controversy. McCain ultimately rejected the endorsement over remarks Hagee had made about the Holocaust, in which he appeared to say that Adolf Hitler had been fulfilling God's will by hastening the desire of Jews to return to Israel, in accordance with biblical prophecy. "God says in Jeremiah 16: 'Behold, I will bring them the Jewish people again unto their land that I gave to their fathers. ... Behold, I will send for many fishers, and after will I send for many hunters. And they the hunters shall hunt them.' That would be the Jews,” Hagee had said in an earlier sermon. “Then God sent a hunter,” his sermon continued. “A hunter is someone who comes with a gun, and he forces you. Hitler was a hunter." McCain rejected Hagee’s endorsement of his campaign after learning about the comments in May 2008. "Obviously, I find these remarks and others deeply offensive and indefensible, and I repudiate them,” McCain said at the time. Hagee then withdrew his endorsement of the Arizona senator, which he had offered three months earlier. One irony of McCain rejecting Hagee’s endorsement over his Holocaust remarks is that the Texas evangelist leads the Christian Zionist movement. Hagee is founder and national chairman of Christians United for Israel, which features Elie Wiesel and other Holocaust survivors at its events. Here’s what Gingrich said at Cornerstone Church on Sunday evening, according to Politico:
Gingrich’s church appearance comes amid a broader campaign to court religious conservatives. On Monday, Hagee released a statement praising Gingrich's appearance at Cornerstone. “It was such a great honor to welcome Mr. Gingrich to our church, and hear him describe the centrality of faith in our nation,” he said. The statement also included praise for Hagee and his wife, Diana, from Gingrich. “It was truly an honor to be with John and Diana at Cornerstone," Gingrich said. "Their dedication to serve is inspirational.” soundoff (2,228 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 Next »
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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The best thing that could happen to America is losing ALL religion. Religion = Hate. Religion = Intolerance. Religion = Bigotry. Religion = Hypocrisy. Atheists have every bit the moral fiber as self-proclaimed holy rollers, and often times uphold good morals more than they do. (Hi newt Gringrich, I am speaking to you, cheater!). Atheists make decisions based on rationality while bible/quran thumpers make decisions based on their emotions related to how they feel about their faith in their religion. You ever notice how angry religious people get about any given topic? I can only hope that one day soon our country is freed from the tyranny that is religious doctrine. Only then will we be able to see all people as equals, achieve greater scientific advancement in medicine free of "religious barriers", and put an end to the hatred religious people generate.
With out God there is no hope. No God no hope know God know hope. Evil will rule =)
YES! YES! Give 'em hell-100% agreement.
Here here. I'd also like to posit to Mr. Gingrich – how exactly can a country be secular and atheist, yet dominated by radical islamists. If he can sufficiently explain that, well then he's actually a secret genius that I'll vote for. The only reason I say that however, is because it's, of course, a logical fallacy. You cant be atheist yet dominated by "radical religious folk". What a f***ing clown...
Early man made up lots of gods to appease themselves when confronted with the unknown or misunderstood. I'm so tired of the "I'm right, you're wrong" stance about different beliefs, and I really don't want to hear politicians spouting their beliefs.
and kill people for the greater good, steal for my greater good, you dont need that transplant for the greater good, oh it only cost us 5000 test subjects for the greater good, baby killers, i used logic and reason to say this
Now where is the like button.
Kind of hard to be atheists when you're also an Islamic extremist, there, Newt. I'll pray to any God that will listen for a Republican not to be elected.
Try Adoni, he's been known to free minorities from oppression. Christans are NOT a minority. Catholic people are here in GA, but I mean non Christ worshipers.
PLEASE LET THERE BE A GINGRICH/PALIN GOP TICKET IN 2012. A DEMOCRAT'S DREAM COME TRUE.
DUDE MAN, I CRINGE AT HEARING THOSE TWO NAMES. SO MUCH EVIL IN ONE SENTENCE
You can't be serious.
@KHAN – correction: So much *stupidity* in one sentence.
