Palin mixing religion with policy
Taft
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Some scary quotes in here:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/08/palin.pastor/index.html
WASILLA, Alaska (CNN) -- For more than two decades, current Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was a practicing Pentecostal.
Sarah Palin asked church members to pray for $30 billion natural gas pipeline in Alaska.
She belonged to the Wasilla Assembly of God church in her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska. But though she attended the church from her teenage years through to 2002, she hasn't talked much about her religion since joining the Republican ticket.
Palin's former pastor, Tim McGraw, says that like many Pentecostal churches, some members speak in tongues, although he says he's never seen Palin do so. Church member Caroline Spangler told CNN, "When the spirit comes on you, you utter things that nobody else can understand ... only God can understand what is coming out of our mouths."
Some Pentecostals from Assembly of God also believe in "faith healing" and the "end times" -- a violent upheaval that they believe will deliver Jesus Christ's second coming.
"Our basic belief is that God is God and he knows where history is going and he has a purposeful plan and within the middle of that plan we live in an environment in our world where certain events would take place," says McGraw. "Sarah wasn't taught to look for one particular sign -- a cataclysmic sign. She knew as every Christian does ... that God is sovereign and he is in control."
The McCain campaign says the Governor doesn't consider herself Pentecostal.
McGraw says Palin's Pentecostal roots may be being downplayed for a reason: "I think there may be issues of belief that could be misunderstood or played upon by people that don't know."
When asked by CNN about Palin's beliefs, campaign spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton would only say the Republican vice presidential candidate has "deep religious convictions."
For decades she belonged to a church where people spoke in tongues, believed in faith healing and the last days. So, why does Gov. Sarah Palin rarely speak about her religion? But how might her religious beliefs impact policy in Washington if the Republican ticket is successful?
Palin's former pastor says he has no doubt her religious beliefs will influence her decision making when it comes to government policy. Regarding her desire to build an Alaskan pipeline and explore for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, McGraw told CNN, "Sarah knows that in Genesis, God creates the world and it's very good and that we're supposed to be caretakers in terms of not destroying the environment, so there's no way that Sarah is going to exploit or damage the Alaska tundra in the name of getting gas if she doesn't have to."
Six years ago, Palin left Assembly of God to join the non-denominational Wasilla Bible Church. But the Assembly of God says she still returns for special conferences and events, such as the graduation of ministry students in June. Video of a speech she gave at the church just two months before joining the Republican ticket is making the rounds on the Internet.
Speaking of the troops in Iraq, Palin says on the video, ""Pray for our military men and women who are striving do to what is right. Also for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending them out on a task that is from God. That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for -- that there is a plan, and that plan is God's plan."
Her campaign says she doesn't mix her faith with government business. But Palin did ask her audience to pray for $30 billion natural gas pipeline she is on a mission to build in Alaska. In the video Palin says, "I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas pipeline built. So pray for that ... I can do my job there in developing my natural resources. But all of that doesn't do any good if the people of Alaska's heart is not good with God."
McGraw, who was her pastor until 1998 and while she was mayor of Wasilla, says Palin attended discipleship classes to strengthen her Pentecostal faith and that he counseled her on how to become a better leader.
"Everyone has a way of viewing the world and Sarah does too and hers would be shaped by the common sense practicality of how she's been shaped by the bible -- which is basically the world view that says God loves people, people can access him and he's given us wisdom for living," says McGraw.
He says Alaska has already seen Palin's faith play out. As governor she passed ethics reform and took on what she's referred to as a "good-ol'-boys network." However, she has said she would not seek to impose her religious views on others.
"I think one of the most obvious ways it plays out is what you've seen -- is being courageous enough to deal with deception and corruption," says McGraw.
