By Dan Gilgoff and Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editors
(CNN)–For the next four days, the eyes of the political world will be on Tampa, Florida, the site of the Republican National Convention (which will now get started Tuesday, after Tropical Storm Isaac cancelled Monday's events).
Though politics will be the name of the game, it's a safe bet that religion will also play a major role. The convention opens with a prayer from a Hispanic evangelical leader and closes with a benediction from a Catholic cleric who's sometimes called "America's pope."
In between, balloons will drop on the first Mormon to be nominated by a major political party to be president of the United States. Here are eight ways faith will matter this week. What did we leave out? Let us know in comments and we'll expand our list as warranted.
1. The ghost of Todd Akin
Most people couldn't pick him out of lineup and he won't be attending the convention this week. But the Missouri Senate candidate who claimed that women could prevent conception in cases of "legitimate rape" opened a rift in the Republican Party, with GOP chieftains pressuring him to drop out while some powerful conservative Christian activists rally to his defense. Those activists are using the Akin episode to allege that the Republican Party wants quash their socially conservative agenda even as it happily accepts their votes. If the infighting continues into this week, there could be a battle for GOP's soul at a moment when the GOP wants to project unity.
2. The M word
Even now that he's talking more about his religious faith, Mitt Romney almost never refers specifically to Mormonism or to his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And yet Romney has held a series leadership positions in his church. Will the Republican Party continue to studiously avoid one of its presidential candidate's defining characteristics? Or will some convention speaker make a case for why Romney's Mormonism is an asset? Will Romney himself mention his religion as he accepts his party's nomination?
3. Ladies night (or week)?
For months, the GOP has been on the defensive, as Democrats say Republicans are waging a "war on women," a theme the Dems began sounding when the American bishops blasted the White House for its contraception mandate for insurance companies earlier this year. This week, Republicans face a delicate balancing act in trying to assuage the concerns of moderate women voters while also satisfying its religiously conservative base. (See ghost of Todd Akin, above). A big part of that mission falls to Ann Romney, the Republican nominee's wife, and to former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, both of whom have choice speaking slots.
4. The possibility of a culture war speech
"There is a religious war going on in this country," former presidential candidate Pat Buchanan told the 1992 Republican convention in a primetime address. "It is a cultural war, as critical to the kind of nation we shall be as the Cold War itself. For this war is for the soul of America." There are still debates over whether the speech, which provoked a media frenzy, helped or hurt President George H.W. Bush, who would go on to lose to Bill Clinton. But the Republican Party is keen on avoiding such moments as it tries to win over independents this fall. There's some nervousness about what Rick Santorum will say in his convention address.
5. Religious liberty
Many conservatives are livid over the Obama administration's requirement that health insurers offer free contraceptive coverage, even for employees of Catholic institutions. Plus, talking up religious liberty is likely less of a turnoff for moderate voters than is talk about bans on abortion and gay marriage, traditionally the top concerns of religious conservatives. Catholics and evangelicals, two key voting blocs, have been buzzing about religious liberty for months, with mega-pastor Rick Warren recently canceling plans for a presidential forum with Obama and Romney and announcing plans for one on religious liberty instead.
6. Israel
When it comes to foreign policy, look for convention speakers to try outdo one another in pledging support for the Jewish State - and in railing against Obama for what they'll allege are his administration's shabby treatment of a key American ally. Israel is especially important to the GOP's evangelical base, some of whom see a biblical bond with the Jewish people and some who believe Israel must be in Jewish control before the Second Coming can happen. Mitt Romney included Israel as one of his marquee stops on his recent foreign trip, including a photo-op at Jerusalem's Western Wall.
7. Hurricane theology
Will some televangelist claim that Tropical Storm Isaac, which is headed toward the Gulf Coast, is God's way of punishing the GOP for insufficient piety? It wouldn't be the first time a prominent preacher blamed severe weather on American insubordinance.
8. "America's pope"
The convention's closing prayer will be delivered by Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who leads the American Catholic bishops and is sometimes referred to as America's pope. It's a good indication of just how important the Catholic vote is thought to be this year, with Catholics accounting for 1 in 4 Americans and considered to be the quintessential swing bloc. Whoever wins these voters will likely win the White House.
The religious right has completely taken over the Republican Party. Which is precisely why I'm no longer a republican. I think Billy Connolly has summed up my sentiments on religion very succinctly... "Take your reformation, your vatican, your mecca and f-off!"
they have tried to tie the religious right with the Ayn Rand type, leaving the plain fiscal conservative with two stark choices to make. Neither of them appeal to me. They have become too radical.
WAKE UP! I keep seeing those Romney/GOP ads on TV where he is talking (in his pseudo-sincere GOP way) about how he believes in the Bible. REALLY? Am I the only one who's tuned-in to the fact that MORMONS DO NOT BELIEVE IN THE HOLY BIBLE! They believe in the Book of Mormon... THE BOOK OF MORMON IS NOT THE BIBLE.
Folks, Mitt Romney is all facade! He is not real... he's a shyster, a huckster and a deceiver. We don't and can't afford another one of those types... and especially another Republican dragging along all of GWB and Cheney's cronies back into the halls of power along with Tea Party darling Paul Ryan and his extremist pals! If Obama weren't good for the American Middle Class they wouldn't be spending 100$ of Million$ of Dollar$ to distort his record, discredit him and defeat him! Its propaganda. Think!
Mormons absolutely believe in the Holy Bible. We use the King James Version.
