I agree with Obama completely, what was once faith in God and a higher purpose has turned into hate, intolerance, and vitriol against others.
“Somehow, somewhere along the way, faith stopped being used to bring us together and faith started being used to drive us apart,” the Democratic presidential candidate said in a 30-minute speech before the national meeting of the United Church of Christ.
“Faith got hijacked, partly because of the so-called leaders of the Christian Right, all too eager to exploit what divides us,” the Illinois senator said.
“At every opportunity, they’ve told evangelical Christians that Democrats disrespect their values and dislike their church, while suggesting to the rest of the country that religious Americans care only about issues like abortion and gay marriage, school prayer and intelligent design,” according to an advance copy of his speech.
America has always been a place where people of any faith could find a common ground in our society. The polarization brought on by the bible-thumpers has poisoned this country.
It’s not so much Carter, but once they had a Democrat President. there was a big push in Congress to restrict religious schools, kind of like how they go after homeschoolers today in some places. This brought many Christians into politics who were previously content to let things be.
77–I missed that. I can see practical and impractical reasons for either side. I can also see Dems doing it more likely than Republicans. Maybe it was for the same reason as the anti-homschoolers? ((Jealousy, reduced federal funding, to “protect them” and so forth?) – – -Thanks.
>>but once they had a Democrat President. there
>>was a big push in Congress to restrict religious schools
If by “restrict” you mean “not authorized to suck at the gummint teat”, fuckin-A right. If the country wants to amend the Constitution and fund the Spaghetti Monster church and Santeria and pagans and devil worshipers along with fundie Christians, I guess it will elect officials who are willing to pass those amendments to said document.
In the meantime, do your religious indoctrination in your place of worship or at home, and leave the schools to teaching reading, writing, and rithmetic.
Who are you if what you believe is wrong. If your belief is wrong then your identity is shattered. Preservation of the self (the imaginary self) is the number one rule isn’t it?
These poor Relgious Right are fighting for their lives, literally. They have to use terrorist actions to keep their beliefs alive so that their mental identity with it is kept intact.
Reason is the destruction of religion. Reason is the freedom of religion but it has it’s consequences too. Reason let Pandora out of the box and look at society today. Religion imprisoned women but the family was intact. There was community, at least once a week. The community was a stronghold to keep a group of people moral and accountable.
First I am glad Obama came out and said it.
Now for all of you that posted comments using the ‘Pope’, especially the ones that state they hate ‘religion’; I am so glad you all still feel so warm and fuzzy enough to call The Bishop of Rome, poppa. Its that kind of mixed signaling that leads to humanity being all screwed up. But you’re such good catholics!
Now onto religion. Webster defines religion as teh worship of god or a supernatural being. What you all that ‘hate’ religion keep foaming at the mouth about is that you actually ‘hate’ the practioners of organised and ritualistic forms of worship. Not the actual ‘religion’ itself.
In future it would be handy if you put it into that context so that we all know you direct your “hate, intolerance, and vitriol” against organised and flawed human beings and not the actual basis of religion.
Now I’ve been using quotes, single and double, to encapsulate words like “hate, intolerance, and vitriol”. I do that for I cannot really believe that you hate the people that form hypocrisy in religion, you simply hate the practice of hypocrisy in religion.
If I have somehow gotten that notion wrong, please correct me so I may lump you all into the cess pool of humanity with the people that are hypocrites in religion.
I believe the MAIN reason why people have such a hard time with religion, is they do not comprehend the meaning of words and have been blinded by the propagandist use of these words.
Other words that have fallen prey to propaganda:
Freedom
Liberty
Justice
Truth
Honour
Patriotism
Service
Citizenship
Let us not fall prey to the emotional waste of propaganda when we are all intelligent and prudent people here.
Cursor_
I thought churches weren’t supposed to be endorsing candidates. What is Barack Obama doing there giving a political speech?
>>I thought churches weren’t supposed to be endorsing candidates.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Did anyone ever tell that to the Republican candidates and the hatemongering fundies? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time.
Religious assholes? Sendahole.com.
#82 – I thought churches weren’t supposed to be endorsing candidates. What is Barack Obama doing there giving a political speech?
Huh?
Cite the law that says that.
Who’s gonna stop them. Church leadership in any church is free, if the choose, to endorse anyone they please.
81–I “hate” seeing long thoughtful posts not responded to, so I’ll parse it closely having only skimmed it before.
Para 1==Poppa??? I word searched this thread and you are the only one using the term, or the concept. Why would you make up an issue out of straw? If you pulled that from other threads, thats understandable, wrong–but understandable.
Para 2&3==Yes, thats a good one. Seperate the religion from its practitioners. Very, very Catholic of yourself to do so==like trying to seperate the sin from the sinner. Yet, we all know religious types who preach against certain sins also hate those sinners, there hypocrisy not believed. What is the “true meaning” of any religion or any idea for that matter?===Selective parts of what you wish it only said==or what it justifies other people to actually do? Religion is strongly bifurcated into love and hate. I can find love in many other places and rarely find hate so strongly expressed. Net result==religion is not worth its negative impact on this world.
Para 4&5==my mind is big enough to hate the people and the source of their warped ideology. But yes, always room for free floating wishy-washy love that doesn’t mean anything, if thats what you mean?
Para 6–I think most people who have a hard time with religion understand it quite well and actually understand and dont like people like you who continue with the facade that there is just something they don’t understand. Still, religion would be ignored if it would stop trying to force itself on other people. You do understand what the will to self autonomy is—ie, FREEDOM, from other peoples stupidity.
Now go back to that delusional world of yours where you think you have something worthwhile to contribute.