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July 15th, 2011
01:33 PM ET
Michele Bachmann officially leaves her churchBy Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor Washington (CNN) - Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann has long been a darling of conservative evangelicals, but shortly before announcing her White House bid, she officially quit a church she’d belonged to for years. Bachmann, a Minnesota congresswoman, and her husband, Marcus, withdrew their membership from Salem Lutheran Church in Stillwater, Minnesota, last month, according to church officials. The Bachmanns had been members of the church for more than 10 years, according to Joel Hochmuth, director of communications for the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, the broader denominational body of which Bachmann’s former church is a member. The church council granted the Bachmanns’ request to be released from their membership on June 21, Hochmuth said. After declaring at the CNN/WMUR/New Hampshire Union Leader presidential debate that she would seek the nomination, Bachmann formally announced her presidential bid June 27 in Waterloo, Iowa. The Bachmanns approached their pastor and verbally made the request “a few weeks before the church council granted the request,” Hochmuth said. He added, “they had not been attending that congregation in over two years. They were still on the books as members, but then the church council acted on their request and released them from membership.” Bachmann had listed her membership in the church on her campaign site for congress in 2006. She lists no church affiliation on her campaign website or her official congressional website. Hochmuth said that a change in membership is not out of the ordinary. “You have people who are on the books as members, but they may have gone on to another church; they may not be attending a church anywhere. There’s all sorts of circumstances.” A similar request for membership is to transfer membership from one church to another within the denomination. But that does not appear to be the case with the Bachmanns, according to Hochmuth, who said that to his knowledge, the couple was no longer attending a church within the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Pastor Marcus Birkholz has been at the helm of Salem Lutheran Church for nearly three decades. When asked about the Bachmanns leaving the church, he said, “I’ve been asked to make no comments regarding them and their family.” Bachmann was asked about her status with the church on Thursday at Reagan National Airport as she headed to catch a flight. When asked about her pastor, she asked, “Which one?” An aide quickly hustled her away, noting that they were late for a flight. The Bachmann campaign declined to immediately respond to a request for further comment Friday. Becky Rogness, a spokesperson in Bachmann’s congressional office, said the Congresswoman now attends a nondenominational church in the Stillwater area but did not know the name of the church or how long she had been attending. Hochmuth said that, “My understanding of the situation was the timing of the request for release was far more coincidental than strategic.” The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod has come under criticism from some Catholics for its views on the papacy, an institution that the denomination calls the Antichrist. "We identify the Antichrist as the Papacy," the denomination's website says. "This is an historical judgment based on Scripture." The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights issued a statement Thursday about Bachmann's denomination, saying it's "regrettable that there are still strains of anti-Catholicism in some Protestant circles." "But we find no evidence of any bigotry on the part of Rep. Michele Bachmann," the statement continued. "Indeed, she has condemned anti-Catholicism. Just as President Barack Obama is not responsible for the views of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Rep. Bachmann must be judged on the basis of her own record." The debate over the legitimacy of the papacy goes back to the Protestant Reformation. The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod's namesake is Martin Luther, who led the 16th century Reformation and who opposed the papacy. “The issue of the papacy as the Antichrist does go back to Luther - he did use that terminology,” said Professor George C. Heider, theology chair at Valparaiso University, a Lutheran school in Indiana. “Luther’s point was, that in his view, the pope was so obstructing the gospel of God’s free love in Jesus, even though he wore all the trappings of a leader in the church," Heider said. "He was functioning as the New Testament describes it as the Antichrist.” Still, Heider notes that Roman Catholics and Lutherans have close ties today. They recognize each other's baptisms, a point of contention in relations between the Catholic Church and other Protestant denominations. Salem Lutheran Church still maintains some ties with the Bachmann family. It lists a Christian counseling center operated by Bachmann’s husband on its website under special member services for confidential counseling. Hochmuth said there are no formal ties between the counseling center and the denomination but added that it is not uncommon for churches to link off to members’ websites as in this case. Bachmann and Associates has faced accusations that it uses a controversial therapy that encourages gay and lesbian patients to change their sexual orientation. In an interview with the Minnesota Star Tribune published Friday, Marcus Bachmann did not deny that he or other counselors at his clinic used the technique but said they did so only at the request of a patient. "Is it a remedy form that I typically would use?” he said. "It is at the client's discretion." Salem Lutheran Church has about 800 members and holds three services each weekend. The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod is often referred to as theologically conservative. The denomination opposes same-sex marriage and abortion, both positions Bachmann has long endorsed politically. The denomination has approximately 390,000 members in 48 states and 1,300 congregations in the United States and Canada. Presidential candidates’ affiliation with churches and pastors played a dramatic role in the 2008 campaign for president. Then-candidate Barack Obama resigned from his Chicago church in May 2008 after videos surfaced of his longtime pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, delivering fiery sermons that criticized certain U.S. policies. In the speeches, Wright suggested that the U.S. government may be responsible for the spread of AIDS in the black community and equated some American wartime activities to terrorism. Wright officiated Obama’s wedding and baptized his children, and the Obamas were members at Wright’s church for years. After a sustained attention on Wright, Obama distanced himself from his former pastor. During the same election cycle, Republican presidential nominee John McCain rejected endorsements from two prominent pastors, John Hagee and Rod Parsley, for controversial statements from the pastors’ pasts. soundoff (2,666 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 Next »
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  About this blog
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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Why would Bachman quit her church? Im not a Bachman supporter but her staff should have advised her otherwise. The last presidental candidate who came from an "extreme" church was elected president.