"Land of the Free and Home of the Brave",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Coming soon to cinemas,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Opens December 21, 2012. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Watch Trailer
====================================================
The time has come to make a choice, Mr. America.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vote British King or Founding fathers of America ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Are you nuts ?????King has enough cash to make job positions and put you on one of them!!!!!!!!!!,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These community organizers can only offer you an American dream and you have to take risk and fight for your own destiny,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Know the history ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,the history of great America,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, history of hating greedy success ,,,,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mormonism is not a Christian Faith. Republicans are blind, they accused Obama of being the antichrist but they are now electing the antichrist. They will embrace romney only because he is white.
I do not care if Mormonism is a christian faith or not.
Religion shouldn't matter at all. Keep your damn religion out of my government. Go to church if you want to preach your religion. Separate your church and my state. What part of that don't you morons get?
Pardon me but I learned in school that our forefarthers (and for very good reason) installed separation of chruch and state! Now I don't care if a person (if you can call a policitan a person) wants to beleive in whatever he/she chooses but just why is religion mentioned all the time during elections, etc. Remember religion has been the factor in most all wars on earth. One of our major issues in abortion and decisions on its use are not made rationally they are made by some because of religious beliefs (remember about the wars).
If faith mattered to the republican party or the democratic party (both owned by the same banking interests) they wouldn't support world government tyranny, war, and dirty FED money backed by nothing.
like
Oh God of Earth and altar, bow down and hear our cry, our Earthly rulers falter, our people drift and die, the walls of gold entomb us, the swords of scorn divide, take not thy thunder from us, take away our pride.
Whatever happened to separation of Church and State? The GOP is cramming a religious right agenda down our throats in order to get a Mormon elected! They who profess such a pristine life are the one's comitting adultery, polygamy, incest and child molestation. The LDS just don't want you to know, and expect you to be too be to lazy to educate yourself about the cult. READ and LEARN! They only support other Mormons or people sympathetic to them. The GOP platform is nothing more than Mormonism, cut and dry.
i agree separation of church and state is a must that right thinks otherwise
Committing any of those things will get you promptly excommunicated from the LDS church. Have you ever bothered to ask an actual, practicing Mormon what he or she believes?
By bringing religion into play the next step will a one world religion where only what the government says is a religion and what is not. They already have people brain washed into thinking it is a privilege to drive, one should remember privilege's are given to people. You pay at the a$$ to drive and now government is allowing insurance to base your rate's on your credit score!! Ounce this type of tyranny is not challenged we are doomed for what will come next is a one world government!
and your possible employers do the same thing
We are in dire financial conditions in this country. And you think religion is an important issue in this election? No you don't. You would like to make people think it is, along with ridiculous comments by Akin, free contraception or any other make believe issue. Anything but Obama's record. Besides, under the covers, we know you hate religion and you are emphasizing this because you think it cast the GOP in a negative light. Only for Liberals. Conservatives (even non-religious ones like me) are not scared of religion or religious people (only ones who strap bombs on themselves).
It's not religion it's heart that is important for this country,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
because most religions are fake,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
then the founders hated religion too, because many of them were Deists. they hade seen the problems that happen with state sponsored religion personally. They may have believed in a God, but most were not religious at all. Many in fact did not like it, but realized the need for people to have their freedom for PERSONAL beliefs.
GOP, the party of losers.
Democrats.. The party of users.
Hahahahahahahaha!
We all know that democrats are the spawn of the devil.
Republicans believe in an invisible sky wizard!
CNN showed the convention today on television, what I saw a bunch of drunks dancing with no rhythm just like the party they support.
Wow how long did it take you to come up with that zinger.. What a tool.
Hahahahahaha!
The time has come to make a choice, Mr. America.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vote British King or Founding fathers of America ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
King has enough cash to make job positions and put you on one of them,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Founding fathers of America can only offer you an American dream and you have to take risk and fight for your own destiny,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Know the history ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,the history of great America,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,the history of hating greedy success ,,,,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Land of the Free and Home of the Brave",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Coming soon to cinemas,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Opens December 21, 2012. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Watch Trailer ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
they have tied two different ideologies together. the Libertarian (Ayn Rand) and the religious right. Christianity if followed correctly does not allow for mis treatment of the poor. It actually expects more from those in power. It demanded that land owners leave grain standing on the edge of the fields for the poor to harvest, made the cost of sacrifice offerings cheaper for the poor, absolved debt every seven years. that is just the hebrew scriptures. we all know the greek scriptures turns decidedly towards the poor and belittles the rich for their lack of compassion. I know this and I dont even claim to believe in it.
What a terribly written one sided piece of garbage this was. AT LEAST THE REPUBLICAN PARTY STILL ACKNOWLEDGES AND RESPECTS RELIGION!!! The democrats are only interested in pandering to the loudest most obnoxious in the crowd. They could care less about the majority as made blatantly obvious by their attempt to take over health care. .
bull tweet. if you want religion in school – go to a private school. no one prevents you from praying in school. you just cant make everyone in the school take part in a prayer event.
bull tweet. if you want religion in school – go to a private school. no one prevents you from praying in school. you just cant make everyone in the school take part in a prayer event.
"When it comes to foreign policy, look for convention speakers to try outdo one another in pledging support for the Jewish State." - An act of treason.
"The convention's closing prayer will be delivered by Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who leads the American Catholic bishops and is sometimes referred to as America's pope." - I think they mean 'America's pedophile'.
Oh, please! Ask any evangelical Christian a few years ago if they thought Mormonism was Christianity....they all thought it was a cult (as most reasonable people think).......this is just POLITICS!
Dolan is nothing but an attack dog for the failed Pope and his hate agenda.