No Straight Talk from McCain on Religion
By Nick Gier, New West Unfiltered, 4-09-08
THE MEANDERING MAVERICK:
NO STRAIGHT TALK FROM MCCAIN ON RELIGION
By Nick Gier, Professor Emeritus, University of Idaho
A recent wire story entitled "McCain's Pastor Stark Contrast to Obama's" praises McCain for attending services at a church led by a moderate Baptist minister.
McCain's pastor Dan Yeary condemns homosexuals as sinners, but he is quick to add that he is also a sinner, and that Jesus would have loved gays and lesbians.
There are, however, some serious questions about McCain's religious identity. He was raised an Episcopalian and freely admits that he is not nearly as devout as his father who prayed twice daily on his knees.
Congressional directories still list him as an Episcopalian and as recent as June 2007 he called himself one. But then in the midst of the 2008 South Carolina primary, he declared: "By the way, I'm not Episcopalian. I'm Baptist." How convenient for the state's Baptist voters.
McCain's wife and children have been baptized by the Rev. Yeary, but McCain has yet to take sacred immersion, a necessary requirement for being a Christian, Episcopalian as well as Baptist. McCain has said that he "didn't find it necessary . . . for my spiritual needs."
In an interview with beliefnet.com McCain stated that being a Christian was "an important part of our qualifications to lead." In the same interview he agreed with 55 percent of the American people who incorrectly believe that the Constitution (which contains no mention of God or Christ) establishes Christianity as the national religion.
Jewish and Muslims groups demanded that McCain correct this fundamental mistake, but he refused to do so, reaffirming his idea that the country's secular and transcultural values are still Judeo-Christian values.
In a speech in Virginia Beach on February 28, 2000, McCain accused George Bush of being a "Pat Robertson Republican," and warned his audience that politicians should not pander to "the agents of intolerance,” such as Louis Farrakhan, Pat Robertson, and Jerry Falwell.
Barack Obama, who openly professes a deep Christian faith, has condemned Louis Farrakhan and has refused his endorsement. In stark contrast, McCain made up to Falwell and gave the 2006 commencement speech at his Liberty University.
McCain also actively sought out the endorsement of the Rev. John Hagee, whose writings (which McCain admits he has not read) are filled with anti-Catholic and anti-Jewish rhetoric.
Hagee calls the Catholic Church "the great whore" and the anti-Christ, and he insists that the Jews as the killers of Christ have brought all their suffering upon themselves.
As a leading Christian Zionist, Hagee urges all Jews to return to Israel, because they are required to fulfill the biblical prophecy of a great spiritual war in the Middle East. Hagee believes that the Nazi Holocaust was part of God's plan to bring the surviving Jews back to Israel.
Jews are obviously not very happy with this talk, because Hagee tells them, as only arrogant preachers such as he can, that only one quarter of them will be saved in this holocaust. Hagee sometimes graciously increases that portion to one third.
Even when pressed by the Catholic League and Catholics United to renounce Hagee, McCain said that he is proud of the endorsement, because Hagee "supports what I stand for and believe in," although he did add that he does not agree with all that Hagee teaches.
Obama's minister Jeremiah Wright has been rightly criticized for his radical views, the most reprehensible being that our government released the AIDS virus. When the Rev. Wright declared "God damn America" for its racial sins, he was following Old Testament prophets who condemned the sins of Israel. Hagee and others use the same biblical model for damning America.
At a February campaign rally in Cincinnati McCain shared the stage with the Rev. Rod Parsley, whom McCain called his "spiritual guide." Parsley condemns Islam as a "false religion" because "Allah was a demon spirit."
Incredibly enough, Parsley believes that America was founded "with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed," and that even Columbus sailed to America hoping to "defeat the armies of Islam," which were apparently hiding out deep in some Amazonian jungle.
Obama took a real bruising by the press because of his association with Rev. Wright, but one wonders when McCain will get tough questions about his religious identity, about his misreading of the Constitution, and about why far right preachers he once condemned are now his friends.
Nick Gier taught religion and philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years.
Rear or hear his other columns at http://www.NickGier.com.
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Comments
The creators of American ensured a separation of Religion not only to protect religion from governments but to protect government from religion.
"An alliance or coalition between government and religion cannot be too carefully guarded against. Every new and successful example therefore of a perfect separation between ecclesiastical and civil matters is of importance… Religion and government will exist in greater purity without [rather] than with the aid of government... Pursuit of religious opinions in government causes men to vex and oppress one another."
Federalist Paper No. 10, James Madison
"I have sworn an oath upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."
Thomas Jefferson (referring to the Danbury Baptists who preached against him from the pulpit, when he refused to allow them a part of the forming government)
Maybe you should read into the context of these quotes and you will find that even though America is a "shining light upon nations" it is still not, and never was, defined by any specific religion.
You've maid it quite clear that you support Obama, and feel sorry for him for getting his face dirty by sticking with his loud mouth, anti-American, extremely racist black pastor who is full of hatred. What does Jesus say about His own? He says that people will know His own by their LOVE! And Jesus is a Jew by the way, He's not black! And No He's not from the long lost tribe of Mannesa who are black jews because their mother was Egyptian. Jesus is from the tribe of Judah.
I for one would have absolutely no problem voting for a black man. I get sick and tired of hearing black racist's say that white people won't vote for Barack Hussein Obama because he's black. Give me a break, he's half white, though he can't stand admitting it. I will not however vote for a Muslim. Especially while we have men and women getting killed in the Middle East by Muslims. He can say he's Christian tell the cows come home. Saying I'm a Christian doesn't make someone a Christian. I'll just leave it at that.