Bachmann's campaign is DOA !!!
..LORD SAVE ME FROM THE
CHRISTIANS
Amen. lol
Bachmann and her closeted husband do not have a chance in hell of winning anything. She knows it and so does the powers that be in the GOP. Bachmanns job in the GOP is the same and Palins. To be as bombastic, divisive and just plain crazy as possible to draw attention away from the f*** ups of the GOP and other things the GOP does not want the public to know. Like, oh lets say, the Koch's hugh donation/gift to Walker in WI to try keep him from being recalled. Etc.
In today's candidate news, Michele Bachmann, having recent left her Christian church behind, is rumored to be converting to Islam.
Bachmann is also leaving her latent-gay, flacid husband so that she can be free to pursue musician Yousef Islam (Cat Stevens). Bachmann is guoted as saying "I've always liked his music. You know what they say about musical men and their trombones..." and "As a Muslim and POuTUS, I could solve our terrorism problems once and for all. There's no way Al Kaida and his countrymen will attack a country with a Muslim leader. This will help me get elected in other ways too. I n fact, it might be the only way I can get more than the teabagger vote and pull in anything from Obama's liberal base."
Yousef Islam (Stevens) was heard to say "No way, dude, no friggin way. That leathery old haggis wouldn't have made it as my groupie even when she was 20, no matter how good her oratory skills are."
Ms Bachmann keeps saying that God tells her to do stuff.
Because of that, her religious affiliation is an issue.
If she's responding to voices in her head, we should know who is pumping in the noise.
I hear that God told her to start her own church...He didn't want the association.
She probably quit her church to shield it from the aggressive hate filled left wing media. As for Bachmann's claims that God talks to her, I think that's a good indication that she has a moral conscience. And who's to say that God doesn't talk to her (and everyone else), but she listens to the message and doesn't ignore it like most people?
John C.......you really believe that?
Jesus asked us to heal the sick and feed the needy.
If that was the primary focus of today's Christian churches, there'd be a resurgence in the faith.
Instead, churches advocate for politicians like Bachmann who want to ignore the sick and cater to the greedy. As long as things stay that way, Christianity will stay in permanent decline, and will deserve that fate.
The church needs to be more Christlike and less Republican.
wait...Jesus didn't say "ignore the sick and give the richest Romans a huge tax break"?
Excellent point, and well said.
Jesus will kick her ass anyway.
It's really odd that conservative religious christian right responders speak as if anyone who doesn't believe as they do are loony lefty liberals.
remind me who, demographically speaking,
usually has a higher education level?
and who usually understands the big picture implications of religion and theology more completely?
I totally respect people who bow and pray to another human. it makes so much sense. pfft.
Bachmann's clinic should be investigated for their FRAUDULANT use of medicare and medicade funds. These government agencies do NOT PAY FOR PRAYING AWAY THE GAY. BEWARE these extreme religious right teabaggers. Do you really think the religious right cares whether anyone get into heaven? No way. But they do care about losing control over what people believe, what they do, or how they vote. Ironically, in the end they are very ones forcing people away from religion. It's the beginning of the END to the RELIGIOUS RIGHT HOLD on America
One can only hope.
Regards,
Peace...
She should probably quit the Tea Party too..
Historically, LUTHERANS Have Always Professed & Believed That The Roman Catholic Papacy, In This Case Pope Benedict XVI, Is The Antichrist &-Or Antichrist ! Bachmann's Former LUTHERAN CHURCH Still Believes In The Historic LUTHERAN Profession & Belief–AS I ALSO DO–And I'm NOT A LUTHERAN !
