Steven Waldman

Steven Waldman

Sarah Palin’s CBN Interview — Mainstream Faith, Christian Persecution & more

posted by swaldman | 5:37pm Tuesday October 21, 2008

In talking about her faith, Palin does not sound like some intolerant religious crazy. She sounds quite mainstream. She asks God to bless America but also other countries.I’m disappointed that, when David Brody asked her to talk about her Pentecostal faith — to clear up misconceptions — she ducked that part of the question entirely. She’s skillful in turning unspecified attacks on her faith to her advantage — playing the Christian persecution card, as it were. “Nobody is going to convince me that my foundation of faith is not good for me and for my family — no matter the mocking, no matter what anybody says about it, I’m going to keep plugging away.”Finally, she expresses wonder how anyone who’s not a believer can run for president: “I don’t know how anybody would want to do this if they didn’t have real strong faith in God, that he’s got it all under control.” She differs from John McCain in that she supports an amendment to the U.S. Constitution banning gay marriage:



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Comments read comments(6)
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Fred Ashman

posted October 21, 2008 at 9:06 pm


The trouble with Sarah Palin is that she makes a mockery of her
professed Christianity by distorting information, and using innuendo to suggest Barack Obama could be a terrorist and that’s a reason to fear him. Also, the comment made by Joe Biden about Obama being tested as President by other countries creating crises to see how he’d respond.
Surely Joe did not mean that Obama isn’t capable of responding appropriately, but she interpreted it that way anyway. John McCain would be tested too. One can always wonder if he’s capable to responding appropriately, because he too will be tested.
As a Christian, I do think that honesty and integrity count. I don’t see that coming from Sarah. I wonder why so many people don’t see what to me seems so obvious! Both she and John mcCain use innuendo and pretend they are merely raising honest questions.



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Bob Simenson

posted October 21, 2008 at 10:41 pm


I thought she gave a weak testimony..



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Susan

posted October 22, 2008 at 12:12 am


I was going to vote for Obama, then I found out he was a Christian…. ;-)
Aw well maybe there’s hope for him yet. Palin’s a hopelessly intolerant arrogant Christian though. And judging by the way she has behaved in this campaign, she doesn’t have a clue what Jesus’ message was or who he was. Obama is a much better example of Jesus. He doesn’t make Christianity look like a bunch of angry, rude, lying, self-serving, intolerant hypocrites. He just might be transformational for Christianity’s horrible public image.



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Kelly

posted October 22, 2008 at 11:01 am


I have struggled over the past few months with trying to “chew and swallow” the very mixed messages we are receiving from the candidates on the trail.
Whatever your religious affiliation, I believe that true spirituality is found in the person who is not only tolerant of all the creations/people of God, but also makes a conscious decision to live a good life.
I am imperfect, and I have made mistakes. Each day, I hope for the strength to be a better person, to use the gifts I’ve been given.
I wonder these days if the candidates lie awake at night, knowing that some of their choices of conduct are very different from the pious comments they make about their faith. For what? To win a race…
I am deeply concerned that Ms. Palin has decided that in order for her to be right, someone has to be wrong…
Ms. Palin’s image of faith has been spun to the point that I’m not sure what she stands for…she is willing to let go of and skirt questions about her faith for an election…what else is she willing to let go or justify in the name of power.
I pray for the Americans who are suffering right now. Maybe the ones in a war they disagree with, or the family packing their belongings to move from a foreclosed home. I pray to not only “my ” God, but to whomever may be listening. I am praying that we can elevate this country out of the mud.



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Warren Cheswick

posted October 22, 2008 at 12:07 pm


Palin is a hack. She’s McCain’s hatchet-woman, doing the dirty work of the party by throwing out all the character assassination remarks and incredible accusations that McCain’s people won’t let Johnny Boy do because they are trying so hard to portray him as a nice guy who goes across party lines and cares only about America, not party politics. So she’s a way of allowing the ticket to have its proverbial cake and eat it too.
Trouble is, we’ve all seen this before with Bush and his crew, and so most people aren’t falling for it. McCain had no shot in hell without Palin, but I have to think that in the end, she only polarizes people further, and drives more of the “middle” further into Obama’s camp.
Regarding her position on religion, it’s the same as everything else she says about just about any of the big issues (abortion, creationism, etc. etc. etc.). When she’s preaching to the choir, she tells them what they want to hear, or she comes across as being part of the fringe extreme. When she is called out on it, she backpedals, obfuscates, or simply refuses to answer the question. She sometimes flat out contradicts herself (see her various statements about Roe v. Wade). Despite all this taking place in the media where we can all match up her various contradictory statements, she still positions herself in the role of “maverick” who is unlike all those Washington politicians with their lies, their scandals, their flip-flopping, and their sophistry. Yeah, right.
So I don’t know about you folks, but I’m certainly not buying it.



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