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Hillary's Prayer: Hillary Clinton's Religion and Politics

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We contacted all of Clinton's Fellowship cell mates, but only one agreed to speak—though she stressed that there's much she's not "at liberty" to reveal. Grace Nelson used to be the organizer of the Florida Governor's Prayer Breakfast, which makes her a piety broker in Florida politics—she would decide who could share the head table with Jeb Bush. Clinton's prayer cell was tight-knit, according to Nelson, who recalled that one of her conservative prayer partners was at first loath to pray for the first lady, but learned to "love Hillary as much as any of us love Hillary." Cells like these, Nelson added, exist in "parliaments all over the world," with all welcome so long as they submit to "the person of Jesus" as the source of their power.

Throughout her time at the White House, Clinton writes in Living History, she took solace from "daily scriptures" sent to her by her Fellowship prayer cell, along with Coe's assurances that she was right where God wanted her. (Clinton's sense of divine guidance has been noted by others: Bishop Richard Wilke, who presided over the United Methodist Church of Arkansas during her years in Little Rock, told us, "If I asked Hillary, 'What does the Lord want you to do?' she would say, 'I think I'm called by the Lord to be in public service at whatever level he wants me.'")

Coe counsels that Fellowship cells shouldn't engage in direct evangelical activism, but rather allow Christian causes to benefit from the bonds that develop within the cells. Former Nixon counsel Chuck Colson provides a rare illustration of the process in his 1976 Watergate memoir, Born Again. Facing prosecution in 1973, Colson allowed Coe to ensconce him in a Fellowship cell with a Nixon foe, Senator Harold Hughes. Hughes became the Nixon hatchet man's staunchest defender, voting in favor of a possible pardon for Colson and later supporting Colson as he built Prison Fellowship, now one of the most powerful organizations of the Christian right.

That's how it works: The Fellowship isn't out to turn liberals into conservatives; rather, it convinces politicians they can transcend left and right with an ecumenical faith that rises above politics. Only the faith is always evangelical, and the politics always move rightward.

This is in line with the Christian right's long-term strategy. Francis Schaeffer, late guru of the movement, coined the term "cobelligerency" to describe the alliances evangelicals must forge with conservative Catholics. Colson, his most influential disciple, has refined the concept of cobelligerency to deal with less-than-pure politicians. In this application, conservatives sit pretty and wait for liberals looking for common ground to come to them. Clinton, Colson told us, "has a lot of history" to overcome, but he sees her making the right moves.

These days, Clinton has graduated from the political wives' group into what may be Coe's most elite cell, the weekly Senate Prayer Breakfast. Though weighted Republican, the breakfast—regularly attended by about 40 members—is a bipartisan opportunity for politicians to burnish their reputations, giving Clinton the chance to profess her faith with men such as Brownback as well as the twin terrors of Oklahoma, James Inhofe and Tom Coburn, and, until recently, former Senator George Allen (R-Va.). Democrats in the group include Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor, who told us that the separation of church and state has gone too far; Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) is also a regular.

Unlikely partnerships have become a Clinton trademark. Some are symbolic, such as her support for a ban on flag burning with Senator Bob Bennett (R-Utah) and funding for research on the dangers of video games with Brownback and Santorum. But Clinton has also joined the gop on legislation that redefines social justice issues in terms of conservative morality, such as an anti-human-trafficking law that withheld funding from groups working on the sex trade if they didn't condemn prostitution in the proper terms. With Santorum, Clinton co-sponsored the Workplace Religious Freedom Act; she didn't back off even after Republican senators such as Pennsylvania's Arlen Specter pulled their names from the bill citing concerns that the measure would protect those refusing to perform key aspects of their jobs—say, pharmacists who won't fill birth control prescriptions, or police officers who won't guard abortion clinics.

Clinton has championed federal funding of faith-based social services, which she embraced years before George W. Bush did; Marci Hamilton, author of God vs. the Gavel, says that the Clintons' approach to faith-based initiatives "set the stage for Bush." Clinton has also long supported the Defense of Marriage Act, a measure that has become a purity test for any candidate wishing to avoid war with the Christian right.

Liberal rabbi Michael Lerner, whose "politics of meaning" Clinton made famous in a speech early in her White House tenure, sees the senator's ambivalence as both more and less than calculated opportunism. He believes she has genuine sympathy for liberal causes—rights for women, gays, immigrants—but often will not follow through. "There is something in her that pushes her toward caring about others, as long as there's no price to pay. But in politics, there is a price to pay."

In politics, those who pay tribute to the powerful also reap rewards. When Ed Klein's attack bio, The Truth About Hillary, came out in 2005, some of her most prominent defenders were Christian conservatives, among them Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler. "Christians," he declared, "should repudiate this book and determine to take no pleasure in it."



 

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This article has shead some new light on who to seriously consider in 11/08 for this Pentecostal-Evangelical. It affirms what a Hillary Clinton appointee shared with me about her faith in Christ and Scripture this summer.
Posted by:Dr. Mark HausfeldSeptember 4, 2007 2:56:19 AMRespond ^
15 years is nothing if your goal is to be president. Hillary Clinton has always been aware that a small margin of swing voters can make all the difference come election time. I'm tired of people using religion as a political tool. If it were really about Hillary Clinton's PERSONAL faith there would be no need reference to religion in her speeches. As it is with her "veiled" references and "quiet" prayer Hillary Clinton is playing from the same handbook as DUBYA. Autocratic Theocracy? Maybe it is more a matter of of a person who has learned that faith in man is often ill placed, and demonstration of faith in a higher power plays well with the voters.
Posted by:blah blah blahSeptember 4, 2007 5:40:24 AMRespond ^
As far as I'm concerned the Clinton's, Bush's, and the other politicians in Washington are all part of the same ruling class and deep religious convictions/values/or whatever are all part of their program to get elected and hang on to their office after election. Anyone ever known an agnostic, atheist or any religion besides a Judeo-Christian hybrid of sorts to win a prominent political office?
Posted by:BuddhamonkeydevilSeptember 4, 2007 6:39:32 AMRespond ^
If it's true that "a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit," given what's happened in the last few years in this country I think we've given the religious panderers enough time in charge.
Posted by:LindenSeptember 4, 2007 10:02:30 AMRespond ^
Oh my god --- pardon the pun --- this article makes me wonder if Hillary is just W with her own brain.
Posted by:Eric FergusonSeptember 4, 2007 11:13:46 AMRespond ^
She's part of The Fellowship?! That's a Dominionist group, people. As in racist, sexist, anti-gay, anti-pretty-much-everything we value. Go Google the term "Dominionism" -- or just click here: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Dominionism
Posted by:Chatty KathySeptember 4, 2007 11:53:19 AMRespond ^
Haven't the past six and half years provided enough of an object lesson in the perils of faith-based governance?
Posted by:Clash City WombatSeptember 4, 2007 2:06:42 PMRespond ^
well. that's just depressing. worse yet, this KausticKhristianity has been crrreeeeeping into Canada for some time now... & Harper seems to encourage it... Spread Love... ... but wear the Glove! BlueBerry Pick'n can be found @ ThisCanadian ~~~ We, two, form a Multitude ~ Ovid. ~~~ "Silent Freedom is Freedom Silenced"
Posted by:BlueBerry Pick'nSeptember 4, 2007 3:08:18 PMRespond ^
It never ceases to amaze that the "girliest" of men among us, those who send others to fight illegal wars but who did everything in their rich daddy's power to avoid fighting in one themselves and, those who make their living sitting on their fat asses endorsing the former chicken-[deleted]s and otherwise mouthing off, are the first ones to point a finger at someone else for not being as "manly" as they imagine themselves to be. If these idiots are so manly, why aren't they out loading trucks, raking concrete and installing iron on high-rises? Sexual ignorance and repression has, over millenia created mindsets and monsters that tend towards various perverse expressions.Take the Catholic church and it's penchant for pedophilic priests.The exterminition of females primarily, as "witches" during the Middle Ages? Recently, Amish girls were murdered, the little boys spared. The Christian community lauded the Amish for showing the world, "dignity", by "forgiving" the murderer for killing little girls. Little was said about the gender-defined targets, or why he targeted them. What about Hitler, our favorite Christian? One shining example of "righteousness", and "manliness", and "power". One of most reliable monster- mindsets is the American-style, bland accessment of females as (secondary), sex-objectified, or politically or financially "profitable" to males, and thus also expendable, entities. We are told, that it is the "proper role" of females to support males. For carrying on the "bloodline" for "breeding". Males over the world are considered more "valuable", and, this is the sad lie. The "provocative, deceitful female " has been identified as causal; origin of everything that can be victimized without consequence. Bought and sold. Enslaved. Chattle. But mostly brainwashed. Pity that. Maybe Emily jilted or ignored Cho Seung-Ho? He wasn"t getting any, no doubt. Neither was Hitler. The language of beauty; of peace; of equality as "persons"and the culture that supports these concepts...will perhaps flourish again. We do not yet know when or where.