What an idiot. If America is dominated by Islamists' then how will this be an atheist country? Last I checked, Muslims believe in the same god as Christians.
Give him a break, Aaron. He is a REPUBLICAN. They can't think that fast.
have studied and thought about "god' for a LONG time...dude, IT"S THE SAME ONE! christian, jewish, buddhist, islamic, whatever...WE are the ones who see the deity differently! he exists! whether you are shiite or sunni, zen or zoriastrian, episcopal or catholic! it is US who draws the line! as pogo said many years ago, "we have met the enemy, and he is US!"
To Lin –Well, no, actually –it's not all the same God at all, which is why the study of comparative religion is useful. You can't tell your gods apart without a job description from each of these religions, who describe entirely different divinities:
According to the Koran, "Allah has no son." Allah might or might not be the same god worshiped by Unitarians, (but I don't think that they consider that Mohammed is God's greatest prophet 🙂 –but Allah is most definitely NOT the Holy Trinity worshiped by most mainstream Christians –one God in three separate divine persons (this is what is meant by a mystery, we know what it is, but don't understand the modality) Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Anybody says we all worship the same God hasn't studied what these radically different religions believe.
To Muslims, Jesus was a minor prophet who didn't die on the cross. To Christians, Jesus was God incarnated as man (one person with two natures: divine and human) who shed his blood to wash away the sin and guilt of all those who repent of them. Muslims regard this idea as blasphemy and have killed Christians for professing it .
This doesn't even begin to address the Hindu pantheon of over 11,000 gods and sub-gods and goddesses, –or the Mormon god who had two sons, Jesus and Satan, who are secretly in cahoots. . . Mormons believe that they will one day become gods, each with their own personal planet to form, manage and rule. Rhetorical Question: which god, the Islamic or the Mormon god, –would win a "spiritual arm-wrestling contest" ? 😉
Anybody who says all religions worship the same god hasn't done their homework.
An athiest country dominated by radical islam? I think Newt needs to read up on the definition of Athiest.
Why is this church tax exempt? They are engaged in politics.
Agreed, strip them of the status
Same reason tyths are.
Agreed. Churches would make a great source of tax revenue. Somehow, I don't think God (if he's even real) is going to care about being taxed on money he never actually gets anyways.
OMG! You know what? THAT'S why the GOP's been going nuts holding their rallies, speeches and fund-raisers at churches. Holy Crap! It all makes sense now. That money's not going to the poor – it's tax-free money going to their political campaigns.
There ought to be a way to do just that. Why do churches get to be tax exempt and still engage in politics?
There are a lot of dumb people in America, but fortunately not enough outside of Hagee's little church to elect this nutjob.
Don't jinx it man, don't jinx it. Is it really too much to ask for a centrist, fiscally responsible candidate. We seem to get one or the other (if that), but never both in the same person
The m an does not know what he's talking about. You can't have an atheist country run by Islamic fundamentalists. Atheists don't believe in god. Islamists do. Two separate things. And we should be so lucky to have atheists running things. Better than the Islamists telling us we have to believe in Allah and live by sharia law. And by the way, Islam believes in converting by the sword if needed. Is this what you want? I don't. And I will fight to the death before I ever convert to Islam.
Do crusades and Spanish inquisition and holocaust and various explosions of Jews have no meaning? All ( except for those in Mesopotamia) were performed by to rid the world of those who did not believe inChrist. I know the holocaust was more of a systematic killing of enemies of the Germans at that time, but still... They weren't Muslim were they? Actually, Mesopotamia Nd Babylon weren't Muslim. If anyone can correct me on that plz do. I missed social studies 6th grade.
Atheistic America = Soviet + hedonism
In short, the worst human society possible.
Wow, I though Gingrich was stupid
I don't know, hedonism sounds pretty fun right now. As long as it doesn't find its way completely into the hands of Christian nut jobs, I'm good. Speaking of hedonism, let's all go get laid now.
It is because you say so?
