The Church of Jesus Christ

I am posting this as a piece on Rick Warren. Who appointed him as the great decider? As a matter of fact, why is any church involved this deeply in politics?

It believe that the Church’s only goal is to save the soul, not to win an election. We are not citizens of this earth, only strangers and sojourners.

Obama, McCain’s Abortion Positions Contrast Sharply at Faith Forum – America’s Election HQ.

Barack Obama and John McCain went soul-searching in front of thousands of Christian evangelicals Saturday night, sitting down with influential pastor Rick Warren to answer his questions on faith and leadership.

Though the event was meant to broadly address moral themes, Warren touched on hot-button issues minutes into it, asking Obama and McCain their positions on gay marriage, stem-cell research and abortion.

The event highlighted their divergent styles and beliefs. McCain often gave quick answers to Warren, while Obama took his time explaining his positions. Obama seemed conversational, while McCain occasionally turned to lines from his stump speeches.

But McCain was clearly more in sync with the church-going crowd, particularly when it came to abortion.

Asked at what point he believes life begins, McCain immediately said: “At the moment of conception.”

“I will be a pro-life president and this presidency will have pro-life policies,” he said, after receiving thunderous applause.

Obama, rather, said answering that question would be “above my pay grade.”

He explained he is pro-choice, but not pro-abortion, and that he thinks women don’t make the decision to have an abortion casually and wrestle with it. Obama said he would limit abortions in the late stages of pregnancy if there are exceptions for the mother’s health.

McCain was equally unequivocal on his stance on marriage: “A union is between man and woman — between one man and one woman,” but added “that doesn’t mean people can’t enter into legal agreements.”

Obama said much the same, although he said he supports civil unions for gay partners. He said he would not support a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage because the issue is one for state governments to handle.

Obama and McCain were asked the same set of questions separately. Obama went first and after about 50 minutes, McCain joined him and Warren on stage for a handshake and photo op. McCain then sat down with Warren.

The forum was a rare opportunity for the candidates to be seen side-by-side, before they head into their respective national conventions over the next few weeks. Their contest has until now been waged via TV ads, campaign memos, conference calls and stump speeches, but not in person.

Warren’s format aimed to toke the candidates off their usual talking points. The event was intended to allow the candidates to engage in a kind of long-form discussion with Warren that would not be permitted under the time constraints of a traditional presidential debate.

Warren asked several questions, such as one on the nature of evil, that would never find their way into traditional debates.

Asked about moral failings, Obama said the greatest moral failing of America is its inattention to the disadvantaged. Quoting scripture, he said the line that “whatever you do for the least of my brother you do for me” should apply to poverty, racism and sexism.

“There’s a pervasive sense I think that this country, as wealthy and powerful as we are, still don’t spend enough time thinking about the least of these,” he said.

McCain said the nation’s greatest moral shortcoming is its failure to “devote ourselves to causes greater than our self-interests.”

After the September 2001 terrorist attacks, McCain said, there should have been a national push for joining the Peace Corps and other volunteer organizations. His comment seemed an indirect criticism of President Bush, who had urged tax cuts and more shopping to stimulate the economy at the time.

McCain said his greatest personal moral failing was the failure of his first marriage, while Obama pointed to his alcohol and drug use during his teenage years.

Both candidates invoked the obligations of faith to explain their support for embryonic stem-cell research.

The candidates’ divergent approaches were also highlighted when Warren asked them both if evil does exist. McCain’s response was an immediate “yes.” He added as president “If I have to follow him to the gates of Hell, I will get Usama bin Laden.”

Obama said Americans must have humility when confronting evil. “A lot of evil’s been perpetuated based on the claim that we were fighting evil.”

Obama used faith to answer questions ranging from his personal weaknesses to welfare reform. McCain mentioned his religious beliefs rarely, focusing instead on concrete policies and issues.

Asked to name three wise people they would listen to, Obama named his wife, Michelle; his maternal grandmother, who lives in Hawaii; and, not limiting himself to only a third, named several Democratic and Republican lawmakers.

McCain named Gen. David Petreaus, head of U.S. troops in Iraq; U.S. Rep. and veteran civil rights leader John Lewis, D-Ga.; and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, a top adviser to his campaign.

Warren, author of the best-selling book “The Purpose-Driven Life,” is known as a preacher whose priorities extend beyond such evangelical litmus-test issues as abortion and gay marriage.

“We believe in the separation of church and state, but we do not believe in the separation of faith and politics because everyone has a world view,” Warren said to cheers of the crowd from the pews of his church in Lake Forest, Calif., at the start of the forum.

He doesn’t endorse presidential candidates and said Friday before the forum kicked off that he was trying to “stake out what I call the common ground for the common good.” That he is the first figure to bring both presumptive nominees together for such an event was a testament to his perceived influence among evangelical voters.

With national polls consistently showing McCain within a few points of Obama’s lead, the Illinois senator could make the difference by siphoning off some of the religious conservatives who would otherwise support the Republican candidate.

Evangelical voters traditionally go for the Republican presidential candidate in large numbers, but Obama has been actively courting religious Americans. Conservative Christians form about one quarter of the American electorate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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