Posted by:Buddy HintonSeptember 4, 2007 4:27:05 PMRespond ^
All Hillary or any other Democrat would have to do to neutralize the Religious Right would be to thoroughly exposure the wacko 177-year-old history of the RR's favorite and greatest money-making belief: the "any-moment, pre-tribulation rapture." In 1980 religion expert Dr. Martin Marty wrote in Christian Century that Time or Newsweek should expose the same history, but nobody listened. Then not long ago Bill Moyers, in a speech at Harvard, referred briefly to two "itinerant preachers" of the 19th century who promoted it but said nothing more about the same fantasy's history. But the complete facts are now on the web, and historian Dave MacPherson is the only one who has spent 30 plus years focusing on them and the only one who has found more long forgotten and covered up 19th century "rapture" documents while researching in British libraries than anyone else. Needless to say, Falwell, LaHaye etc. have tried to suppress his findings. His Google piece "Pretrib Rapture Diehards" is a sample of his work, and his bestselling 300-page book "The Rapture Plot," which drowns us with rapture history facts, is carried online by bookstores such as Amazon and Armageddon Books. MacPherson has stated that the same rapture dogma is the RR's most cherished belief, and that if some national political leader would expose it as the Johnny-come-lately scam that it really is, the RR would fragment and become totally ineffective, politically speaking. John
Posted by:John DennisSeptember 4, 2007 4:40:39 PMRespond ^
Separation of church and state is already dead what with Secular Humanism being the state religion. There is a move afoot to create a Humanist "Christian" organization. Why would they do this? If Hillary gets in power, it will be for despotism. She was a Maoist in college. She will declare that all Christians must join the official organization -- the Humanist "Christian" organization. Unofficial or unorthodox organizations can then be persecuted into submission. This was done by Emperor Constantine in 326 A.D., by the Third Reich, by the Stalinists and by the Maoists. George Barna, a pollster, has noticed there is movement among Christians to form small groups not associated with larger, more vulnerable churches....
Posted by:Tim TempleSeptember 4, 2007 5:40:16 PMRespond ^
Someone who is living for Christ and is intent on ushering in the Kingdom does not secretly worship. The bible teaches that we are not to be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We aren't supposed to be Christian when it suits our political or personal gain, and deny Christ when that would be the popular stance. God despises this type of behavior. So perhaps this devoutly Christian woman, so concerned about her spirit and soul, should think about how God feels about her pandering to homosexuals and selling her deep beliefs for votes.
Posted by:SkepticalSeptember 4, 2007 5:47:47 PMRespond ^
A few things come to mind... 1.God life is an open book. 2.God teaches us that secrets are lies, why would one fear discussing the bible or church activities? 3.First (1) Commandment, we are not to put other Gods before him. By not discussing Bible Study who are they idolizing? 4.God truly intends for all of his children to embrace with others his way of teaching, Peace, Love and Joy; not to embrace the teaching of the world. 5.We are to openly discuss the scriptures so we can learn from one another and have a greater understanding on a multitude of levels. To understand why Jesus died on the cross, the 2nd coming, and why it’s important for each of us to live and follow the 10 Commandments? In closing, my Bible Study group last studied Daniel 8. God Bless You.
Posted by:Victoria RumSeptember 4, 2007 7:41:12 PMRespond ^
Left & Right mean nothing ... in regard to religion & faith ... however politics is extremely real ... on this side of DEATH. Questions/hopes/intuitions/dreams are purely private matters ... celebrated amoung close friends ...protected constitutionally ...about LIFE After Death. Little doubt they inflence ... my alarn clock's wakening to find myself... still this side of DEATH. Armaggedon still wakens me less ... than a good cup of coffee ... a simple ciggarette!
Posted by:John SewellSeptember 4, 2007 9:46:16 PMRespond ^
There is nothing wrong with one identifying with their inner belief system - my only problem is the religious Right in America explains the current state of the nation where compassion is preached for as long as possible - as long as it is translated into actionable policy that influences the lives of the struggling majority of people in this world. It is the same religious Right that has condemned the world to poverty through a uni-centric view of what constitutes good governance. In the process it has dominated all levers of power to influence even the amount of money that can go towards fighting child poverty in Africa. How can these people claim to stand for common good when what they do is force people to see life through their lenses or risk not receiving aid or even having existing financial support withdrawn. The current crisis in Zimbabwe has been largely fuelled by the belief on the part of the religious Right that conformance to their 'own ways' is the sine qua non for human development. They even fund strife all over the world with a view to creating conditions that are favourable to their view of mankind. Unless the dynastic tendency of American policy is stopped in its track this world can be assured of a serious confrontation.
Posted by:foreignezhSeptember 5, 2007 3:45:33 AMRespond ^
Hillary, by her own admition, is whatever she needs to be, to whomever she is speaking too!
Posted by:TimSeptember 5, 2007 6:27:33 AMRespond ^
Buddhamonkeydevil, the last one was probably Thomas Jefferson...
Posted by:DrGaellonSeptember 5, 2007 7:11:29 AMRespond ^
Today, thanks to the electoral debacle in Florida and why ever in the name of all that's biblical we're occupying the mid-east (in the wrong country), being a centrist means paying lipservice to religious interests. I'm sure the media will be telling us all about it, in full, in the future.
Posted by:QuidditasSeptember 5, 2007 7:47:13 AMRespond ^
"why ever in the name of all that's biblical we're occupying the mid-east (in the wrong country), being a centrist means paying lipservice to religious interests" Clinton has indicated that she's felt the presence of the the Holy Spirit. For sure, after a thing like that, I don't want her or any other American President claiming the presence of the Holy Spirit in American government. No way, no how. And, I really don't see that. That's not what I see at all.
Posted by:JT FaradaySeptember 5, 2007 8:06:01 AMRespond ^
Why do liberals present ANY religious conviction as somehow suspect? "SECRETIVE"? If you and I know about it, it ain't a secret. And I'm no liberal, I'm a radical, and a Christian. Democrats and liberals are too WEAK for my liking, defending the exploitive rich and persecuting the poor. I'm glad to hear that they are studying the Bible, which tells us about rich men and a camel going through the eye of a needle. Now, if they would just ACT on it. When the Dems get back to their roots, I'll be back.
Posted by:DaisysDeadAirSeptember 5, 2007 10:00:12 AMRespond ^
those in the US would do well to study the development of liberation theology which has even longer and deeper roots in Latin America in practice not to mention some interesting gramscian notions for an academic point of view(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_theology) in either case, I'm not going to vote for her :)
Posted by:panawifeSeptember 5, 2007 12:19:22 PMRespond ^
Just what we need! If she picks Obama as running mate then 1st and 14th amendments are in even more trouble. Unlike Edwards who finally came out and said (to Obama's humiliation -- has anyone even noticed?!) that he promised he would never deny civil rights for reasons of religion, Obama has always promised he would do so. Hey folks! Wake Up! This is nothing more than a promise to violate his oath of office by violating the 1st amendment for the purpose of denying 'fundamental' rights protected under the 14th amendment. See "Untangling Barack Obama's audacious mumbo jumbo," by John P. Mortimer, at http://ebar.com/common/inc/article_print.php?sec=guest_op&article=73 . Go do some homework folks for you can't rely on even publications like Mother Jones to tell the truth about this one. Like all the press they are partisan lap dogs for the public relations firms that tell Americans what to think. No mater what the Constitution says it is quite clear that there is a "religions test" for holding high office in America.
Posted by:JPSeptember 5, 2007 12:40:53 PMRespond ^
Is this surprising? An agnostic or atheist cannot get elected president in the U.S. This is politics, pure and simple. Hilary's private faith is quite likely different from her public faith. That's what wins elections in the U.S. Until that changes, let's debate the issues that matter, not who has prayer and pancakes with Hilary. Bubba
Posted by:BubbaSeptember 5, 2007 1:25:10 PMRespond ^
Honestly, why is this a big deal? There are plenty of reasons to criticize Hillary, but this kind of article seems really pointless... like picking a fight over nothing. It may be articulated well but all this accomplishes is that it upsets religious people - further alienating them from the sort of causes MoJo should be promoting, and it makes angry liberals nod their heads as if to say "grrr religion bad! bad!" which is completely silly. Bah.
Posted by:Pollo PolloSeptember 5, 2007 1:34:27 PMRespond ^
I generally do not question the veracity of MJ's articles but this is a bit difficult to buy. It is hard to believe that she wouldn't have been "outed" years ago.
Posted by:CynicSeptember 5, 2007 2:02:10 PMRespond ^
It is difficult to express how much this article depresses me about the upcoming election. Well, I guess whether she wins or loses, Hillary'll be happy, because it's just god's will. How nice for her. I hope before we go out and cast votes in the primary, she lets us in on what Jesus (and Coe, his back-room cigar guy)is telling her to do about Social Security, taxation of the poor, taxation of the wealthy, immigration, education, health care, the draft, privacy, our Constitutionally guaranteed rights and liberties, and oh yes, pre-emptive war... John Edwards is looking better and better...
Posted by:KathleenSeptember 5, 2007 2:37:52 PMRespond ^
Hillary's a cardboard cutout member of the non-thinking, deeply conservative ruling class and always will be. I don't doubt that she actually is religious... I think she's just that stupid and conventional. She's not alone though... all politicians talk relexively about "faith" this and "people of faith" that. If they were not robotic members of the dominant culture, it's unlikely we would ever hear about them. If a highly rational, intelligent, compassionate person with a deep understanding of science, history and a full understanding of homo sapiens' place in nature were to achieve any sort of public prominence, now that would be shocking.
