Do we need more religion in government given the bang up job it’s done so far? What would a Religious Left look like? Could it be worse than the hypocritical, child molester protecting, anti-freedom Religious Right? With God on your side, anything is possible. And allowable.
Hillary’s Prayer: Hillary Clinton’s Religion and Politics
Such references to spiritual warfare—prayer as battle against Satan, evil, and sin—might seem like heavy evangelical rhetoric for the senator from New York, but they went over well with the Sojourners audience, as did her call to “inject faith into policy.” It was language that recalled Clinton’s Jesus moment a year earlier, when she’d summoned the Bible to decry a Republican anti-immigrant initiative that she said would “criminalize the good Samaritan…and even Jesus himself.” Liberal Christians crowed (“Hillary Clinton Shows the Way Democrats Can Use the Bible,” declared a blogger at TPMCafe) while conservative pundits cried foul, accusing Clinton of scoring points with a faith not really her own.
In fact, Clinton’s God talk is more complicated—and more deeply rooted—than either fans or foes would have it, a revelation not just of her determination to out-Jesus the gop, but of the powerful religious strand in her own politics.
[…]
Through all of her years in Washington, Clinton has been an active participant in conservative Bible study and prayer circles that are part of a secretive Capitol Hill group known as the Fellowship. Her collaborations with right-wingers such as Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and former Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) grow in part from that connection.
The Fellowship’s long-term goal is “a leadership led by God—leaders of all levels of society who direct projects as they are led by the spirit.” According to the Fellowship’s archives, the spirit has in the past led its members in Congress to increase U.S. support for the Duvalier regime in Haiti and the Park dictatorship in South Korea. The Fellowship’s God-led men have also included General Suharto of Indonesia; Honduran general and death squad organizer Gustavo Alvarez Martinez; a Deutsche Bank official disgraced by financial ties to Hitler; and dictator Siad Barre of Somalia, plus a list of other generals and dictators. Clinton, says Schenck, has become a regular visitor to [Fellowship leader Doug] Coe’s Arlington, Virginia, headquarters, a former convent where Coe provides members of Congress with sex-segregated housing and spiritual guidance.
Satan She thrills then kills!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There is nothing more boring and out of touch with reality than Christian politics.
I was waiting for this to be available online. I need to send this to everyone I know. This article, singlehandedly, made Hillary my last choice among the Dems. She’s still better than any of the candidates in the Republican pool. But, she is still legislating from religion and that scares the willies out of me.
Unfortunately Hillary will probably win the democratic ticket simply because she is the most electible…not because of the democrats supporting her, but because she is the most republican candidate running and can pull many of their votes as well.
Obama should be our next president, but as always the person who should win never does. Were going to be stuck with Hillary, a republican claiming to be democrat.
I have voted Democrat my whole life, and never thought I would not. I also believe in God and that it is a positive force in my life. I do not want religion in politics. For the first time ever I’m looking outside of my party. Ron Paul is the candidate that seems to fit the bill.
I should also add that I find this extremely scary not just because of the implications regarding Hillary. Look at some of the other names in this and the alliances formed because of this behind the scenes hyper-religiosity.
#4 – jim,
I’m sorry I can’t agree with you about Obama. His ties to coal are too strong for my taste. If not for severe public outcry, he was perfectly willing to put huge backing behind liquid coal. This would have been horrifically bad for the environment.
So far, I’m liking Kucinich a lot. He’s currently the first in my mind. And, he’d probably be electable too, if the media would actually report the news instead of trying to create the news. Liberal media my ass.
The Clinton political machine will always go with the odds and prevailing winds. These candidates are so cloaked in the slight majority of public opinion it’s almost impossible to see the real person. The real scary part is I doubt they themselves can tell anymore. You’ll never get elected in the US without frequently using the words God and prayer.
Misanthropic Scott,
While Kucinich may be a very good candidate he will never have the pull that Obama/Hillary have, at least not before this election. Its disgusting to watch the “debates” where candidates like Kucinich are not given enough time to campaign…candidates like him actually have plans for fixing problems, but never get to explain them while the “top” candidates simply avoid the questions by spitting bullshit until their time is up.
religion — keep it to yourself — it’s just that simple.
remember, if you destroy the wall between church and state, you may find one day that it’s your church that is on the outs. be careful what you wish for…
#12 – Ataru,
Race and skin color have nothing to do with it for me. I don’t like his environmental policies. The only color that concerns me is green, and in both senses of the word. How are their environmental policies? Who are they bought by and will they stay bought?
Jeeze, get a grip, people.
We’re talking about a professional politician here. If you think she actually believes anything that’s not just convenient to believe in terms of votes and if you think she’s going to actually act on anything she’s saying now, you haven’t been paying close enough attention to politics for the past few thousands of years.
They will say or do anything to get elected – anything at all. Get it through your heads: what they say means absolutely nothing. Nothing!
Gee, I shouldn’t be considered cynical, should I?
#14 A bit cynical perhaps, but unfortunately right on the money.
Hillary is certain to be the best thing to happen to the GOP since Ronald Reagan. She is constantly on the prowl for things to say to boost her numbers and she will inevitably wide up alienating half of her party who, just like in ’00 and ’04 simply won’t vote, much to the delight of the GOP.