Basically you are saying whoever does not believe in God is the worst human being? Why do you think that you are better?
Caligula would know how to solve this argument.
some of the most popular religious icons have proven to be the most hedonistic.
I agree. Unchecked "all for me" will kill this country. We need to maintian a moral compass. It does NOT come from within you, but from what you believe in and what is taught to you by your elders and religious leaders. Pick a religion, any relligion. The Baby Boomer Generation almost killed this country with thier "all for me" lifestyle in the 60s & 70s. Reagan brought us back from the brink in the 80s, but now that the Boomers are "grown up", rich, and powerful in business and politics, all America is suffering from their godless ways. I hope Boomers die off quickly before America dies off.
I used logic and reason to think that ATHEISTS = BABY KILLERS
@iamthefredman: So your moral compass has you stereotyping an entire generation and wanting them to die off. Got it.
"It doesn't matter what I do. People need to hear what I have to say. There's no one else who can say what I can say. It doesn't matter what I live." Is this something that he actually uttered (spewed, belched, barfed, etc)? If it is, this creature is far, far more demented than I ever imagined. "There's no one else who(m) can say what I have to say...."? A Zeppelin-sized ego that would better serve his country if he'd float it over to New Jersey – in an electrical storm.
YES! he actually said that! i was stunned then, and am again to see it again in print! REALLY!?!?!?!!?
As much as I despise the man his argument is logically valid, in that if what someone says is true, it's true no matter what he does in his personal life. People use ad hominem arguments far too often. But Newt's problem is that his message is hogwash, which means you shouldn't take it seriously even if he were the Pope.
Never attack the man. Always focus on the message.
I fear an America where the christian filth isn't cut the nation like the cancer it is.
Hope you get washed too.
We can only hope this county wakes up and becomes atheist...
The spirit world won't let that happen.
WE CAN ONLY HOPE...
Oman. go back to Oman and be the crazy Muslim that you are...............................
Atheist = BABY KILLERS i used logic and reason to come up with this.
@ iamthefredman: "Oman. go back to Oman and be the crazy Muslim that you are"
Get a brain, and be sure to get one with a manual so you can learn how to use it.
Is anyone familiar with the term, "Cognitive Dissonance"?
Tee hee, tee hee.
Points! *laughs* 🙂
newt gingrich shouldn't worry about america becoming a secular atheist country. he should worry that jesus is quoted in the new testament as saying that a man who divorces his wife and marries another is an adulterer. what is a supporter of the "defense of marriage act"supposed to do? mabye,keep your marriage vows. how is it that the catholic church which opposes divorce and remarriage allows him to claim to be a catholic while he lives in an "adulterous" relationship with his THIRD wife? is he fool enough to think that real conservative family values people will vote for him?
exactly! i do my best to not throw stones...especially when my "glass house" is a matter of VERY public record!
family shamily values. those people justify anything. i once protested a $1000.00 plate dinner honoring dan quayle. i had my young daughter with me and a mother shielded her children from us as they walked in as if to say to them...don't look at the bad people. see...they just pretend they are the better people.
I once had a newt for a pet.then i flushed it down the toilet
appropriate...
Totally appropriate.
This newt would clog the pipes.
Poor little creature. Sharing a name and meeting a watery fate 🙁
I find comparisons between Newt Grigrich and newts to be offensive to newts.
I am a Christian by choice, and am proud to live in a country where I had such freedom to find my own faith.
Anybody who uses government to try and force people to be more religious only directs obedience to themselves, not to God. When the rewards and punishments considered are that of man, people are praying not to God, but to please the people who would otherwise make their life difficult, if not dangerous otherwise.
Those who promise a return to a Christian America through government intervention make false promises.
I am a Muslim living in America, a country which I love with all my heart...
I agree with you 100%, we have to stand against ALL those who claim to belong to one religion or another then try to deny any American the right to practice their faith.
This guy Gingrich is a disgrace to me as an American, I am talking morally here.