Posted by:Phillip in NCSeptember 5, 2007 2:39:48 PMRespond ^
Dennis Kuchnich (sp) looks better every day! This is downright scary. Is Hillary also going to find a special place for the Tooth Fairy in her policies if she is elected? Is it so hard to figure out that Jesus, revolutionary that he was would never had stood for any of this idiocy that is preached and practiced in his name?
Posted by:Robert B. ElliottSeptember 5, 2007 3:26:11 PMRespond ^
Oh no! just what we need another bible thumper in the White House
Posted by:Eileen J.September 5, 2007 3:30:21 PMRespond ^
Thanks for a great article that revealed many truths. 1)All these people are in bed together...Democrat and Republican. 2) They believe God has given the the Divine job of ruling you. 3) You don't have a lot to say about this situation since they make the laws and they have the power. Question. Didn't a lot of our ancestors leave Europe to escape this sort of thing?
Posted by:steppenRazorSeptember 5, 2007 3:33:28 PMRespond ^
This is but another HIT job on Hillary, and for MJ to publish such nonsense is quite below any standard I have seen over the years reading MJ. Anyone can do research on any subject and find differing opinions, but when religion/faith is involved, it is the one topic that gets the most wide rangeing opinions. Those of us that practice our faith in private, do not pay much attention to articles like this one, simply because they are based on opinion, not FACT.
Posted by:lylepinkSeptember 5, 2007 7:55:48 PMRespond ^
The author needs a bit more theological perception. What is proposed as the ideal position of a candidate's disposition as far as religion is concerned? Ah yes, the religion of no religion. We've had enough of that in Communist Russia and China. What wonderful results occur when there is a religion of no religion.
Posted by:Roy HochSeptember 5, 2007 9:15:43 PMRespond ^
As long as Hillary Clinton( in the event of election to the Presidency) recalls that she is meant to be America's "Commander In Chief" and not "Chaplain In Chief"(unlike Dubya), she'll do just fine! (Full Disclosure: my favourite film star Drew Barrymore has been quoted as saying( in Marie Claire, US edition, Nov 2000) that "I pray every night for a safe world"
Posted by:Terry WashingtonSeptember 6, 2007 3:17:24 AMRespond ^
U nutbar americans and your sky god bs has helped bring us to a dark and nasty place . The sky god is a tool of the elites to control and manipulate. Only simple minded americans and the 3rd world still buy the rhetoric.
Posted by:garry walshSeptember 6, 2007 7:16:51 AMRespond ^
I still hear her damning diatribes against the "evil right wing Christians." So this is just so much political B.S. (ie a political tool) to position her to pander/dupe conservatives with poor memories. May all who do such burn in their own deception.
Posted by:TerraVitaSeptember 6, 2007 12:04:20 PMRespond ^
Look, Dominionism is NOT mere Christianity. Dominionism and other extremism makes the Christian faith LOOK BAD, like Islamic Extremism makes all Muslims look bad. And the reverse, when BOTH go on the defensive. The whole point of the Enlightenment Age was to inject REASON and ETHICS into government and public philosophy. Religion -- ironically -- can justify sidelining reason, ethics, and even basic morality. And it can do this in the name of morality, narrow definitions, dishonest emphasis. Google "Council for National Policy". Christians, Nazis, KKK, Reverend Moon, CIA, Ollie North, etc. And now it looks like Hillary too. This is NOT FUNNY and NOT to be taken lightly. (also, the voting process is privately owned and SECRET, citizens are not allowed to inspect it, so ... duh!)
Posted by:GarySeptember 6, 2007 1:34:35 PMRespond ^
I don't know how anyone else feels about this, but it scares the crap out of me. I'm all for people being directed by a "higher power" call it what you will, but this country was NOT created a Christian country; it was created to be a safe haven for any religion or lack thereof. The most disturbing thing about the "religious right," which is neither, like the bumper sticker says, is that they are all convinced that religiosity & faith means being evangelical Christian. They all believe that their beliefs are the only "true" ones. They aren't interested in allowing other religions to thrive. Their main purpose is to 'bring everybody to Jesus." And they are willing to use whatever means necessary, including lying, political mainpulation, brainwashing children, supporting dictators (including GW Bush) who torture and murder. Their real God is POWER. And so is Hilary's; she has been addcited to it for many years. Forget Jesus's teachings to love, forgive, take care of those who are needy or sick. Hilary & the rest of these people, who claim to be so pious and Christian are all just using him and his name. Pay attention to what these people DO, not what they natter on about endlessly. They're all basically hypocrites. Unfortunately, they have been in power for a long long time, and without an organized revolution, or horrific population destroying plague, they will continue to be in power. And that's the scariest of all.
Posted by:Tori CotoSeptember 6, 2007 1:59:02 PMRespond ^
I'm not buying any of this religious conviction from Hillary or ANY of these scumbags, no more than I believe that pro-Nuke-Iran and should-have-been-convicted criminal Tom Delay is a follower of Jesus. The point is that ANYTHING that can be used to ENHANCE the drift towards TOTALITARIANISM and public acceptance of that --- black and white thinking, terrorism vs. security, a religion which centerposes terror (Satan) vs. security (Heaven), economic fears, many other fear-based issues -- will be used. Religion -- hard line Calvinist extremism included -- can provide just one more working element in the formula. The formula is to REVERSE the ENLIGHTENMENT and destroy the work of Thomas Paine, Locke, and others who imagined a human race living in greater freedom.
Posted by:Gary againSeptember 6, 2007 1:59:55 PMRespond ^
I'm not buying any of this religious conviction from Hillary or ANY of these scumbags, no more than I believe that pro-Nuke-Iran and should-have-been-convicted criminal Tom Delay is a follower of Jesus. The point is that ANYTHING that can be used to ENHANCE the drift towards TOTALITARIANISM and public acceptance of that --- black and white thinking, terrorism vs. security, a religion which centerposes terror (Satan) vs. security (Heaven), economic fears, many other fear-based issues -- will be used. Religion -- hard line Calvinist extremism included -- can provide just one more working element in the formula. The formula is to REVERSE the ENLIGHTENMENT and destroy the work of Thomas Paine, Locke, and others who imagined a human race living in greater freedom.
Posted by:Gary againSeptember 6, 2007 2:02:42 PMRespond ^
Susan Baker was a co-founder (with Tipper Gore) of the PMRC, the Beltway outfit that promotes censorship of music. Mrs. Baker also was a director of Focus On The Family, the Christian fundamentalist political outfit founded and run by James Dobson. Using those connections Hillary has built direct ties to the hard right and the Christian right. It helps explain why she supports the Bush Doctrine of war abroad and a police state at home.
Posted by:Charles EverettSeptember 6, 2007 3:44:58 PMRespond ^
I really believe that is article is a real stretch & totally misleading. I would like to know the author's own personal agenda.
Posted by:Peggy WellerSeptember 7, 2007 5:43:17 AMRespond ^
Christianity has its roots in the tower of Babel,Mesopotamia,of the old testament, current day Iraq. Babylon means Gods Gate. And so God, as the story goes, destroyed the tower of Babel and confused mans language and strew him across the globe. From Babel comes the word confusion. So why are the Christians aching for war in the land of their roots? I dont think Hillary really believes all that much about faith. This is about power, political power. Besides that God, apparently, does not want to be found.
Posted by:IchthusSeptember 7, 2007 6:08:41 AMRespond ^
We can speculate all day as to what kind of Christian Hillary is, but only God knows for sure. By the way, in the cartoon, Judas was the 3rd person to the right of Jesus.
Posted by:RaulSeptember 7, 2007 9:12:30 AMRespond ^
Excuse me while I vomit! Anything the Clintons do is carefully crafted self-aggrandizement and politcal, power-hungry expediecy.
Posted by:EP HairbrainSeptember 7, 2007 9:37:24 AMRespond ^
Religion and politics is like firearms and alcohol. Hillary who is not an honest person embraces religion for her purpose. http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2007/09/hillarys-prayer.html
Posted by:JimboSeptember 8, 2007 6:39:26 AMRespond ^
Hmmm...The Family...sounds too Mansonesque to me.