Palin now attends the Wasilla Bible Church. She was there on August 17, just days before entering the national spotlight. David Brickner, the founder of Jews for Jesus, was a speaker. He told congregants that terrorist attacks on Israel were God's "judgment" of Jews who haven't embraced Christianity. Brickner said, "Judgment is very real and we see it played out on the pages of the newspapers and on the television. When a Palestinian from East Jerusalem took a bulldozer and went plowing through a score of cars, killing numbers of people. Judgment -- you can't miss it."
The McCain campaign says his comments do not reflect her religious views. Palin's spokeswoman says she is pro-Israel.
Pastor Ed Kalnin, the senior pastor of Palin's former Pentecostal church, has also come under fire for his comments. In 2004, he told church members if they voted for John Kerry for president, they wouldn't get into heaven. He told them, "I question your salvation."
Assembly of God issued a statement online in response which said Kalnin was "joking" when he suggested "Kerry supporters would go to hell," and statement went on to say, "We do acknowledge in hindsight that it was careless, and we do apologize for that. This statement is not written as a defense, but as a clarification."
Palin has done little while in office to advance a social conservative agenda. She told the Associated Press in an interview in 2006 that she would not allow her personal beliefs to dictate public policy.
"I've honestly answered the questions on what my personal views are on things like abortion and a lot of controversial issues," Palin told the Associated Press. "I won't hesitate to answer those questions about what my personal views are, but I am not one to be out there preaching and forcing my views on anyone else."
But in the last week, her religious background and outlook has certainly spurred debate far beyond Alaska.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/08/palin.pastor/index.html
WASILLA, Alaska (CNN) -- For more than two decades, current Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was a practicing Pentecostal.
Sarah Palin asked church members to pray for $30 billion natural gas pipeline in Alaska.
She belonged to the Wasilla Assembly of God church in her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska. But though she attended the church from her teenage years through to 2002, she hasn't talked much about her religion since joining the Republican ticket.
Palin's former pastor, Tim McGraw, says that like many Pentecostal churches, some members speak in tongues, although he says he's never seen Palin do so. Church member Caroline Spangler told CNN, "When the spirit comes on you, you utter things that nobody else can understand ... only God can understand what is coming out of our mouths."
Some Pentecostals from Assembly of God also believe in "faith healing" and the "end times" -- a violent upheaval that they believe will deliver Jesus Christ's second coming.
"Our basic belief is that God is God and he knows where history is going and he has a purposeful plan and within the middle of that plan we live in an environment in our world where certain events would take place," says McGraw. "Sarah wasn't taught to look for one particular sign -- a cataclysmic sign. She knew as every Christian does ... that God is sovereign and he is in control."
The McCain campaign says the Governor doesn't consider herself Pentecostal.
McGraw says Palin's Pentecostal roots may be being downplayed for a reason: "I think there may be issues of belief that could be misunderstood or played upon by people that don't know."
When asked by CNN about Palin's beliefs, campaign spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton would only say the Republican vice presidential candidate has "deep religious convictions."
For decades she belonged to a church where people spoke in tongues, believed in faith healing and the last days. So, why does Gov. Sarah Palin rarely speak about her religion? But how might her religious beliefs impact policy in Washington if the Republican ticket is successful?
Palin's former pastor says he has no doubt her religious beliefs will influence her decision making when it comes to government policy. Regarding her desire to build an Alaskan pipeline and explore for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, McGraw told CNN, "Sarah knows that in Genesis, God creates the world and it's very good and that we're supposed to be caretakers in terms of not destroying the environment, so there's no way that Sarah is going to exploit or damage the Alaska tundra in the name of getting gas if she doesn't have to."
Six years ago, Palin left Assembly of God to join the non-denominational Wasilla Bible Church. But the Assembly of God says she still returns for special conferences and events, such as the graduation of ministry students in June. Video of a speech she gave at the church just two months before joining the Republican ticket is making the rounds on the Internet.
Speaking of the troops in Iraq, Palin says on the video, ""Pray for our military men and women who are striving do to what is right. Also for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending them out on a task that is from God. That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for -- that there is a plan, and that plan is God's plan."
