Libs upset over mention of Jesus

[floridayankee]

Jan 19, 2011 13:46:44 GMT -5 steff said:

Wow, did I wake up and find that the US turned into a theocracy overnight?

It didn't. It's just more over analyzing and extreme dramatizing of nothing.....ie, making mountains out of mole hills on a slow news day.

Either that or it's some sort of new medical disorder going on here. Maybe I can get some Obamacash to study this further

[steff]

sorry, but I disagree florida.... I don't want my elected politicians preaching and deciding who is or isn't their "brother in God". We don't live in a theocracy. I don't have to be the same religion as someone else to be an American and to have the same rights or to be represented by those elected officials...even if I didn't vote for the person, they still represent ALL citizens from their state/city/county/etc.

People should treat their religion like their genitiala.... don't show it off in public and don't shove it down anyone's throat that isn't interested.

[marjar]

Jan 19, 2011 15:05:00 GMT -5 steff said:

sorry, but I disagree florida.... I don't want my elected politicians preaching and deciding who is or isn't their "brother in God". We don't live in a theocracy. I don't have to be the same religion as someone else to be an American and to have the same rights or to be represented by those elected officials...even if I didn't vote for the person, they still represent ALL citizens from their state/city/county/etc.

People should treat their religion like their genitiala.... don't show it off in public and don't shove it down anyone's throat that isn't interested.

One of the best philosophies I've heard.

[steff]

Funny enough marjar, my 16 year old told me that saying about how religion should be treated.... and it was a proud proud moment for me....lol

[marjar]

Jan 19, 2011 15:50:42 GMT -5 steff said:

Funny enough marjar, my 16 year old told me that saying about how religion should be treated.... and it was a proud proud moment for me....lol

Out of the mouths of babes..............

[rockon]

Lets back up and put this in perspective. He"s not shoving anything down some ones throat. he expressed his feelings in church with a group of believers. Since every religion has the objective of spreading the good news and the conversion of others then simply stating that one is a Christian like our President did could then imply that he is attempting to convert everyone to his religion? This conversation is beyond ridiculous. I thought our whole country was supposed to focus on eliminating and deploring hate speech and rebutting people who call people bad names like "hostage takers" and "public enemies". Why can't you guys bring your selves to speak out against these actions? By the way our country was founded to protect everyones right to practice religion as they want. Elected officials are not exempt from that protection. Our government is restricted from interfering with anyones religious freedoms not the other way around.

[Angel!]

Jan 19, 2011 16:07:32 GMT -5 rockon said:

Lets back up and put this in perspective. He"s not shoving anything down some ones throat. he expressed his feelings in church with a group of believers. Since every religion has the objective of spreading the good news and the conversion of others then simply stating that one is a Christian like our President did could then imply that he is attempting to convert everyone to his religion? This conversation is beyond ridiculous. I thought our whole country was supposed to focus on eliminating and deploring hate speech and rebutting people who call people bad names like "hostage takers" and "public enemies". Why can't you guys bring your selves to speak out against these actions? By the way our country was founded to protect everyones right to practice religion as they want. Elected officials are not exempt from that protection. Our government is restricted from interfering with anyones religious freedoms not the other way around.

So, once again I'll ask - You would be perfectly ok with a muslim govt. official making the statement that non-muslims are not his brothers or sisters & he would like them to convert?

[rockon]

Absolutely. It is his or her choice to say those words and I'm sure that is exactly their intent. As I said they want to spread their religion and convert others to believe as they do. It doesn't mean it would help their re election bid but they can say it.
Now do you think it's OK for Obama to say what he said?

[Angel!]

Absolutely.

Fair enough.

Now do you think it's OK for Obama to say what he said?

I think his word choices & those of the left were too extreme. Although the right has their share of blowing things out of proportion with ridiculous wording choices also, it seems to have become the political norm. I think hostage-takers is taking it too far, although I did disapprove of the way the republicans were handling things at the time - refusing to approve the 9/11 healthcare bill in order to try to get the tax cuts they want is unfair to all those that worked on the 9/11 cleanup & makes them seem petty.

[floridayankee]

Jan 19, 2011 15:05:00 GMT -5 steff said:

sorry, but I disagree florida.... I don't want my elected politicians preaching and deciding who is or isn't their "brother in God".

It was a speech in some church.....to other church going type of people....not from a podium outside the town hall. Until he actually "acts" on these words, they're just that...words...nothing more.

People should treat their religion like their genitiala.... don't show it off in public and don't shove it down anyone's throat that isn't interested.

lmao...I agree 100%

[rockon]

Thanks I couldn't agree more that some civility in conversation would go a long way in helping get things done in Washington and even though it needs addressed on both sides, the first one to actually do it is going to be the winner. I still have been unable to find someone who can tell me how the 4.2 billion dollars in the 9/11 will be spent, who will spend it and exactly who will get it so I don't want to take a position on that one yet.