Posted by:Sally PaulsenSeptember 8, 2007 9:00:35 AMRespond ^
I find this article very depressing. At bottom, I have respected Hillary, and believed she might well make a good president. But, if even half of what is stated in this article is true, a President Hillary Clinton would be even more scary than Dbaya - a smart "called by God" in the White House. God, if you're really there, help us! NMiller
Posted by:NMillerSeptember 8, 2007 1:22:26 PMRespond ^
Oh lord, please save us from all the people who envoke your name. Personal faith should be held above the political fray, according to the Constitution. So i have no "problem" with hillary being what she is. But we have seen this before, and we will see it again. Those of personal faith with power tend to apply their faith publicly; furthermore, nothing good comes from it. By definition, religion is a system of beliefs that informs behavior in this world. It also, and often, becomes an unassailable reasoning for action. When the President believes that God wants him/her to act in a certain way, there is no logic left. W. cannot be convinced that invading Iraq was wrong because he already convinced himself that God wanted him to do it. It appears that Hillary will be no better in this regard. Our HS history books taught us that the Pilgrims came for religious freedom, and that the founding fathers enshrined that freedom. However, reading English history books tells us something different. The Puritans had power in England during Cromwell's reign. They made dancing and Christmas and a host of other normal activities illegal. After the English restored sanity to their government, the Puritans were angry. They did not leave because of persecution by the authorities (granted, they felt persecuted). They left because they no longer had the power to persecute. The founding fathers wrote the seperation of church and state to keep groups like the Puritans from doing to America what they had done to England. Another example comes from Rome, traditionally a very tolerant culture. For example, there was a temple in Rome dedicated to the unknown gods...gods that Romans hadn't met yet. Romans were free to follow any god so long as they made token "prayers" to the main Roman gods. The persecution of the Christians that the Bible makes so much of stemmed from Christians refusing to be upstanding members of the state, and those persecutions were not nearly as horrid as Christian history has made them out to be. After Constantine and the Empire becoming Christian, the persecutions began in earnest...terrible and bloody. Constantine had his vision of the cross in 333 on the way to founding Constantinople. He converted on his death bed, and the Empire did not convert until after his death. After standing as one of the greatest empires in history for a very long time, it only took around one hundred years after becoming Christian to fall. Look at us, the more Christian we become, the closer to losing our empire (republic) we get. The more Christian we become the more we resemble the Crusaders who killed, raped, and pillaged across SE Europe and the near east. And one final note, Paul founded the church after his epileptic fit on the road to Damascus. Paul was a Roman, who probably never knew Jesus. He was a friend of Pilate. We do know that Jesus' brother did not like the message that Paul put on his brother's lips. In short, Paul took the name and founded the rotten church we see today...he fashioned it to sell to Romans. The church has not a whit to do with Jesus or his message of Messianic Judiasim. And since the end times and the second coming haven't happened yet, folks like Hillary are going to do their best to make it happen...if only to prove their belief right. I call bull[deleted]. I took my degree in religion and learned to respect it. I found beauty in it. But it has since led me to the simple motto i employ when someone knocks on the door to give me the good news. "I love jesus, but i hate f---ing Christians." PS: Isn't a "cell" what we call a group of terrorists?
Posted by:elephantriderSeptember 9, 2007 7:41:01 AMRespond ^
This article adds to Jeff Sharlet's collection of hit pieces on evangelical Christianity. It's filled with misleading statements about theology, that After a glancing shot at Republican "pharisees," Clinton explained that, of course, her "very serious" grounding in faith had helped her weather the affair. The fact that Ms. Clinton feels comfortable talking about "pharisees" while simultaneously pointing out the sins of her political opponents shows that she missed the essence of Jesus' story about throwing stones. Then again, she is a politician. In an interview with the United Methodist Reporter, she expressed regret that her church had focused too much on social gospel concerns in the '60s, '70s, and '80s, "to the exclusion of personal faith and growth." The spirit, believe theological conservatives, matters more than the flesh. No, sir. What you're describing is a modified form of gnostic anti-materialism--albeit that Karen Armstrong, Elaine Pagels and Bart Ehrmann deemphasize that aspect of the gnostic tradition in their current theological marketing efforts. Christian orthodox traditions (i.e. Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and most Protestant traditions) would criticize such a simplistic statement regarding the body as dismissive of the incarnation. Closer to an orthodox statement is to say that the body matters because the spirit matters, and they're inseparable. Thus the whole concept of physical resurrection--the human spirit, whatever it is, needs a body in order to exist. Anyhow, Ms. Clinton's particular tradition of Methodism (in particular, theologically conservative Methodism) emphasizes the importance of taking care of the body as a form of taking care of the soul. Thus, Methodists were social reformers in 18th century England--they thought it inconsistent to preach salvation without concern for the body; for example, reforming labor laws. The Methodists were also temperance activists in America--again, because the body was important. So--you're way off, especially if you're trying to inform people about what a "theological conservative" Methodist might believe, if, in fact, that term accurately describes Hillary Clinton. 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. Ah, what's a conspiracy without a shadowy group controlling the government? Is this journalism, or a Dan Brown novel? I hardly think that the "Fellowship" is so secretive, especially when you moved into their house and reviewed their organizational records, after telling them that you write about religion. Of course, you didn't exactly tell them what kind of writing you did about religion--so who was secretive, Mr. Sharlet? For a group that's trying to take over the world, they sure are sloppy. Washington, and politics in general, is a whorehouse. I'm not the least surprised that the Fellowship wouldn't want to be used as a political football; thus, they ask their members not . [Doug] Jones [, Clinton's childhood pastor and spiritual mentor], though, describes his theology as neoorthodox, guided by the belief that social change should come about slowly and without radical action. It emerged, he says, as a third way, a reaction against both separatist fundamentalism and the New Deal's labor-based liberalism. I don't doubt that's what Jones told you, but it's incorrect. "Neo-orthodoxy" isn't an American invention, but a German one; it predates "New Deal" labor-based liberalism by at least 40 years and it does not directly entail any sort of politics. If anybody is the "godfather" of neo-Orthodoxy, it's Karl Barth, who was a noted opponent of Hitler; but there's nothing in Barth's theology that says that social change must be gradual. Frankly, Barth's theology is more concerned with an individual human encounter with God--be it in a socialist or a capitalist socio-economic system. He has more to do with Kierkegaard than Edmund Burke. If you had googled "neo-orthodoxy", that was easily discoverable. But it doesn't sound as sexy as conservative politics writ as theology. Liberal theologians may describe Neo-orthodoxy as theologically conservative because Barth rejects liberal theology's attempt to reconcile theology with science by modifying Christian doctrine to meet science's criteria of truth. To oversimplify, Barth says that science and theology are incommensurate. It's as wrong-headed to alter theology to please science as it is to alter science to please theology. As a result, Barth can retain the traditional confessions of the church, without rejecting science. So arguably neo-orthodoxy is theologically conservative, but that has little to do with politics. Under Jones' mentorship, Clinton learned about Reinhold Niebuhr and Paul Tillich—thinkers whom liberals consider their own, but whom young Hillary Rodham encountered as theological conservatives. The Niebuhr she studied was a cold warrior, dismissive of the progressive politics of his earlier writing. Good grief, man, either Mr. Jones is confused, or you didn't understand him. Conservative theology does not entail conservative politics. Dorothy Day was a theologically conservative Catholic, and a socialist. N.T. Wright is a theologically conservative Anglican, and a socialist. J.D. Rockefeller was a great supporter of liberal theology, but he hardly qualifies as a political liberal in today's parlance. None of those examples are necessarily contradictory. Thus, what Reinhold Niebuhr believed about social change didn't make him a theological conservative, although it might have made him a political conservative. I tend to think applying the labels "liberal" or "conservative" to Niebuhrian ethics is misleading. What's more, Niebuhr's skepticism about human institutions and claims of revolutionaries was there from the beginning. One of his first books was Moral Man and Immoral Society, which presents a fairly Marxist critique of American society, but also warns of the dangers of believing the hype of revolutionary politics. In Moral Man and throughout his writing, he expands the Christian notion of sin to include the egoism of social organizations, which will inevitably justify evil to perpetuate themselves, and to which individual consciences will abdicate moral responsibility in the name of the collective good of the organization. That criticism applies equally to the institutions of the political status quo as to revolutionary groups. How Mr. Jones got from that to an endorsement of conservative politics is anybody's guess. Niebuhr did support U.S. policy against Soviet expansion, but not because he believed America's self-righteous image. He saw the brutality of Soviet totalitarianism as the worse of two evils, and came to the conclusion that pacifism in that situation was morally irresponsible. At the core of Niebuhrian ethics is a sense of tragedy, that we can't live up to our ideals (specifically, pacifism), and that self-righteous attempts to hold on to unrealistic ideals may actually be an irresponsible surrender to evil. An example of a Niebuhrian ethical dilemma would be the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer: although he was convinced Christian pacifist, he involved himself in a conspiracy to assasinate Hitler, because in the scenario of Nazi Germany to do nothing would be morally irresponsbile.