Truthfully, Honestly & Sincerely Yours,
Tony Cisneros
2011 Candidate For City Treasurer,
City Of Chicago,
State Of Illinois,
United States Of America.
P.S.To Personally Contact Me For Verification & Authentication Purposes; Feel Free To Contact Me Via E-mail (tonyin2002@hotmail.com) Or Call Me At: (773) 676-4596 c/o Mr. Ronald Spinelli (Personal Assistant).
Vote for my cousin Tony Cisneros, because, ya know, if not, your shoes are gonna feel real heavy when you try to swim next. If ya know whadda I mean. Kapish?
In today's candidate news, Michele Bachmann, having recent left her church behind, is rumored to be converting to Islam.
Bachmann is also leaving her latent-gay, flacid husband so that she can be free to pursue musician Yousef Islam (Cat Stevens). Bachmann is guoted as saying "I've always liked his music. You know what they say about musical men and their trombones..." and "As a Muslim and POuTUS, I could solve our terrorism problems once and for all. There's no way Al Kaida and his countrymen will attack a country with a Muslim leader. This will help me get elected in other ways too. I n fact, it might be the only way I can get more than the teabagger vote and pull in anything from Obama's liberal base."
Yousef Islam (Stevens) was heard to say "No way, dude, no friggin way. That leathery old haggis wouldn't have made it as my groupie even when she was 20, no matter how good her oratory skills are."
Dude, that's friggin HILARIOUS!!
She doesnt wanna upset the catholic voters, she doesnt mind annoying the hell out of the black voters, or those who have an education with her reality according to garp, well she maybe the snake in the southern baptist extremists church but shes just one plain wakko to me and anyone else who has pregresses further then 1st grade
Baptized Catholics now attending evangelical churches: Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty, Marco Rubio, Glenn Beck (Mormon). Bachmann has never uttered any anti-Catholic views of her freakish Lutheran denomination. Obama says his Muslim prayers at sunset stating they are the most beautiful thing at sunset which he admitted to Nicholas Kristoff, NY Times reporter. How about a test on who lies the most. Obama wins as he was born in Mombasa, Kenya, attended Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow, Russia trained by the Russian Academy of Sciences to be a communist and atheist during the 1981-83 time frame majoring in International Relations sponsored by Columbia University foreign student program. Then he went to Karachi and was the lead liaison for the CIA with the Taliban as he speaks Arabic fluently and was a Muslim at that time.
And i thought it was just palin and bachmann were the ignorant ones, it seems their supporters make them look positivly sane
You're nuts, you know, masc.
What sources of information are you relying upon? Try exercising a bit of skepticism and fact check your beliefs by doing some research. (e.g. fact checking websites.)
Forgot to take your meds again didn't you? How do I get the voices to talk to me too??
>Obama says his Muslim prayers at sunset stating they are the most beautiful thing at sunset which he admitted to Nicholas Kristoff, NY Times reporter. H
And yet we cannot confirm it–imagine that.
do you really think that's true or are you being facetious? I can't tell.
Ah the main stream media, big on selective partisan investigative journalism and hypocrisy, not so much on shame.
Yay! I just pray that religion will fall soon and then politicians can finally stop pretending to go to churches at all. I hope Michele will run as a nontheist soon! I wish we could truly have separation of church and state. Then everyone's true rights would be protected.
Amen!
thats some cult. you have to have "permission " to leave? Gigi? the Democrat Party attacks Christians? could ya maybe give one example of your slander? Christians, Jews, Muslims, Process Church, Satanists,Mormons,Scientologists etc. whatever you are all whacky. To say your life is devoted to worshipping a bearded invisible old man living in the clouds who will torture you forever if you disobey him is fantastical thinking. the fact that some politicians spout this stuff and can influence others is repulsive. We hopefully will hear why she felt she had to get out of this congregation to carry on her campaign.
Historically, LUTHERANS Have Always Professed & Believed That The Roman Catholic Papacy, In This Case Pope Benedict XVI, Is The Antichrist &-Or Antichrist ! Bachmann's Former LUTHERAN CHURCH Still Believes In The Historic LUTHERAN Profession & Belief–AS I ALSO DO–And I'm NOT A LUTHERAN !
Truthfully, Honestly & Sincerely Yours,
Tony Cisneros
2011 Candidate For City Treasurer,
City Of Chicago,
State Of Illinois,
United States Of America
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGSvqMBj-ig
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