America can do better than him...
forgive me, maybe i see this too simply... the man is a MORON, who expects we, the public, to overlook his immoral transgressions and listen to his diatribes about everything, religious, moral, and otherwise? he, glenn, and rush need to find a lower intellectual base to preach to. i had no time for them before, and they are NOT causing me to carve out time now.
An athiest country run by religious fundamentalists. How oxymoronic.
The real question is what isn't Mr. Gingrich scared of?
mr. gingrich, is a pretty good alteritive history wirter but this time he may have gone over the edge. the USA has as much chance of going athiest as he does being faithful to any of his wifes.
"...secular, atheist country...dominated by radical Islamists..."
The stupid, it burns! Mr. Gingrich, please stop making democracy look bad. The Chinese are laughing.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed the inherent paradox in what professor Gingrich said. He gives college professors a bad name.
Sparky? The reason the Chinese are laughing is because the communist government regulates religion and what can an cannot be taught in churches. America was colonized by Christians seeking religious freedom and children were educated by texts like the New England primer and McGuffey Reader-both using Bible passages and lessons o morality and respect towards parents, elders, etc.
Lot's of terrible things have been done in "the name of religion" and lots of other evil has been done for it's own sake. I am a mere mortal and can't judge, but I do know one thing for sure: there IS a God, I am not, and neither are you or anyone else.
I consider myself to be reasonably intelligent (Listen to the BBC news, watch Al Jazeera English, Read, etc.) BUT, it's not that hard. Grab a blanket or towel, lay it on the ground, and look up into the stars of night, especially in remote areas away from built-up areas. What we see is in comparison a jelly bean in a jar of jelly beans in a small section of a display case. In reality the display case of the universe is beyond our limited comprehension. Take the philosophy of Christianity, or even belief in another deity-We are all accountable. Atheism means we are not. So, the logical conclusion is, if it all ends HERE, I would reasonably try to get the most pleasure or gain WHILE I'm here. That could be Bernie Maddoff or some rapist or other sociopath. Want That?
Wow, getting far too philosophical. I'll be succinct: There IS a GOD, we will ALL have to answer to him someday, and feel free to cut in front of me in line.
Hey? I'm NOT a Hater, nor a zealot. Really, probably closer to you than imagined.Take care, look UP at the stars and use you own mind.....
ALOHA!
Wow, Chucksan, you're an evil person if the only thing that's keeping you from raping women is the fear of god. Some of us are actually moral people who have self control don't need a old guy with a robe and beard to keep us in line
Sparky! Find God and belive in something. Deathbed conversions don't work.
Chucksan. I agree with most of what you say. I am however frightened by the fact that you not only receive Al Jazeera TV but actualy watch it. Of course the Madoffs/Hitlers/Stalins of the world are all going to Hell. After I lived a good wholesome life on Earth and raised my kids to be good people, I sure as hell (no pun) don't believe that I am going to spend all eternity in the same flaming cage in Hell with these idiots. Of course there is a God and HE/She created the Universe. Science wastes centuries trying to disprove God to no avail. the best they came up with is the "Big Bang Theory", which explains nothing. While I like science, its purpose should not be to disprove God. Science itself is proof of GOD. God made people with smart brains who can discover things and work "miracles" of medical care, etc. Who made the alleged Big Bang gasses and lit the fuse anyway? Not me, GOD! BELIEVE!
@Chucksan: "but I do know one thing for sure: there IS a God."
You mistake certainty in a belief for it being factual.
"Take the philosophy of Christianity, or even belief in another deity-We are all accountable. Atheism means we are not. So, the logical conclusion is, if it all ends HERE, I would reasonably try to get the most pleasure or gain WHILE I'm here."
Actually, a lot of Christians embrace that by and large. How many of them sell their possessions to give the poor? How many ask "why should I have to pay for someone else's health care?" How many of them are more concerned about welfare abuse than ensuring everyone who needs help gets it? How many of them judge the poor to be lazy to justify not helping them?