Posted by:DaleSeptember 9, 2007 10:04:42 AMRespond ^
Oops. the formatting on that was way off, making it unreadable. Let's try again. This article is the latest of Jeff Sharlet's hit pieces on evangelical Christianity. It's filled with errors and biases that make it incoherent, and anyone who thinks it provides insight into Hillary Clinton's theology is seriously mistaken. Mr. Sharlet says: "After a glancing shot at Republican "pharisees," Clinton explained that, of course, her "very serious" grounding in faith had helped her weather the affair." The fact that Ms. Clinton feels comfortable talking about "pharisees" while simultaneously pointing out the sins of her political opponents shows that she missed the essence of Jesus' story about throwing stones. Then again, she is a politician, and what politician can pass up a cheap shot, even while in the process they indict themselves?. Mr. Sharlet says: "In an interview with the United Methodist Reporter, she expressed regret that her church had focused too much on social gospel concerns in the '60s, '70s, and '80s, "to the exclusion of personal faith and growth." The spirit, believe theological conservatives, matters more than the flesh. No, sir. What you're describing is a modified form of gnostic anti-materialism--albeit that Karen Armstrong, Elaine Pagels and Bart Ehrmann deemphasize that aspect of the gnostic tradition in their current marketing efforts. Christian orthodox traditions (i.e. Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and most Protestant traditions) would criticize such a simplistic statement regarding the body as dismissive of the incarnation. Closer to an orthodox statement is to say that the body matters because the spirit matters, and they're inseparable. Thus the whole concept of physical resurrection--the human spirit, whatever it is, needs a body in order to exist. Anyhow, Ms. Clinton's particular tradition of Methodism (in particular, theologically conservative Methodism) emphasizes the importance of taking care of the body as a form of taking care of the soul. Thus, Methodists were social reformers in 18th century England--they thought it inconsistent to preach salvation without concern for the body; for example, reforming labor laws. The Methodists were also temperance activists in America--again, because the body was important. So--Mr. Sharlet is way off, especially if he's trying to inform people about conservative Methodist theology, if that is in fact an accurate description of Mrs. Clinton's beliefs. Mr. Sharlet says: "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." Ah, what's a conspiracy without a shadowy group controlling the government? Is this journalism, or a Dan Brown novel? I hardly think that the "Fellowship" is so secretive, especially when Mr. Sharlet moved into its house and reviewed its organizational records, after telling its representatives that he wrote about religion. Of course, he didn't exactly tell them what kind of writing you did about religion--so who was secretive, Mr. Sharlet? For a group that's trying to take over the world, they sure are sloppy. Washington, and politics in general, is a whorehouse. I'm not the least surprised that the Fellowship wouldn't want to be used as a political football. Mr. Sharlet said: "[Doug] Jones [, Clinton's childhood pastor and spiritual mentor], though, describes his theology as neoorthodox, guided by the belief that social change should come about slowly and without radical action. It emerged, he says, as a third way, a reaction against both separatist fundamentalism and the New Deal's labor-based liberalism." I don't doubt that's what Jones told Mr. Sharlet, but it's incorrect. "Neo-orthodoxy" isn't an American invention, but a German one, and it does not directly entail any sort of politics. If anybody is the "godfather" of neo-Orthodoxy, it's Karl Barth, who was a noted opponent of Hitler; but there's nothing in Barth's theology that says that social change must be gradual. Frankly, Barth's theology is more concerned with an individual human encounter with God--be it in a socialist or a capitalist socio-economic system. He has more to do with Kierkegaard than Edmund Burke. If Mr. Sharlet had googled "neo-orthodoxy", that was easily discoverable. But "theological existentialism" doesn't sound nearly as threatening to an uninformed readership as conservative politics writ as theology. Liberal theologians may describe Neo-orthodoxy as theologically conservative because Barth rejects liberal theology's attempt to reconcile theology with science by modifying theology to meet science's criteria of truth. To oversimplify, Barth says that science and theology are incommensurate. It's as wrong-headed to alter theology to please science as it is to alter science to please theology. As a result, Barth can retain the traditional confessions of the church, without rejecting science. So arguably neo-orthodoxy is theologically conservative, but that has little to do with politics. Mr. Sharlet said: "Under Jones' mentorship, Clinton learned about Reinhold Niebuhr and Paul Tillich—thinkers whom liberals consider their own, but whom young Hillary Rodham encountered as theological conservatives. The Niebuhr she studied was a cold warrior, dismissive of the progressive politics of his earlier writing." Good grief. Either Mr. Jones is confused, or Mr. Sharlet didn't understand him. Conservative theology does not entail conservative politics. Dorothy Day was a theologically conservative Catholic, and a socialist. N.T. Wright is a theologically conservative Anglican, and a socialist. J.D. Rockefeller was a theologically liberal Baptist, but hardly qualifies as a political liberal in today's parlance. None of those examples demonstrate a contradiction. What Reinhold Niebuhr believed about social change doesn't make him a theological conservative, although it might make him a political conservative. What's more, Niebuhr's skepticism about human institutions and claims of revolutionaries was there from the beginning. One of his first books was Moral Man and Immoral Society, which presents a fairly Marxist critique of American society, but also warns of the dangers of believing the hype of revolutionary politics. In Moral Man and throughout his writing, he expands the Christian notion of sin to include the egoism of social organizations, which will inevitably justify evil to perpetuate themselves, and individual consciences will abdicate moral responsibility in the name of the collective good of the organization. How Mr. Jones got from that to an endorsement of conservative politics is anybody's guess.
Posted by:DaleSeptember 9, 2007 10:26:29 AMRespond ^
(This continues the previous comment) Niebuhr did support U.S. policy against Soviet expansion, but not because he believed the America's self-righteous image. He saw the brutality of Soviet totalitarianism as the worse of two evils, and came to the conclusion that pacifism was morally irresponsible. At the core of Niebuhrian ethics is a sense of tragedy, that we can't live up to our ideals (specifically, pacifism), and that self-righteous attempts to hold on to unrealistic ideals may actually be an irresponsible surrender to evil. Calling him a "cold warrior" is a gross distortion. Mr. Sharlet said: "Tillich, whose sermon on grace Clinton turned to during the Lewinsky scandal, today enjoys a following among conservatives for revising the social gospel—the notion that Christians are to improve humanity's lot here on earth by fighting poverty, inequality, and exploitation—to emphasize individual redemption instead of activism." Says Doug Jones, I assume. And he's wrong. Although I hardly consider Wikipedia authoritative, it's certainly convenient, and since I'm not getting paid to correct all Mr. Jones' errors, it'll have to do: "Tillich became an outspoken socialist in Germany following World War I, writing much on the relation of religion and politics. His main work in this field, The Socialist Decision, was published in 1933 but failed to achieve much prominence since it was quickly suppressed, confiscated by the rising Nazi party, and publicly burned (Adolf Hitler took power the same year). Although Tillich turned chiefly to psychological, ontological and theological themes during his time in the United States, The Socialist Decision represents the culmination of nearly fifteen years' intense preoccupation with the question of religious socialism. Unlike most Christian socialists of his time (and up through the late 20th century), Tillich raised not only a moral Christian demand for socialist policies, but analyzed the very roots of both Christian and socialist thought to find their common and reinforcing foundations. Tillich was also an early member of the famous Frankfurt School, along with thinkers such as Theodor W. Adorno, Leo Lowenthal, Friedrich Pollock, Karl Mannheim, Kurt Reizler, Carl Mennicke and Adolf Lowe. Tillich was, among these, the leading scholar of religion and politics." Tillich's apologetics may not require a socialist politics, but I think any conservative theologian who quotes Tillich to discount the social gospel really doesn't know what he's talking about. Anyhow, while Tillich echoes some interesting medieval arguments about the ultimately inexpressible nature of God and being, he's pretty much regarded by theological conservatives as an atheist, not someone you quote in an argument over political theology. Mr. Sharlet says: "Niebuhr and Tillich's combination of aggressiveness in foreign affairs and limited domestic ambition naturally led Clinton toward the gop." Which means that either Hillary is so dense that she doesn't understand Niebuhr or Tillich, or someone's making incorrect assumptions about her ideological motivations for being a Goldwater Republican. I choose the latter. Really, the idea that Niebuhr and Tillich would lead someone to be a Goldwater Republican is ridiculous, and about as ideologically incoherent as today's Chinese "Marxism". Mr. Sharlet said: "That's how it works: The Fellowship isn't out to turn liberals into conservatives; rather, it convinces politicians they can transcend left and right with an ecumenical faith that rises above politics. Only the faith is always evangelical, and the politics always move rightward." And Hillary, Yale law school education and all, got sucked in. Incredible. Or perhaps Hillary knows that people are studying the Bible and praying, not engaging in Machiavellian maneuvers. Do they hope they can change her mind about some things? I'm sure they do, and I'm sure that she'd like to change theirs. "This is in line with the Christian right's long-term strategy." Mr. Sharlet must have gotten his copy of the long term strategy in the mail. Where's mine? Mr. Sharlet said "Francis Schaeffer, late guru of the movement" Mr. Sharlet left out Rushdoony. We all make offerings to his picture on the mantle when those pesky progressives aren't looking. I'll leave it to Mr. Sharlet to make something sinister out of right-wing politicians realizing that Mrs. Clinton is human, too, and finding commonalities with her. Horrors! We all know that society is much better off when we dehumanize and hate the people who disagree with us, right? Mr. Sharlet said: "As Tom McClusky of the Family Research Council, command central for Washington's Christian right" Yes, Mr. Sharlet, it's a political lobby. They tend to be in Washington. No, Mr. Sharlet, they don't "command" anyone, except those politicians venial enough to abandon their principles when exposed to lobbyists. I tend to think that's a problem across the ideological spectrum, not anything that's specific to the Christian right. Of course, a sinister organization commanding its adherents fits much more comfortably with the biases of Mother Jones readers. Mr. Sharlet said "Clinton speaks instead the language of nondenominationalism—a sober, eloquent appreciation of "values," the importance of prayer, and "heart" convictions—which liberals, unfamiliar with the history of evangelical coalition building, mistake for a tidy, apolitical accommodation, a personal separation of church and state." Mrs. Clinton is not talking like a member of the nondenominational den of vipers, er, evangelical Christian church, down the street. She's talking like a theological liberal who believes that a properly constituted, "modernized" Christian faith is compatible with the exercise of good government, that there is no conflict between the two. That means downplaying theological distinctives, and reducing Christianity to a universalizable code of ethics, with an optional belief in the supernatural. That's liberal theology, people. Of course, it didn't work in the early 20th century, and it doesn't work now. It's nothing new, and it's not indicative of Hillary selling out to the fundamentalists that progressives love to hate. So. . . Mr. Sharlet's article is wrong about Niebuhr and Tillich, whether by way of Doug Jones' reformulations or Mr. Sharlet's interpolations. Mr. Sharlet repeats his tendency to read nefarious intentions into other peoples' religious belief and practices, because he don't find their politics suitable. He's a propagandist dealing in religious bigotry, and his audience apparently eats it up.