If she really wants a democratic president she should step down now.
I have no plans to vote for Hillary and this article just solidifies my decision.
Ron Paul 2008
#16 – Improbus,
Ron’s not going to be really popular with the left. I think he just wants unbridled capitalism (ca 1890) and fetal rights over rights of the born.
14. Cinaedh- I totally agree with you, the woman will do ANYTHING to be elected, and thats the frightening part.
Uncle Dave asks, “What would a Religious Left look like?”
Here you go. Wikipedia has the answer.
http://tinyurl.com/2jhen7
#14, you are absolutely correct, and it doesn’t matter what country you speak of. We have no checks and balances to hold elected officials to promises made. That’s why so many platforms are similar and the line between Conservative and Liberal is blurring. They all research to find out what the most popular concerns are, and then tailor their platform to glean the most votes. Because we the electorate generally have no balls, we have created governments that are run by liars and manipulators.
There should be consequences in place where the runner up can immediately take office if the winner is found dishonest.
19. I am an agnostic at best, however I would gladly support a politician that talked about the agenda spelled out in the article you shared. The single most revolting thing about moderan Evangelical Christianity is that its agenda is almost always diametrically opposed to the teachings of Christ as presented in the Gospels.
The irony of my spiritual life is that I very strongly beleive in those teachings but I do not beleive in church, religion, and am not at all sure one way or the other about the existance of a sentient supreme being.
If Jesus really existed he was one of philosophy’s original great Humanists.
Read her book.
Mandatory public service, gluttony is a sin, and so of course is smoking and not wearing your seat belt. Speeding is a measure of impatience that should not be tolerated. And also god calls on everyone to care for the environment, so you’d better volunteer to pick up litter, as well as pay more for energy.
I don’t like Hillary, but I can’t find fault with her intelligence. She realizes what most of you don’t: nearly half of the voters in this country go to church.
Now liberals have been waging war against anyone who believes in God, which offends a sizeable portion of the Democratic base. (That base if far larger than the liberal religion haters; i.e., abortion and gay rights activists.) Many of these will vote Republican if they feel the candidate from their party posses a threat to their religious beliefs.
Hillary doesn’t need an endorsement from religious groups, she only needs to make it clear that religion won’t be threatened by her presidency. If she can do that, then she could gain another two to five percent in the national vote. Of course, she has to balance her potential national gain against the religion haters blocking her nomination.
#9 You’ll never get elected in the US without frequently using the words God and prayer.
Strongly agree.
That is the first unwritten requirement.
The second one is: being married.
Funny though how Democrats – just in my lifetime – used to be openly religious… Kennedy, Carter…
Remember when Protestants were concerned that JFK would take orders from the Pope?
And now they allow themselves to be openly reviled as Lefty Liberals who oppose anything which would give Christianity a voice in Government.
Just as Dubya played the redemption card for his recovery from alcohol/drug use…
Hillary can get sympathy from the “elephant in the room” i.e. how faith and prayer kept her troubled marriage to Slick Willie intact, thus preserving her bonds of Holy Matrimony – something a lot of GOP big-wigs can’t say.
#20 – We have no checks and balances to hold elected officials to promises made.
Yes we do. They are called elections. If we don’t vote correctly, that’s our fault.
#24 – Now liberals have been waging war against anyone who believes in God, which offends a sizeable portion of the Democratic base.
Wow. Now there is a sizable chunk of bullshit.
“Hillary can get sympathy from the “elephant in the room” i.e. how faith and prayer kept her troubled marriage to Slick Willie intact, thus preserving her bonds of Holy Matrimony – something a lot of GOP big-wigs can’t say. ”
Do you really believe that? You think Bill has kept his dick in his pants since Monicagate? Not that I give a flying ef what he does with Willie Jr. But the only thing that has kept that mariage intact, are her White House aspirations.
Religion of any form doesn’t belong in Politics
OFTLO, I think you misunderstood the comment. The sizable portion of the Democratic base isn’t offended by god, but by the anti-believer liberals.
#29 – MikeN,
Are you suggesting that all anti-religious people are liberal or that all liberals are anti-religious?
And, exactly what do you define as anti-believer? Anti-school prayer? Pro choice? Pro separation of church and state?
I’m an antitheist and a liberal myself. However, I am not anti-believer. Everyone is entitled to their own belief. They’re simply not entitled to legislate it on others.
#24 – Smith,
Now liberals have been waging war against anyone who believes in God
Would you please clarify this statement? In what way? Liberals allow for a tremendous amount of personal freedom and liberty in belief. If you choose to believe in a god, or many gods, or no god, that is certainly your choice. In what way do you feel that anyone is waging war against that?
#25 – Mike Voice,
Funny though how Democrats – just in my lifetime – used to be openly religious… Kennedy, Carter…
Remember when Protestants were concerned that JFK would take orders from the Pope?
And now they allow themselves to be openly reviled as Lefty Liberals who oppose anything which would give Christianity a voice in Government.
1) Everyone in government is openly religious. Atheists are still the least respected minority in this country. We atheists need to come out of the closet and gain some respect, as the LBGT community has done so successfully.
2) No religion should have a “voice in government”. That’s what the founding fathers meant by separation of church and state. Freedom of religion does and must include freedom to choose none of the above.