Comments on: The “Mormon” Question Is VERY Quiet, but the religion discussion never dies http://www.article6blog.com/2008/01/25/the-mormon-question-is-very-quiet-but-the-religion-discussion-never-dies/ "Religion, Politics, the Presidency: Commentary by a Mormon, an Evangelical, and an Orthodox Christian" Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:15:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: coltakashi http://www.article6blog.com/2008/01/25/the-mormon-question-is-very-quiet-but-the-religion-discussion-never-dies/comment-page-1/#comment-12123 coltakashi Fri, 25 Jan 2008 22:34:23 +0000 http://www.article6blog.com/2008/01/25/the-mormon-question-is-very-quiet-but-the-religion-discussion-never-dies/#comment-12123 On the "New Baptist Covenant" meeting: What is an unrepentant liar and adulterer like Bill Clinton doing on the agenda of a supposedly religious conference? The guy lied to the face of 300 million Americans! He never directly admitted his lie, but just acted as if he had already done so. There is absolutely no reason to think he wouldn't do the adultery and lying all over again if he though he could get away with it. I might think he had sincerely changed if he eschewed the celebrity lifestyle and went off outside the public eye for a year to perform humble service cleaning bedpans in an African AIDS hospital. But aside from his help in publicizing the need for aid after Katrina and the Tsunami, most of his actions have been for the benefit of the Clinton family presidential campaign fund. On the article about Huckabee: The author is a little dense, in that he does not understand that when he contrasts himself with unnamed other candidates who are "foreigners and strangers" in the hymns and language of Evangelicals, he is telling them very clearly, Romney is not like us, he is an illegal immigrant to the Christian community, he doesn't speak our language, we must ostracize him and send him back where he came from. It would have been one thing for Huckabee to actually speak the language of Evangelicals in order to rouse them on social conservative issues. It is quite another to create an explicit us-versus-them viewpoint that tries to create unity among Evangelicals by uniting them in resentment of someone who was not invited, who does not have the passport of the nation within a nation that is the Evangelicals. Appealing to an Evangelical nationalism in this way undermines the whole point of a national political party, which is to unite difference constituencies sufficient to form a majority that can win elections and put the common goals into effect. It also makes it all too obvious that Huckabee does not feel any loyalty to the other constituencies of the Republican Party. It is as if he is replaying the separatism of the Confederate States, the intent to go it alone, lest their pure ideology be sullied by compromise or association with unbelievers. Huckabee can press the gas pedal on Evangelical voters, but his transmission is in reverse, taking them out of the Republican coalition. On the “New Baptist Covenant” meeting: What is an unrepentant liar and adulterer like Bill Clinton doing on the agenda of a supposedly religious conference? The guy lied to the face of 300 million Americans! He never directly admitted his lie, but just acted as if he had already done so. There is absolutely no reason to think he wouldn’t do the adultery and lying all over again if he though he could get away with it. I might think he had sincerely changed if he eschewed the celebrity lifestyle and went off outside the public eye for a year to perform humble service cleaning bedpans in an African AIDS hospital. But aside from his help in publicizing the need for aid after Katrina and the Tsunami, most of his actions have been for the benefit of the Clinton family presidential campaign fund.

On the article about Huckabee: The author is a little dense, in that he does not understand that when he contrasts himself with unnamed other candidates who are “foreigners and strangers” in the hymns and language of Evangelicals, he is telling them very clearly, Romney is not like us, he is an illegal immigrant to the Christian community, he doesn’t speak our language, we must ostracize him and send him back where he came from.

It would have been one thing for Huckabee to actually speak the language of Evangelicals in order to rouse them on social conservative issues. It is quite another to create an explicit us-versus-them viewpoint that tries to create unity among Evangelicals by uniting them in resentment of someone who was not invited, who does not have the passport of the nation within a nation that is the Evangelicals. Appealing to an Evangelical nationalism in this way undermines the whole point of a national political party, which is to unite difference constituencies sufficient to form a majority that can win elections and put the common goals into effect.

It also makes it all too obvious that Huckabee does not feel any loyalty to the other constituencies of the Republican Party. It is as if he is replaying the separatism of the Confederate States, the intent to go it alone, lest their pure ideology be sullied by compromise or association with unbelievers. Huckabee can press the gas pedal on Evangelical voters, but his transmission is in reverse, taking them out of the Republican coalition.

]]> By: kgbudge http://www.article6blog.com/2008/01/25/the-mormon-question-is-very-quiet-but-the-religion-discussion-never-dies/comment-page-1/#comment-12117 kgbudge Fri, 25 Jan 2008 18:43:06 +0000 http://www.article6blog.com/2008/01/25/the-mormon-question-is-very-quiet-but-the-religion-discussion-never-dies/#comment-12117 <blockquote>Serious or tongue-in-cheek. You decide.</blockquote> Either way, not to be taken seriously. Lowell, I share your slackjawed "What?"

Serious or tongue-in-cheek. You decide.

Either way, not to be taken seriously.

Lowell, I share your slackjawed “What?”

]]> By: JLFuller http://www.article6blog.com/2008/01/25/the-mormon-question-is-very-quiet-but-the-religion-discussion-never-dies/comment-page-1/#comment-12116 JLFuller Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:04:35 +0000 http://www.article6blog.com/2008/01/25/the-mormon-question-is-very-quiet-but-the-religion-discussion-never-dies/#comment-12116 Tony Perkins' comment in Time <em>"Mitt Romney has acknowledged that Mormonism is not a Christian faith,"</em> is classic selective perception. If I recall Romney's comment in The Speech he said he acknowledged that his version of Christianity is a bit different from historical Christianity, which is accurate. However we have never claimed our understanding is like that of traditional Trinitarian Christianity. But Romney did not deny he was Christian. I suppose Perkins' comment comes from the notion that historic Christianity and the FRC have authority to claim who is and is not Christian. Silly boys. But we are grateful to them in one respect - the more they talk about us the more opportunities we get to teach the Gospel. Tony Perkins’ comment in Time “Mitt Romney has acknowledged that Mormonism is not a Christian faith,” is classic selective perception. If I recall Romney’s comment in The Speech he said he acknowledged that his version of Christianity is a bit different from historical Christianity, which is accurate. However we have never claimed our understanding is like that of traditional Trinitarian Christianity. But Romney did not deny he was Christian. I suppose Perkins’ comment comes from the notion that historic Christianity and the FRC have authority to claim who is and is not Christian. Silly boys. But we are grateful to them in one respect – the more they talk about us the more opportunities we get to teach the Gospel.

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