Posted by:DaleSeptember 9, 2007 10:42:46 AMRespond ^
Lame article. The prayer group she is involved in has never been a "secret" club. Do some fact checking!
Posted by:Hillary for president!September 9, 2007 3:33:20 PMRespond ^
Hillary clinton is an opportunist, she will say anything for a vote!!!! The plus side is she's not the only game in town. Kucinich is my guy so far....
Posted by:sabrinaSeptember 9, 2007 6:18:09 PMRespond ^
You people are a pack of wolves. You are more detrimental to the democratic party than the republicans, because you literally eat your own. This socalled expose you've done on Hillary is outrageous. Would you rather that she be an atheist, perhaps like you?? In my opinion you are the scum of the earth and the root of all that is evil, and this includes Mike Papitano. I only would hope that Bobby Kennedy doesn't share these views. These are the views of the move-on crowd who do nothing to better the world or contribute to making the democratic party something to be proud of. You rank on Hillary more than the republicans, what is wrong with you people? This woman has to be all to all people and she is certainly trying to do just that. It's too bad that you are too ignorant to recognize it. This woman is smarter than you would ever believe and that's what makes her so powerful. This is the woman who can win the presidency with or without your help.
Posted by:Gloria PorfiloSeptember 9, 2007 6:24:31 PMRespond ^
WHY IS MY SKIN CRAWLING? "How does it become a man to behave toward this American government to-day? I answer that he cannot without disgrace be associated with it." Thoreau
Posted by:John Lewis-Dickerson, AtlSeptember 9, 2007 6:36:28 PMRespond ^
With the first wholly new intretpretation for two thousand years, of the moral teachings of Christ spreading on the web, with the very real potential to bring down the whole of 'christian' history, Hillary may end up with a lot more than she bargined for by playing the religious card. And she's not going to like it! check these links: http://www.energon.org.uk http://thefinalfreedoms.bulldoghome.com http://www.dunwanderinpress.org http://www.ovimagazine.com/art/1676 http://www.ovimagazine.com/art/1726
Posted by:Robert LandbeckSeptember 11, 2007 9:49:36 AMRespond ^
She is entitled to her faith, just like all the Jews in the current administration. What is dangerous is when the Jewish cabal operate according to that most vile of all books, the Talmud, and get us into wars for Israel(the next one is with Iran). The right will never accept Senator Clinton due to her liberal social economic issues. She may be a Bible thumper at heart, but other issues trump that. Obama, the Muslim sympathizer, will never pass AIPAC's approval like Senator Clinton. Edwards, the hypocrite will never make it. It looks like Senator Clinton will be President. Get used to it.
Posted by:Dr. WatsonSeptember 11, 2007 3:33:38 PMRespond ^
If you want to be President of the U.S. you got to be religious, preferably Christian. Free Thinkers need not run.
Posted by:DonaldSeptember 11, 2007 4:47:26 PMRespond ^
The nation's two living Baptist ex-presidents Clinton and Carter are calling for a historic convocation in Atlanta next year, intended to improve the "negative" image of Baptists in North America and to unite the majority of Baptists into a loose-knit network to address social ills. Baptist Churches are independent and lay people(like the ex presidents) play as important of a role as a Pastor. "Priesthood of the believers." Hence, former President Clinton is an important figure in the Baptist movement. He demonstrated to us that Christ forgives us and remembers the sin no more, an example to all of us when we(I know it is with me stray. It is not surprising tht his wife is also religious. This is nothing new. When Jimmy was the first Baptist president, this was something new. Clinton was the second Baptist president. We are all human and he was a good example of how Christ forgives us when we fall. We just get up and keep on going. Praise the Lord.
Posted by:Pastor Leroy JonesSeptember 12, 2007 6:28:38 AMRespond ^
Wow, what a revelation. . .I feel that I have just awakened into a nightmare. How has she fooled me for so long? Now, what are my alternatives? Nothing looks very good at this point. . .Is "None of the Above" still a possibility?
Posted by:Dwight RichardsonSeptember 12, 2007 9:03:36 PMRespond ^
Hilary has killed more people than Osama,I hope she finds peace , With all of her personal problems, how can she be a good president? The difference between her party and the Christian party is the Dems want to kill them before they can walk and talk , the rep want to at least give them a chance!
Posted by:TomSeptember 13, 2007 12:18:00 PMRespond ^
The importance of Hillary's faith in religion is relevant to the Presidency only in the aspect of whether she believes in religion as a source of personal support or as a source of personal persecution. There are crucial differences in the practice of freedom and the practice of cultural or religious persecution, and most Americans are keenly aware of that distinction as it applies to themselves, and to others. It is that recognition of human rights that makes religion valuable or worthless, isn't it?
Posted by:Pat R.September 21, 2007 8:10:40 AMRespond ^
Holy Scheiß, no more bible bozos in Washington, please. If Giuliani gets the Republican nomination, I'll freaking vote for him over this retard.
Posted by:yobSeptember 22, 2007 6:15:43 PMRespond ^
With all my heart I believe that Hillary Clinton will be a great President with her interest firmly planted in stoical justice and equality. Hillary's policies will open the path to education and economic opportunity from the poorest in our Nation to the wealthiest. Surely Roosevelt did that, Truman did that and JFK did that. Bill Clinton refined and paved that path to the highest social ground this Country ever experienced. Hillary will rebuild that path and restore the way for everyone to reach a decent life and attain financial stability to the best of our ability. C.W. Christian's article, What would Niebuhr do, is remarkable and Niebuhrian principles are astounding in the simplicity all can understand. Niebuhr gave us all a foundation for an honorable life for every man woman and child. And all from the brief glimpse into brilliant concepts related by C.W. Christian in his article in the Waco Tribune Herald, Monday Sept. 24, 2007. Just as the 10 Commandments are universal, I believe Niebuhr's principles are universal regardless of religious beliefs. Mark Ramsey claims that the Christian Mission of Baylor University is ill served because Creationism is not acceptable to pure science. When Christian followers who believe in Creationism to the exclusion of Science, teach science to their children in Sunday Schools or their secular education from 1st to 12th grades, perhaps Creationism would find its solid footing in Biblical Stories teaching moral lessons. Adding to this possibility is the effort of research, biological testing, geological and archeological findings, given equal time, finding solid footing in teaching rational scientific discovery. Being a Christian gives me greater peace of mind learning that God exisits and has been creating infinitely beyond comprehension. Perhaps the greatest human experience is the miracle of man's ever evolving human intelligence. I will begin seeking the wisdom of Niebuhr as I have been overwhelmed by C.W. Christian's favorite quote, "Our infinite capacity for rationalization is the surest sign of original sin." Indeed, it was that infinite capacity for rationalization that has lead us into the quagmire of the Iraq war, a deficit of devastating proportions, an economy that is failing the American people, health care that has left many behind, especially children, an education system that has failed our children and teachers. The loss of the industrial might that sustained America and the plundering of Social Security that sustained Americans who paid for that pension. Last but not least, that infinite capacity for rationalization and the power of persuasion combined to garner votes for the extreme Religious right wing President and his entire Administration and they too failed America. The President and this administration with enormous success, demonized every decent human being with dissenting views and marched to control through extreme distortion of Christianity and empty rhetoric. Will President Bush and this Administration wage war against Iran? Only the American people can stop the momentum of total control that President Bush is seeking. And only the American people can bring back the basic tenets of our Democracy. Before that can happen we must restore truth, that the Democrats have always been entrenched in stabilizing the economy, fair return of the taxpayers money to the service of Americans and America! The vicious, scandalous attacks, the millions spent to disguise character assassinations as truthful accounts of the noblest of Americans by the Fundamentalist embedded in the Republican (Repuslican) party has destroyed the credibility of all Democrats! It is time to reclaim our identity. Sissy Riffin 2618 Glendale Drive Waco TX 76710 254-296-0572
Posted by:Sissy Needell-RiffinSeptember 26, 2007 11:38:05 AMRespond ^
When Jesus says something that they don't like religious activists tell Jesus to take a hike. Jesus emphatically stated: tell the truth. When it comes to drug war propaganda, along with any other partisan issue Christian ministers refuse to comment on rampant lying by those in authority. It's been that way for two thousand years before Jesus and since. They learned from Jesus' crucifixion: it ain't gonna happen to them. As soon as they speak up against lying, they get falsely associated with the worst elements of those being lied about. Jesus was "friend of prostitutes and tax collectors" then. He'd be "friend of addicts and terrorists" today because he'd speak out longly and loudly about the lies that are the foundation of our "forever wars".