Atheism means we are not accountable to a god, but it doesn't free us of accountability to society.
"That could be Bernie Maddoff or some rapist or other sociopath. Want That?"
No, but these are the result of mental problems, not a lack of religion. You're ignoring reality. There are millions of atheists in this country who are every bit as moral as Christians and our prisons are not populated exclusively from the atheist population.
The atheist's motivation is the same as religion's motivation: to have a society that functions well.
"I'll be succinct: There IS a GOD, we will ALL have to answer to him someday, and feel free to cut in front of me in line."
I'll be succinct: There is no god. We will not continue after we die, to answer to god or do anything else. And there will be no line.
"look UP at the stars and use you own mind"
What you really mean is use my imagination. I look up at the stars and see stars. You choose to believe there is something more that can't be seen and for which there is no evidence for one reason and one reason only: you like that narrative better.
@iamthefredman: "I am however frightened by the fact that you not only receive Al Jazeera TV but actualy watch it."
Only brainwashed people fear being informed.
"After I lived a good wholesome life on Earth and raised my kids to be good people, I sure as hell (no pun) don't believe that I am going to spend all eternity in the same flaming cage in Hell with these idiots."
You won't. It's all over when you die, so you won't spend eternity anywhere with anyone.
"Of course there is a God and HE/She created the Universe."
Preceding a claim with "of course" doesn't make it true.
"Science wastes centuries trying to disprove God to no avail."
Idiotic nonsense. Science has never tried to disprove the existence of God. You people have wasted centuries trying to prove he exists.
"the best they came up with is the "Big Bang Theory", which explains nothing."
You explain nothing, so why is that a problem?
"While I like science, its purpose should not be to disprove God."
That has never been its purpose. Where do you get these crazy notions?
"Science itself is proof of GOD."
Hogwash. There is not a shred of logic to such a claim. You have no proof of God's existence and you know it. That's why you look at ordinary things and claim they prove God exists. Your argument is basically that if you can't explain something, God must be the explanation. It's not a valid argument.
"God made people with smart brains"
So who made you? Because you don't sound very smart.
"who can discover things and work "miracles" of medical care, etc. Who made the alleged Big Bang gasses and lit the fuse anyway? Not me, GOD! BELIEVE!"
It's all about belief. No proof, no evidence, not even in the lives of the people who believe.
I, as an Agnostic Atheist, fear the merging of church and state under Republican control and equate the history of Christianity to radical Islam. I am tired of the fear mongering and all the little sheep that follow.
AMEN to that! Gingrich is just a typical fear-mongering right wing radical!
HA! This is the funniest thing I saw today. If the US is Atheist, then isn't that the opposite of what an Islamist is? Islam has its own god, and an atheist doesn't believe in a god, so how can those two be used in the same sentence?
As an atheist myself, I have the same concerns. Also, could someone please tell me how an atheistic country could be run by religious fundamentalists? Is it possible that he is that stupid?
Speaking as someone who grew up religious, I do believe most of my morals were attained from the upbringing which was a positive experience. In saying that, I am frustrated that those who make the decision to call themselves Christians would also make the decision to search the meaning of God's love. I can assure you, Atheist, as you have named yourself, that the belief in the above article is not that of all 'religious' or 'Christian' people. It seems that in our desire to systemically categorize people by race, religion or just what kind of car you drive; every person seems to forget that our similarties far outweigh the lines we use to separte ourselves. The America I can be proud of is one that is bound to no religion, race or divisive factor. Christians would not want to be under a Islamic, Buddhist, Taoist, etc, etc, government; so why do some believe that others should be under their own? I just wanted to state to you, that I, as a Christian (by my own spiritual pursuit), AGREE.
Please understand these people ARE NOT Christians!
Separation of Church and State: Regardless of one's religion (or lack thereof), this is what we are supposed to have in this country. The politicians need to step down from the pulpits and take care of running the country – NOT trying to dictate our religious beliefs, morals or values. Quite frankly, the latter, coming from them is just a bad joke.