There's A New God Gap Growing - Inside The GOP
Sunday October 26, 2008
Categories: John McCain
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The God-o-Meter (pronounced Gah-DOM-meter) scientifically measures factors such as rate of God-talk, effectiveness—saying God wants a capital gains tax cut doesn't guarantee a high rating—and other top-secret criteria (Actually, the adjustment criteria are here). Click a candidate's head to get his or her latest God-o-Meter reading and blog post. And check back often. With so much happening on the campaign trail, God-o-Meter is constantly recalibrating!God-o-Meter blogger Dan Gilgoff is Beliefnet's Politics Editor. A former political correspondent for U.S. News & World Report, he is author of The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America are Winning the Culture War.
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The "religious" "right" were agents of intolerance when John McCain first called them that, and they are still agents of intolerance today.
Palin's grousing about "the opposition she's facing because of her faith-based politics". Only some of us oppose her because of that (a President has to be President for ALL citizens, not just the "religious" ones - and what about those who are of the 'wrong' religion?).
Many, many others of us oppose her because she is ill-equipped to become Commander-in-Chief, unqualified in so any areas, unethical, a bully, and inarticulate to boot. Oh, and a hypocrite: her preferred 'abstinence only' policy did not work for either her nor her daughter.
As for her wearing her 'faith' on her sleeve, any person who would charge a rape victim for her medical examination kit is NO emulator of Christ's message. And the false witness she continues to bear against Senator Obama equally shows me she is no 'Christian'.
It's about time (well, long past time, really) for socially conservatives to remember, there isn't supposed to be a religious test to hold public office in America. You have tried to make it a requirement, and that is one reason for this 'new' God gap. Another - not all religions are conservative. Another - not all Americans are religulous. Yet another - ALL citizens are supposed to be guaranteed equal treatment before the law, and so many socially conservative laws do not allow for that.
If the GOP loose this election, blame Iowa and Huckabee. It was there that Huckabee started his anti-Mormon whisper campaign. The GOP still have a strong religious base and can win future elections as they have in the past. The problem this cycle was the anti Mormon sentiment was played up by Huckabee. GOP voters need to realize that Mormons are really their best friends when it comes to politics. So, if the GOP loses, it was Iowa that took the wind out of Mitt Romney's sails and it was Huckabee that took the wind out of Iowa. Huckabee played on lies to convince the right wing there that he was their man. Now look where we are. I just want to say thank you to Iowa for giving the GOP a no win nomination. As for Huckabee, well the above says it all.
If Obama wins the presidency you can blame Willard Romney, he literally went around paying people off to support him. When everybody knew that he was no conservative and he even said so many times. So if James & Willard think that Mormon can win the presidency without evangelicals just tell us and we will get out of the way and see what you people can do. Frankly I believe it is people like James that give Mormons a bad name, they are so bitter that Romney lost and they try to paint evangelical as bigoted as if are only choice should have been Willard. I have many Mormon friends that didn't vote for Willard because they knew his true record, it's time for people like James to face the facts people didn't support slick Willy because he didn't share our conservative values. I supported Huckabee because he did speak to thing I care about, and go figure he actually had a track record on delivering on his campaign promises.
I share the sentiments of the other ex-Pentecostal. I would add to those words by mentioning the complete lack of compassion I hear from those who profess "faith-based, conservative values."
There is no religious test for office and there IS separation of church and state. The accusatory message of condemnation that I hear so often from faith-based values voters and politicians does not reflect Christ's message of love. Yes, political campaigns get messy and politicians "go after one another"; but, when anyone, politician or otherwise, wears religion on their sleeve and lays claim to the moral highground, they are held to a higher standard. If one wants to take up the game of politics, please lay down the cross! Souls have most likely been lost due to the self-righteous sermonizing of those who whould rather legislate morality than convert by sharing the good news of the gospel.
My recommendation to all the well-meaning Christians that have engaged in religious-political activities: Shut down the PAC's and demonstrate the true message of Christ by engaging in local outreach.
I've have a friend who has lived in Iowa for over 20 years, and he and I have talked about the fact that there is a STRONG anti-Mormon position being pushed by many evangelical Christians there.
For example, Rocky and Helen Hulse have an anti-Mormon missionary organization established in Nauvoo, IL. They have spoken all over Iowa in the past few years, but were in high demand as Mitt Romney's campaign began. Take a look at their website:
www.nauvoochristian.org/index.php
His new book "When Salt Lake City Calls" was written in response to Romney's candidacy. It puts forth the case that a Mormon cannot be trusted to elected office since they put allegiance to the church ahead of allegiance to the county. This message was also echoed on their blog:
mormonhomeevening.blogspot.com/
The NY Times ran an article about this back in 2007, and accurately described the atmosphere here:
www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/us/politics/28repubs.html
My friend told me that it was Huckabee's message that kept Romney from winning the state's GOP primary.
I'm a Christian woman, moderate, independent
I guess my problem is that I don't feel welcome in the GOP in the slightest. There's a level of viciousness there that I just don't know how to handle.
What really turned me off was the wild stuff against muslims... that's just wrong.
To the author, great article and I really enjoyed you bringing these issues to light.
But I'd argue the problem is bigger than secular vs. non-secular... there's a large fracturing of the Republican Party as a whole. The problem is that "my ideology" is not the same "ideology" as the next... or the next... or the next. Lately, those ideas have started to clash. I mean look at someone like Rush Limbaugh. One minute he's saying he hates McCain, next minute he loves him. Now he's calling for an excommunication of "fake" conservatives from the Party. That's not tolerant in the least.
Here's to hoping the party does transform and revitalize itself.
This post does not provide any solid reason to think the gap between Wall Street Republicans and evangelical/social conservative Republicans is growing. The gap has always been there; Noonan and Will have been criticizing the religious right folks for as long as I can remember.
When the team is winning, both camps are happy and keep their differences more under wraps. When it looks like losing, both camps want to pin the blame on the other.
"they try to paint evangelical as bigoted"
Many evangelicals ARE bigoted. No need to "paint" them that way. Holding a mirror up (as many do here on this and other blogs) suffices.
I think Social Conservatives should form a Christian Party. Then we'd have a third party, and I could finally in good conscience vote Republican again because I'd be voting purely for the agenda of personal liberty and small government touted by fiscal conservatives, not fundamentalist religion which seeks to strip that away touted by social conservatives.
I agree with groose.
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