Her campaign says she doesn't mix her faith with government business. But Palin did ask her audience to pray for $30 billion natural gas pipeline she is on a mission to build in Alaska. In the video Palin says, "I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas pipeline built. So pray for that ... I can do my job there in developing my natural resources. But all of that doesn't do any good if the people of Alaska's heart is not good with God."
McGraw, who was her pastor until 1998 and while she was mayor of Wasilla, says Palin attended discipleship classes to strengthen her Pentecostal faith and that he counseled her on how to become a better leader.
"Everyone has a way of viewing the world and Sarah does too and hers would be shaped by the common sense practicality of how she's been shaped by the bible -- which is basically the world view that says God loves people, people can access him and he's given us wisdom for living," says McGraw.
He says Alaska has already seen Palin's faith play out. As governor she passed ethics reform and took on what she's referred to as a "good-ol'-boys network." However, she has said she would not seek to impose her religious views on others.
"I think one of the most obvious ways it plays out is what you've seen -- is being courageous enough to deal with deception and corruption," says McGraw.
Palin now attends the Wasilla Bible Church. She was there on August 17, just days before entering the national spotlight. David Brickner, the founder of Jews for Jesus, was a speaker. He told congregants that terrorist attacks on Israel were God's "judgment" of Jews who haven't embraced Christianity. Brickner said, "Judgment is very real and we see it played out on the pages of the newspapers and on the television. When a Palestinian from East Jerusalem took a bulldozer and went plowing through a score of cars, killing numbers of people. Judgment -- you can't miss it."
The McCain campaign says his comments do not reflect her religious views. Palin's spokeswoman says she is pro-Israel.
Pastor Ed Kalnin, the senior pastor of Palin's former Pentecostal church, has also come under fire for his comments. In 2004, he told church members if they voted for John Kerry for president, they wouldn't get into heaven. He told them, "I question your salvation."
Assembly of God issued a statement online in response which said Kalnin was "joking" when he suggested "Kerry supporters would go to hell," and statement went on to say, "We do acknowledge in hindsight that it was careless, and we do apologize for that. This statement is not written as a defense, but as a clarification."
Palin has done little while in office to advance a social conservative agenda. She told the Associated Press in an interview in 2006 that she would not allow her personal beliefs to dictate public policy.
"I've honestly answered the questions on what my personal views are on things like abortion and a lot of controversial issues," Palin told the Associated Press. "I won't hesitate to answer those questions about what my personal views are, but I am not one to be out there preaching and forcing my views on anyone else."
But in the last week, her religious background and outlook has certainly spurred debate far beyond Alaska.
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments
Either she speaks to God and has no business in politics or she puts words in God's mouth and I'm not too sure it's not blasphemy. Either way why do people accept these kind of remarks?
http://www.moonbattery.com/Obama-Kentucky.jpg
ebay isn't evil people are
The South is Much Obliged
yep, she's a real winner. i wonder if many of the more mainstream republicans understand just how radical (and LOONY) this broad is, and how much she DOESN'T represent them or their interests. nor does she have much interest in upholding the constitution, as a side issue... :rolleyes:
not only THAT, but tim mcgraw sucks as a singer, too.
"Obama's main opponent in this election on November 4th (was) not John McCain, it (was) ignorance."~Michael Moore
"i'm feeling kinda righteous right now. with my badass motherfuckin' ukulele!"
~ed, 8/7
To any European all the neo-con, ultra right, ultra religious republicans look insane! They wouldn't get near power over here with such views, the world has moved on since the 1800's, not backwards. The next big craze in all these random churches will be burning witches at the stake. It's ridiculous!
What he/she said. In election years American politics and American society seem to be so strange and far away from us Europeans - almost extraterrestrial.
We also have crazy folks in politics here, but they're usually just looked (and a bit laughed) at as a minority, they don't get to a position where they could really do harm.
