The Democrats opened the week with the first ever Interfaith worship service. I didn’t arrive in time but Progressive Revival’s Paul Raushenbush reports that the very first speaker, Charles Blake, declared himself to be a pro-life Democrat.
A pro-life pastor opening a Democratic Party worship service? Makes the head spin. (One protester, who apparently hadn’t gotten the memo, shouted that it was inappropriate for the Democratic Party to start its convention with a religoius service.).
More signs of, er, change: events are being sponsored this year not only by the Senior Caucus, the Ethnic Caucus, the GLBT Caucs etc — but the Faith Caucus.
But my favorite sign that the Democrats are trying something new came in my goodie bag. Like any good convention, they offered delegates useful items like Lip Protector (courtesy of Blue Cross), a ringtone gift card from att&t and tasty mints from some local real estate company.
And then there was a copy of Dale Carnegie’s Golden Book, drawn from his classic, How to Win Friends and Influence People. Somehow I don’t think of the hipsters in the Obama Yes We Can video as being real Dale Carnegie types.
Some of it seemed a bit incongruous given the vicious campaign in which we find ourselves (“Don’t criticize, condemn or complain”). But if the Democrats want to combat angst over Obama’s slipping poll numbers they need only consult this passage of the booklet:
The Perfect Way to Conquer Worry
Pray
posted August 25, 2008 at 8:35 am
Democrats have always been RELIGIOUS PEOPLE. We live like Jesus told us to live. Republicans, I believe, promote hate more than anything I have ever known. They want their hate to be more important than the words of Jesus.
When the crowd wanted to stone to death a woman who had committed adultery, Jesus said “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
When asked about prayer, Jesus said go into your house, get in a closet and pray where there is only you and GOD, and don’t pray long prayers because GOD knows what you need before you pray. But the HATE PROMOTING Republicans holler and holler that we need to pray in schools, pray at football games. I respect that other religions have rights also and that we should listen to JESUS, not to any Republican who thinks he is religious.
posted August 25, 2008 at 12:14 pm
People from all parties claim to be Christian, but do you vote on the issues, the man or the party? If it truly is the issues, then you can quit the party bantering now? Who freed the slaves again?
Jesus didn’t care about choosing sides, man does. Jesus could care less what Christian shows up where to talk about whom. If you are Bible-believing, God-fearing person, you should consult your BIBLE and see how the ISSUES stand up to the scriptures.
Then, AND ONLY THEN, do you go vote. So, g’head, get your Bible and find things in there about abortion, capital punishment, caring for the poor, outreach for all mankind, et cetera. After you do, you will discover why parties were created in the first place. No one has a clue what the Bible stands for.
And that’s why democrats are ridiculed for being people of faith because they promote abortion and republicans are called hypocrites for not taking care of the poor but stereotypically make up the shiny buckle in the Bible belt.
Ah, politics.
posted August 25, 2008 at 11:56 pm
As the pro-life republicans discover that they are being silenced by the pro-choice republicans, as the Religious Right find that they have elected sex offenders, adulterers and Corporate thieves, they will drift back to the party that voted for civil and social values that The first Republican President, Abe Lincoln stood for.
Somehow Kennedy, Carter and Bill Clinton stood for freedom more that Bush ever did. Even LBJ stood for the civil rights more than either of the Bush Presidents.
When the Republican Party return to real values for America, I will return to them.