Posted by:JT BarrieSeptember 27, 2007 5:40:56 AMRespond ^
I'm far more concerned with Hill-the-business-shill's connection with Walmart (as a former board member) and her failure to advocate for health insurance while there. I'm also conserned about her membership in the "India caucus" and her advocacy on the part of Microsoft. She is one of those folks who tells me that although we have 300 million citizens, we don't have enough talent, so we have to import it. Of course this "talent" also works for 12K a year less than an equivilent US worker. So sell us out to god, or sell us out to Bill Gates... Which affects the average worker more?
Posted by:Harry H. Snyder IIISeptember 27, 2007 1:11:59 PMRespond ^
buuulll[deleted]!!!
Posted by:notbornyesterdaySeptember 27, 2007 4:55:17 PMRespond ^
Hillary a Christian? Capitol Hill group known as the Fellowship, Christian? Give me a break. I believe Bush is part of this same group. Can we say counterfeit. No matter how good a fake twenty may look when compared to the real thing it is still a fake, a copy, a counterfeit,,, and so are they. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Posted by:DavidSeptember 27, 2007 5:31:03 PMRespond ^
If Clinton were religious to any degree, she would never be in favor of baby killing, and partial birth abortion in this country or any other! She favors it all around the whole world! That tells me EVERYTHING...she's a phoney with a capital P who stops at nothing to get elected!
Posted by:ATKSeptember 28, 2007 5:35:06 AMRespond ^
r Read the article on Hillery's religious connections, and I like what I read. I trust her as a President. Joe Wagner
Posted by:Joe WagnerSeptember 28, 2007 5:41:45 AMRespond ^
I'm getting sick and tired of these double-crossing Christians. They're no better than those crazy Muslims who blow up anything, mainly their own people, in Irak and Afghanistan and sometimes New York. If god is the power broker they believe he is, let's fire him for obvious, dangerous and blind incompetence. Let's hire instead an intelligent,tolerant and open-minded atheist. Let's bring back the lions and open the Coliseums and give them Christians of all faith to eat.
Posted by:Pierre PicardSeptember 28, 2007 7:26:59 AMRespond ^
Garbage!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by:Betsie RobinettSeptember 28, 2007 7:51:29 AMRespond ^
I guess Clinton found relition on the campaign trail. Yeah just like Bush is a Christian
Posted by:FernSeptember 28, 2007 7:51:46 AMRespond ^
Nothing wrong with true faith in God. These politicians who spout how religious they are are and start wars that kill millions are just as bad as terrorits who supposedly kill in the name of religion. GW nor Hillary are Christian
Posted by:FernSeptember 28, 2007 7:59:19 AMRespond ^
A strong advocate for abortion which is murder, cannot be on the side of Jesus Christ, although she use his name to get a vote,as long as she promotes abortion,"murder",she makes herself an enemy of Jesus Christ.
Posted by:nadineSeptember 28, 2007 8:27:44 AMRespond ^
WHATEVER!!!!
Posted by:Maureen O'RourkeSeptember 28, 2007 9:52:09 AMRespond ^
Whoever believes this one come see me so I can sell you the Brooklyn Bridge. There is so much "Blood" on the white house being the Godlees country we now live in., Abortion, Partial Birth Abortion, Stem Cell Liberalism is a mental illness look at our courts and the people let go and walking our streets. America has been sold up the river with all the illeagles, anchor babies overseas jobs cheaper and so on. We NEED to BEG for GOD"S MERCY one and all.
Posted by:JillSeptember 28, 2007 9:58:53 AMRespond ^
Whatever...Hillary is a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Posted by:TomSeptember 28, 2007 11:34:19 AMRespond ^
Hatemonger?
Posted by:Matt BSeptember 28, 2007 12:08:10 PMRespond ^
Hatemonger, Buddy Hinton?
Posted by:Matt BSeptember 28, 2007 12:11:06 PMRespond ^
Sissy, what are you smoking to have the perceptions you do of Dems? Or you drinking the purple kool-aid? Years of experiencing Hillary affirm she is only into fraud, not faith.
Posted by:Fred WSeptember 28, 2007 12:13:32 PMRespond ^
Pierre, sounds to be like you're far more like the Islamist terrorists than Christians are. Feed them to the lions? You barbarian.
Posted by:anti-PierreSeptember 28, 2007 12:15:53 PMRespond ^
I'll believe that she's Christian when she becomes pro-life - until that time, she's a wolf in sheep's clothing. Let her explain why she doesn't believe in the commandment "Thou shalt not kill." I don't believe that there is any footnote to that say - unless you can find a good excuse. Manipulate yourself out of that Lilith!!!!!
Posted by:SharonSeptember 28, 2007 12:27:46 PMRespond ^
I can't belive people really belive she will be a good president. Do people even look into things anymore or does everyone let the media do their thinking for them? For those of you who are willing to look beyond the mainsteam media take a look at Ron Paul for president
Posted by:fernSeptember 28, 2007 1:13:06 PMRespond ^
Pierre- Something worse than the Coliseum awaits you after death... unless you stop hating Christians.
Posted by:josephSeptember 28, 2007 2:20:02 PMRespond ^
While I was not aware of Hillary's deep faith, as espoused in this article, nor of this secret Christian thing, I do find that during Bill's presidency, there was really nothing done for the unborn who are dying in huge numbers. Their emphasis is on personal prevention, just as the article said. They will not rescue the unborn through any kind of legislation. This says a lot to me. For all that may be said about Bush, he has done more for the unborn than any president since Roe v. Wade. he has shown more personal courage than any other president in this regard. And for all these reasons, I have a very high regard for his social action. If I weigh 45 million unborn American deaths since Roe v. Wade, when no president tried to help them, to the deaths in Iraq, I have to say that George's war is not nearly as bad. His defense of the unborn has to be an indication of the man's character. I have always liked many things about Hillary, but I am sad about her inability to defend the unborn. Perhaps this will change. Perhaps I don't really understand her. I hope that is true, because if any woman could be a great president in other ways, I think it could be Hillary. But if someone does not have the courage to stand up for the most vulnerable among us, I have to doubt their sincerity as Christians. THINK ABOUT THIS: The classic Princeton studies on the true life and development of an unborn baby tell us that we should talk to our unborn babies, our babies IN UTERO, because THEY CAN LEARN LANGUAGE WHILE THEY ARE STILL IN THE WOMB! And even at 7 weeks, they have tiny, well developed feet, legs, hands, arms, and they have a body. Their hearts start to beat at, I think 25 days. These are astounding facts to those who have buried their heads in the sand.
Posted by:Brenda ZiserSeptember 28, 2007 10:27:04 PMRespond ^
Trying to portray Bush as a savior of the unborn is insane. He has done nothing to protect the unborn. In fact under his "leadership" government programs funding abortions in other countries has actually increased. I have real difficulty in understaning people's blind faith in this man who has done nothing for Christians other than give them a bad name. Do some research on the man. Look up his record on pastor Chuck Balswin's web site. http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/bushrecord.html
Posted by:FernSeptember 29, 2007 5:29:17 AMRespond ^
I wonder how many of these positive posts are written by peope who are paid to do this. Either these people are totally blind are being paid.
Posted by:FernSeptember 29, 2007 5:33:33 AMRespond ^
If Hillary Rhodam Clinton was so religious then why would she support the most
Posted by:ObrienSeptember 29, 2007 5:58:58 AMRespond ^
I believe Hillary is using this feigned allegiance to Christ to bring out during the campaign as a trump card, especially since it looks like the the Republican nominee will also be pro-abortion.
Posted by:youtube-whataboutbob53September 29, 2007 10:21:30 AMRespond ^
Bill Clinton in his own words Hillary has been out with more women then I have. She is also a Marxist and is vicious how many murders is she responsible for.
Posted by:The TruthSeptember 30, 2007 5:15:41 AMRespond ^
I can honestly say that I have seen it all now. Hillary Clinton, a secret Christian! If there is one thing that is certain it is that Clinton is not a Christian. You are not a Christian because you or someone else calls you a Christian. Political actions speak louder than words and Hillary's actions as a Senator are loud and clear. Joining a bible group means nothing. Quickly, what is the largest voting block in the country? Did you say Christians? One thing no one should accuse Hillary of is being politically stupid. Actually, we have already had her as president for 8 years. Who do you think was calling the shots while Bubba was president? She has enough on Bubba to blackmail him for three lifetimes. Her faith got her through the Lewinsky ordeal?? Does anyone of sound mind believe that she did not know what was going on 'behind her back'? She doesn't care what goes on in Slick Willie's sex life, just as long as she is not part of it. Her problem was that it became public and thus an embarrassment. My guess is that she will get elected and then this country will get exactly what it deserves. Whatever the current End Times scenario is, my guess is that Hillary as president is the added ingredient to speed up the process.
Posted by:John ValentiSeptember 30, 2007 9:52:13 AMRespond ^
Unless one lives in a country where religion is outlawed, as it was in the Soviet Union, the is no such thing as a secret Christian. Make no mistake about it. Hillary is a Marxist. One of the basic tenets of Marxism is atheism. Hillary espouses Marxism and often quotes Karl Marx.