Exactly, but what scares me is that millions and millions of Americans believe all that stuff. I mean America is the most powerful country in the world, the country who's foreign policy effects the entire world and a country where the good health of it's domestic economy the rest of the world depends on and yet there are people who hold the reign of power there who encourage and belong to these INSANE beliefs.
It's so scary that the religious right can be that powerful. There is such a comparison between Palin and Bush's beliefs and Islamic fundamentalist beliefs. Both believe they are doing the work of God, and it's the blindness of the people who vote either a Bush or Palin into power that makes me very very sad and frightened.
At least McCain seems sane, and for a republican quite liberal, unfortunately he added Palin to the ticket and suddenly I see the extreme right's ugly head rearing again for the republican side.
That is one thing I never understood about religion and praying. Religious people all the time say "God has a plan". Ok well if God has a plan, isn't it kind of pointless, to pray for the things you want (I mean the plan is already in place)? Plus it is also kind of arrogant, if you believe in a surpreme all powerful being who has things planned out, to assume that what you are praying for hasn't already been considered.
Biden must just be a saint that walks on water because I haven't seen anything remotely close to attacking his character like we have with Palin.
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
A lot and I mean a lot of religious people will pray for what they want. I don't think this is what prayer is about, though. I think in many religions prayer is a way to have a conversation with god, to regain stength, hope and faith, to place their problems into his hands (not expecting him to fix them, but trusting his judgement). It's a way to express their feelings and emotions, to confess sins...
At least that's what I've been told.
naděje umírá poslední
"try to do the lord's work in your life" is a far cry from "pray to jesus for this gas pipeline" and "god wants war in iraq."
did you read these quotes:
"I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas pipeline built. So pray for that ... I can do my job there in developing my natural resources. But all of that doesn't do any good if the people of Alaska's heart is not good with God."
"Pray for our military men and women who are striving do to what is right. Also for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending them out on a task that is from God. That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for -- that there is a plan, and that plan is God's plan."
those seem like pretty clear expressions to me... palin isn't just promoting policies, she's supporting GOD's policies.
Clearly you stopped reading after a few paragraphs, Palin is quoted directly in the article. Typical.
Exactly! This pick has made me SOOOO much more uncomfortable with the thought of McCain anywhere near the White House. It proves that despite what he says, he is willing to go against his own beliefs in order to get to the Presidency, even at the potential detriment to the country and the world at large if this woman should ever be president. :mad:
Sounds like a Cult.
Sounds exactly the same as the Islamic approach to law and policy.
There's barely any difference.
because she frightens me and makes me question mccain's judgment and what his values and beliefs truly are.
I hope we don't elect them for our sake and yours...
Exactly, she sounds like a radical Islamic terrorist, but its "okay" in the minds of the Republicans, because her beliefs are in line with theirs. Disgusting and scary.
Exactly, she sounds like a radical Islamic terrorist, but its "okay" in the minds of the Republicans, because her beliefs are in line with theirs. Disgusting and scary.
you can say that again....!
And it's typical for people to not understand what they're reading and to just accept what the headline is saying.
Telling a church to pray for a bill to go through is not exactly mixing religion and policy.
Now if she was trying to get a bill passed legislating a type of religion or the ten commandments somewhere, etc., then there's an issue.
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
And what was Jesus sermon from the mount all about? His last words before crucifiction?
But today's Christians just continue to ignore the principles of their deity.
Can anyone explain this?
Because to me it's all about whoring out your beliefs, and I can't stand these two-faced religious hijackers.
Speaking of people not understanding what they are reading......
I think this is the more significant and revealing quote....
" I can do my job there in developing my natural resources. But all of that doesn't do any good if the people of Alaska's heart is not good with God."
That says it all right there.
the person that they pick as their running mate tells alot about the potential president!
Does Mcain think us women are stupid?????
Long enough for the clouds to fly me away
That has nothing to do with policy.
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
Of course not.
Nor is it a manipulative and (god) imposing concept:rolleyes:
Our hearts must be good with god, in order for this pipeline thing to work.
Nah, not at all:rolleyes: