I love when people like Alan Colmes express concern over Sarah Palin bringing God into the discussion.....but it was fine for Obama and Gov. Kaine of Virginia to quote Scripture at the DNC. LOL
GINGRICH: You know, Alan, it is a sad commentary on the growing anti- religious hostility of the elite media. In the movie that Callista and I made on rediscovering God in America, there's a direct quote from John F. Kennedy which was wildly received by liberals at the time, "I believe that God has a plan." That's John F. Kennedy. And if you listen, we have Kennedy himself saying it. We have Kennedy on tape saying it. We have Abraham Lincoln saying it. We have Franklin Delano Roosevelt saying it.
Only in the last 30 years have we got this rabid anti-religious bias that suggests that people who care about God and people who hope America is, in fact, trying to understand what God wants are somehow unacceptable or out of touch.
COLMES: I don't think it's fair to characterize those who have been critical as those who don't care about God, don't love God, don't believe in God, because when she said, "Pray that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending them out on a task that is from God," it sounds like she's saying, Pray that the Iraq war is God's will, pray that they are doing God's will, that this war is...
GINGRICH: That is exactly...
COLMES: Is that what it sounds like?
GINGRICH: Alan, that is exactly what Franklin Delano Roosevelt said in World War II. That is why Eisenhower's memoir was called "Crusade in Europe."
HANNITY: Hey...
GINGRICH: That's why Roosevelt prayed for six-and-a-half minutes with the entire country on D-Day, as our young men and women were fighting for America.
So what I'm surprised by is how utterly ignorant the modern television and news industry is of the history of America. And that's why we did "Rediscovering God in America." And you can listen to John F. Kennedy, Alan, then you tell me if you're bothered by John F. Kennedy's words...
Of course you are right, Maggie. If Obama and Kaine can discuss religion, then Palin deserves the same right. I take exception to Gingrich's misinformation about America's religious landscape.
ReplyDeleteHe's wrong that liberals have a rabid anti-religious bias. Our concern is that Christianity is being pushed as the only acceptable religion in America, contrary to the history of freedom of worship. Our Founders viewed religion differently, but respected each others' beliefs. This is not the case with Palin.
I am not anti-Christian. Each person must find their own faith. And, if that's Christianity, bless them. Palin's ultra-conservative vehemence concerns me for the sake of those who don't hold the same beliefs. Please know, I'm wary of her's and Obama's religious beliefs. Fanaticism is a dangerous mindset.
I have no problem with "In God we trust" on our money or in the courts. (That's plain silly, isn't it?) But consider the bigotry Muslims and many other religions face in this country. Will America have a single religion?" Only a Christian God? That's not the America our Forefathers designed. Nor was America founded on wholly Christian principles, but the diverse beliefs and intellectualism that made this country great.
Colmes and Gingrich err when they state war is of God's doing. Calling war "a task from God," runs counter to "Thou shalt not kill." Fundamentalist Muslims also pray they are doing God's will. Most Americans fail to realize that moderate Muslims eschew that perspective. Mixing God and war is a dangerous precedent: we have ample historical evidence.
Gingrich is out of touch with the broad spiritual base of our nation. Each person must find spirituality in their own way. There was a strong anti-religious bias in the 1920s and 1930s during the American Realism and Naturalism Periods against Catholics, Jews, and other religions. His comment about "Only in the last 30 years..." is plain wrong.
Discussing anti-religious bias, in the 1920s, Henry Ford stated, "I know who makes wars. The international Jewish bankers arrange them so they can make money out of them." This bigotry harkens back to the Dark Ages and exists today: read Dickens, Swift, and Chaucer. Difference breed fear: fear, not God, breeds war.
Prohibition and religion—namely, Smith's Catholicism—dominated the campaign. In the end, Hoover won by a large margin, due to anti-Catholic sentiments.
Palin and Gingrich are dangerous to religious freedom and speak from a small corner of Christianity. That's a dangerous precedent. Their statements clearly echo an anti-religious bias far before Gingrich states.
Americans must guard against creating a national religion. There's room for all religions and non-religions in America. Religion is about individual choice. I don't want someone telling me what I should believe.
This article underscores everything that concerns me about Palin. To her credit, she stated she would not mix religion and her job. Now, what about the First Dude's emails?