Posted by:Lew in D.C.September 30, 2007 3:02:39 PMRespond ^
Huh? This must be a promo for the new book about Hillary Clinton & Faith. Cover shot: Hillary's weathered face catches the afternoon sun, behold the look of lined beautitude. The author begins by saying that for fifteen years, people have been asking themselves about Hillary's relationship with God. That was as far as I got. This just in: the Clintons and their cadre of losers have been insulting our intelligence for over thirty years. You know as well as I do, that if Jesus returned today he'd smack Hillary into the middle of next week. I pity the fool who buys that book; I pity the fool who sides with the Clintons.
Posted by:RosettaSeptember 30, 2007 8:09:07 PMRespond ^
To ATK "baby killing" what are you twelve? Abortion hunny is what it is called. And to sit there and critisize Clinton for hers views that women should be able to choose what they want to do with their bodies is a little absurd. Get down off your high horse because if you were raped and got pregnant from it I am sure you would not want to give birth to that demon child.
Posted by:Pardon me but..October 1, 2007 6:24:12 AMRespond ^
Why the hate?
Posted by:JoeOctober 3, 2007 9:36:52 AMRespond ^
Fern, You just gave yourself away as a paid shill - my only question is: do you get paid in pennies or koolaide?
Posted by:BetsyOctober 3, 2007 1:25:01 PMRespond ^
Could this be an example of "keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer". What an excelent way to know what the other side is up to.
Posted by:A. OrtegaOctober 3, 2007 2:33:21 PMRespond ^
This whole article has the effect of causing liberal voters to think less of Sister Hillary. Now who is a liberal voter going to vote for? Obama comes from the "Black Church" movement(some wrongly accuse him of being a secret Muslims, but those people are usual Jewish paranoid types), Edwards is not sincere when he makes a vain attempt to quote Scripture. Dennis Kucinich's little secret is that he is pro life. That only leaves a third party, such as the Green Party. Good Job, Mother Jones.
Posted by:Mr. GreenOctober 4, 2007 11:11:59 AMRespond ^
During his first three terms in Congress, Catholic Kucinich compiled a consistently pro-life voting record, earning a 95-percent rating from the National Right to Life Committee in 2000.
Posted by:NOWOctober 4, 2007 11:16:35 AMRespond ^
THE UNITED STATES IS NOT READY FOR A WOMAN PRESIDENT. SHE WANTS TO BE PESIDENT NOT TO BE PRESIDNT BUT TO SAY SHE IS HE FIRST FEMALE TO BE PRESIDENT. SHE HAS A GOAL AND THAT IS TO GET EVEN WILL BILL CLINTON. GOD HELP US IF SHE GETS TO BE PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATE BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO NEED IT AND OLY GOD CAN SAVE US FROM SUCH A TIME THAT WORDS CAN NOT DESCRIBE. READ YOUR BIBLE MRS CLINTON ABOUT WHO SHOULD RULE THE NEST. THE WORD IN MINE IS IN MY KING JAMES BIBLE, IN MANY PLACES NOT JUST ONE. I WILL PRAY TO GOD NOT TO LET YOU BE THE PRESIDENT OF USA
Posted by:VIRGINIA GANDYOctober 4, 2007 3:24:34 PMRespond ^
YALL ALL ARE CRAZII
Posted by:THE PEOPLES CHOICEOctober 4, 2007 6:57:03 PMRespond ^
Please learn how to spell, or use the dictionary. Thanks
Posted by:star5October 4, 2007 7:05:39 PMRespond ^
thats really sad but i would love to know more. its really interesting.
Posted by:edwanOctober 6, 2007 4:01:36 PMRespond ^
"In her own way, she is a true believer." How can she be a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ? She is Pro-Abortion. The killing of innocent lives is totally against God. Wake up Hillary, read your Bible again. God knew you before you were in the womb.
Posted by:floridaOctober 7, 2007 11:33:55 AMRespond ^
Can't we just have an honest agnostic/atheist instead of another deluded Believer for crying out loud.
Posted by:Robert LewisOctober 8, 2007 12:43:54 PMRespond ^
Poor fella! You really have no idea what it takes to be a man, do you? And just a word of advise: Try pushing against the "Statue Of Liberty", ad as far as you can move it, is as much as you will change the truth of Christianity with all your venom. God bless ou my friend.
Posted by:A Real Man-typeOctober 11, 2007 5:37:26 AMRespond ^
GOD FOID IF SHE GETS TO BE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. SHE IS NOT THE PERSON THAT SHE CLAIMS TO BE. HE FIRST GOSL IS NOT TO BRING THE CHURCH BACK INTO THE WHITE HOUSE OR GOD. HER VERY FIRTS WISH IS TO THE FIRST WOMAN TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE USA.AND SHE WANTS ITS SO BAD SHE WOULD EVEN CHALENGE GOD IF SHE HAS TO. IF SHE GETS TO BE PRESIDENT I WILL MOVE OUT OF THE UNITED STATES. THAT WOULD BE ALL MOST AS BAD AS HITLER AND THAT IS BAD
Posted by:VIRGINIA GANDYOctober 15, 2007 3:15:56 PMRespond ^
Billary is only interested in power at the cost of all Americans. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq8aopATYyw Bush - Clinton - Bush - Clinton `?!? anyone see a pattern there?
Posted by:WernerOctober 23, 2007 2:10:33 AMRespond ^
My, my. You can smell the kerosene breath clear through the void of cyperspace. Who's to wonder why religion makes very bad politics, the one about absolutes (call 'em killer abs)and the other about compromise. Whaddaya say we all shut up about the G person? Give it a rest, for Christ's sake.
Posted by:Ida LupinoOctober 23, 2007 11:41:36 AMRespond ^
I don't see what is such a big deal. We already knew she was religious ... so what? So what if she brings Jesus to the White House, maybe she can bring Superman, too. This country ... rather, this world needs fixing more than any one person can do! And I am not even religious, but I know that most people's faith seems to give them some sort of moral base, and what's wrong with that? We already know she is very intelligent. Hey, I was ready to vote for Barrack until he ditched his flag lapel pin ... that was just dumb ... he lost so many votes from that. I adore Kucinich and agree with nearly everything he says, but we all know he doesn't have a chance. Why not let a strong woman like Hillary in the white house! Remember, she's married to Bill Clinton, the guy who turned a huge deficit into a surplus ... until GWB turned it back the other way like the republicans always do. It's not like you men have done a great job ... okay, well a few of you have, but let a woman in there and ... Hillary is the best choice and the most likely to win against whatever republican wins the primary. If she wants to bring Jesus and Buddha and Mohammad and Krishna with her to the white house, is that so terrible? I just hope she can actually manage to get medical insurance for EVERYONE, remember when she tried that when her husband was in office? Yea, well maybe second time around it can get accomplished... hopefully. None of these politicians can fulfill all of their promises, one can only hope for improvement.
Posted by:JudyOctober 23, 2007 12:56:52 PMRespond ^
dfsf
Posted by:fvsfsdOctober 25, 2007 1:49:22 PMRespond ^
I grew up a fundamentalist Christian because my family and I needed the faith of God in our lives. After finished college, I realized I am gay. This changed my whole outlook on fundamentalism. My parents, my family and my friends all turned their back on me, but I had a new family who helped me to cope, the gay community. I had no choice because I am gay. I see the need for spirituality, but also the love and caring for the oppressed. Jesus helped those who were sick, was a help and friend to Mary Magdalene, fed the hungry, cured the sick, and instead of marching outside the church of Matthew Sheppards funeral with posters saying '[deleted]', would be insided the church, holding the mothers hand, comforting her.
Posted by:Eric ShadrickOctober 26, 2007 8:34:40 AMRespond ^
If she supports the sterilization of Humans then she supports the killing of life. The killing of Babies Babies are humans. So she supports the killing of innocent humans. Looking at the big picture, I don't think she should have her finger on the button. Christ promoted life. What if Mary would have chosen birthcontrol over God? Mary was curtainly in a compromised situation. Hillary is no Mary and she has a little more soal searching to do before she'll convince me that she is doing what god wants.
Posted by:JoelNovember 1, 2007 12:42:27 PMRespond ^
i hate this
Posted by:johnNovember 2, 2007 1:27:53 PMRespond ^
Father God, I pray for all the liberals and all the conservatives of this world that you have created and for the sins of this world. I pray for the Christian community and the ones who claim to be Christians. I ask that you forgive us of our ignorance on the teachings of mankind. We think we know what we are saying and doing, but we are lost here without you. I pray father that our leaders of this world will reverence the gift of life that you have made by your gracious hands. Father, when the signs of time have come, I pray father that you will have mercy on the people that oppose you and the ones that suppresses you. I pray all this in Jesus name amen.
Posted by:SonnyNovember 18, 2007 11:09:03 AMRespond ^
Sonny, out of all of those comments, you made a good point out there of our ignorance. Thank you, we all need God in our lives.
Posted by:JimmyNovember 18, 2007 11:15:41 AMRespond ^
Yee-hah
Posted by:LaurenNovember 19, 2007 2:22:02 PMRespond ^
god help us all if hillary becomes president.
Posted by:OMGNovember 22, 2007 8:15:51 AMRespond ^