[marjar]

Jan 19, 2011 16:07:32 GMT -5 rockon said:

Lets back up and put this in perspective. He"s not shoving anything down some ones throat. he expressed his feelings in church with a group of believers. Since every religion has the objective of spreading the good news and the conversion of others then simply stating that one is a Christian like our President did could then imply that he is attempting to convert everyone to his religion? This conversation is beyond ridiculous. I thought our whole country was supposed to focus on eliminating and deploring hate speech and rebutting people who call people bad names like "hostage takers" and "public enemies". Why can't you guys bring your selves to speak out against these actions? By the way our country was founded to protect everyones right to practice religion as they want. Elected officials are not exempt from that protection. Our government is restricted from interfering with anyones religious freedoms not the other way around.

I think the throat remark was a generalization.

[ed1066]

I don't want my elected politicians preaching and deciding who is or isn't their "brother in God".

OK, so in your world, who gets to decide who we each view as spiritual kin and who we don't? Let me guess - The Federal Department of Spiritual Kinship? Or do you see it as more of a job for another one of Obama's czars?

[steff]

I don't see govt needing to be involved in religion in any way. No one needs to babysit my religious choice or lack there of. Declaring my religious views in no way affects or changes my status as an American.

[rockon]

You speak of government as if IT is an individual when IT really is a whole group of individuals with each one allowed to express their own opinions and practice their religion as they see fit personally. If you don't like their religion or the way they express themselves then you should not support that person in the next election or seek to recall them from that position.

[Tennesseer]

It was a speech in some church.....to other church going type of people....not from a podium outside the town hall. Until he actually "acts" on these words, they're just that...words...nothing more.

Was he invited to speak at the church as a private citizen or as the newly inaugurated governor of Alabama? Is it just a coincidence the speech at the church occurred shortly after his inauguration just a few hours earlier?

I think not.

Regardless, he used a very poor choice of words for one who reports to all the citizens of his state.

[ed1066]

No one needs to babysit my religious choice or lack there of. Declaring my religious views in no way affects or changes my status as an American.

Precisely, and even politicians are afforded the same right...I didn't see any place in this article where the governor said anyone had to be a Christian to keep their status as an American or an Alabaman. Did you?

[steff]

And I have the same right to speak out against what I consider pushing of religion from politicians. I do tend to avoid voting for anyone who I feel like they are running on their religion or would use their religious beliefs to affect our govt on any level, local, state, or federal.

It is an elected officials job to represent ALL citizen from their state etc, not just those that believe in the same religion. IMO, let me repeat that part, IN MY OPINION, I found the statements by this politician to be saying that he isn't willing to represent ALL the citizens from his state, but only those that believe as he does. We're not a theocracy and I don't need to hear his religous beliefs.

[ed1066]

I don't need to hear his religous beliefs.

I'm sure you meant to say you don't need to LISTEN to his religious beliefs. That's true, but he still has a right to express them, and if you happen to be within audible range, well, that's life...you can move further away if you want...

[Angel!]

Jan 19, 2011 16:29:04 GMT -5 rockon said:

I still have been unable to find someone who can tell me how the 4.2 billion dollars in the 9/11 will be spent, who will spend it and exactly who will get it so I don't want to take a position on that one yet.

I don't know the financial details & can understand why the republicans were concerned about the initial amount. But, they also were refusing to pass it as a part of their refusal to pass any legislation until the tax cuts were worked out. I find that upsetting given the number of people that worked on the cleanup in the months following, many of whom were volunteers. All these people are now coming down with cancers, asthma, & sarcoidosis at rates significantly higher than normal to the point where some are no longer able to work & have high health care bills, a few have even died. It seems the least we could do is take care of these people that tried to take care of their country & the refusal to pass the bill because of the tax cuts just doesn't seem right to me.

[Deleted]

Oh steff... i am so going to use that...

[steff]

no problem oped.... I don't know where he got it from, but I heard it from my 16 year old son.

[cronewitch]

I used to pretend to be a Christian because of their religious intolerance. I find most of them think of anyone else as inferior. That is how the got the term holier than thou.

I don't see the world being at piece as long as people divide into us and them. Him saying Christians are brothers and sisters and the rest of us aren't is divisive. If he wants to be one of us let him denounce his faith.

I for one have stopped going along quietly when the use hate speech threatening people with going to hell for not agreeing with them. I flat out tell them I don't believe in an invisible super hero or his son and thing they are fools if they do. They and other religions believe what their parents told them as children with no thinking involved. People tell them Santa and the Easter bunny are make believe but insist they keep pretending to believe in god even when they figure it out.

[chiver78]

Jan 19, 2011 19:18:24 GMT -5 cronewitch said:

I used to pretend to be a Christian because of their religious intolerance. I find most of them think of anyone else as inferior. That is how the got the term holier than thou.

I don't see the world being at piece as long as people divide into us and them. Him saying Christians are brothers and sisters and the rest of us aren't is divisive. If he wants to be one of us let him denounce his faith.

I for one have stopped going along quietly when the use hate speech threatening people with going to hell for not agreeing with them. I flat out tell them I don't believe in an invisible super hero or his son and thing they are fools if they do. They and other religions believe what their parents told them as children with no thinking involved. People tell them Santa and the Easter bunny are make believe but insist they keep pretending to believe in god even when they figure it out.

Amen, pun intended. I am on exactly the same page with you, cronewitch. I fully recognize that most religions come with a standard set of morals that generally follow the golden rule - treat others as you would want to be treated. I was raised in one of those religions, and made it out with my golden rule-based morals intact. the rest of my religious upbringing hit the scientist skepticism wall and failed, miserably. what I've come to realize since then is that as long as you approach any discussion/debate/argument involving religion with tact and respect, anyone whose opinion matters will listen to your point of view, whether or not it meshes with their own. I just think it's too bad that more of us didn't learn that golden rule....we'd have a much more pleasant environment in which to live.

[billisonboard]

The problem with the "Golden Rule" is the assumption that every single human being in the entire universe wishes to be treated the way that you want to be treated. I attempt to learn how an individual wishes to be treated and then, to the best of my imperfect ability, treat them that way.

[chiver78]

Jan 19, 2011 19:43:03 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

The problem with the "Golden Rule" is the assumption that every single human being in the entire universe wishes to be treated the way that you want to be treated. I attempt to learn how an individual wishes to be treated and then, to the best of my imperfect ability, treat them that way.

as do I. the overall point I learned from the golden rule was that you have no right to inflict your own opinions on how one should live his life simply because you think it's right. the basics of this are that everyone is treated with respect, until they display that they do not deserve it. alongside that, a warped version of the Hippocratic Oath - "do no harm" was instilled, that I should do anything and everything I can to help others out.

it is important to me to point out that none of this is reliant upon a connection to any specific religion. my respect for history, free will, and the judgment of our ancestors to choose their own paths actually makes me bristle when anyone quotes a line from the religious book of their choosing and declares that the writings from this book determine good morals....and that anyone not following this book is not a good person.

you know, like what the good Guv'nah was suggesting in his speech to the church...right after his inauguration.

[sanityjones]

Wow, a bunch of people who don't know squat about Christianity preaching against it, LOL. Sad actually. Thought the Left was a bit more open minded than this. Tolerant even.......especially actually.

[b2r]

[deziloooooo]

Jan 19, 2011 10:47:47 GMT -5 jkapp said:

From the article: "Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley told a church crowd just moments into his new administration that those who have not accepted Jesus as their savior are not his brothers and sisters, shocking some critics who questioned Tuesday whether he can be fair to non-Christians.

"Anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I'm telling you, you're not my brother and you're not my sister, and I want to be your brother," Bentley said Monday, his inauguration day, according to The Birmingham News."

He was talking to a CHURCH crowd and said if anyone HERE (as in the CHURCH crowd) has not accepted Jesus.

So should we also get upset if a politician speaking to a Muslim crowd only mentions the Muslim religion???

If it's true as you posted , he was in his church, addressing the congregation and talking to THEM, as to his feelings of/toward THEM, then your correct, I can't fault him and think it got blown out of proportion and he was done a disservice by those who were criticizing.
He should come public and say so if true. Those who criticized him or brought up misgivings then owe him a apology for over reacting and not getting a clarification of where and who he was speaking to and condemning who ever for putting out a false report of the incident.

[b2r]

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley Apologizes for Christian-Only Comments

Following Backlash, Robert Bentley Says He Didn't Mean to Offend Anyone

Gov. Robert Bentley of Alabama met with religious leaders and issued an apology today for saying after his inauguration Monday that he wished non-Christians would become his brothers and sisters in Christ.

Several civil rights groups said the comments Bentley, a Republican, made at church service following his inauguration were offensive and tantamount to proselytizing.

"If anyone from other religions felt disenfranchised by the language, I want to say I am sorry. I am sorry if I offended anyone in any way," Bentley said outside his office at the state capitol.

abcnews.go.com/US/alabama-gov-robert-bentley-apologizes-christian-comments/story?id=12662495