At the center of the event was Robert P. George, a Princeton University professor of jurisprudence and a Roman Catholic who is this country’s most influential conservative Christian thinker. Dressed in his usual uniform of three-piece suit, New College, Oxford cuff links and rimless glasses, George convened the meeting with a note of thanks and a reminder of its purpose. Alarmed at the liberal takeover of Washington and an apparent leadership vacuum among the Christian right, the group had come together to warn the country’s secular powers that the culture wars had not ended. As a starting point, George had drafted a 4,700-word manifesto that promised resistance to the point of civil disobedience against any legislation that might implicate their churches or charities in abortion, embryo-destructive research or same-sex marriage.
Two months later, at a Washington press conference to present the group’s “Manhattan Declaration,” George stepped aside to let Cardinal Rigali sum up just what made the statement, and much of George’s work, distinctive. These principles did not belong to the Christian faith alone, the cardinal declared; they rested on a foundation of universal reason. “They are principles that can be known and honored by men and women of good will even apart from divine revelation,” Rigali said. “They are principles of right reason and natural law.”
Robert P. George, the Conservative-Christian Big Thinker – NYTimes.com.
For those who have sensitive yes, you might wish to avoid this, but if you want to see more of George, anyway, go here.
Tags: Manhattan Declaration, politics, religious right, robert p. george
Every year, about this time, we are hit with two things – Christmas and the War on Christmas – generally from the same ’side’. The Comedy Central FoxNews pundit, Bill O’Reilly, has made it his mission to make a war on the war on Christmas, whether there is such an animal is of no consequence to him. (More than likely, the perceived War on Christmas is the actual ‘war’ on demonstrations of religion on the public square, serving as a confluence of political forces, left and right.) Further, it would most likely not matter to Mr. O’Reilly that the original war on Christmas was began by the Religious Right and that Americans did not celebrate Christmas until the middle of the 19th century, a generation or two after the founding of the Republic and centuries after the first colonies. Nor, I doubt, would it cross his mind that the long-standing Christmas traditions were but recently invented, and that Christmas has been historically derided as a ‘popish’ holiday.
Continue reading “Who started the War on Christmas?”
Tags: american history, bill o'reilly, Billy James Hargis, calvinism, christmas, conservatives, God, history, john calvin, john knox, liberals, Presbyterianism, puritans, regulative principle, religion, religious right
Dan Gilgoff at God and Country has a post up today which recounts a few of Sarah Palin’s passages in her new book ‘Going Rogue’, Dan is right,
Continue reading “Who is Sarah Palin’s Audience?”
Tags: going rogue, politics, religious right, sarah palin
James Dobson, the voice of conservative Christian group Focus on the Family since its inception, is leaving the organization’s flagship daily radio broadcast.
Focus on the Family spokesman Gary Schneeberger says Dobson will go off the air at the end of February. He said Friday it was a mutual decision of Dobson and the board, and that more details are forthcoming.
Dobson, 73, a strong voice in conservative Christian politics, has taken on a reduced role at Focus on the Family as part of a succession plan. He resigned as president in 2003, and as board chairman in February.
The evangelical group recently laid off staff because of a decline in donations.
Tags: focus on the family, james dobson, religious right
While this post did not make me any friends, or others who posted it, I believe that in some way, it is reinforced by the Voice of the Martyrs who has asked for a civil voice in all things,
Continue reading “Being a civil voice”
Tags: barack obama, fear, hate, Muslims, politics, religion, religious extremism, religious right, Steven L. Anderson
Last week, as the sniper shot rang out mortally wounding President Obama, the country woke up to the historical fact that idle words are indeed the devil’s playground. History will long note and judge those, who while the ambulance was attempting to carry the dying man to the nearest hospital, surrounded the vehicle, only to have the Secret Service fire into the crowd, wounding several, killing one. Some of the protesters stood idly by, crouched in prayer, not for the life of the man on the stretcher, but for the death. With angry shouts of ‘Death to the Muslim’ and ‘I want my country back’ ringing in his ear, the 44th President of the United States passed from this life.
(snip)
Continue reading “Christian Legitimization of the Assassination of President Obama”
Tags: barack obama, joe stack, john bedell, john l. perry, Muslims, Phyllis Schlafly, politics, religious extremism, religious right, Steven L. Anderson, Tea Party
Passing thoughts….
Josh has pointed us to a post by Cynthia Boaz at the Huffington Post. I think anyone who has read my blog long enough knows two things about me in this regard:
- I do not like to confuse Church and State (see my recent posts in this category, link below)
- I do not believe that this country, or any geo-political unit, is a Christian nation.
Continue reading “Is America a Christian Nation? Or, how would it look if it was?”
Tags: biblical literalism, denominations, episcopal church, health care, health care reform and religion, mainline religion, mainstream churches, politics, racism, religion, religious right, socialism
I watch Ed Schultz when nothing else is on, and I cannot find the remote, and I cannot sleep – that’s not exactly fair, I mean, I like Ed, but I am so sick and tired of politics lately. Plus, I have more than my fair share of books to read. But I did catch him last week, at least a little bit. He has asking where the religion community was on health care.
Continue reading “Why is it Okay for Liberals to use Religion for their Agenda?”
Tags: 40 Days Campaign, antichrist, apocalypse, biblical literalism, denominations, ed schultz, end of the world, episcopal church, franklin graham, health care, health care reform and religion, james dobson, jesus, Jesus and healing, mainline religion, mainstream churches, Media, msnbc, politics, racism, radio show, religion, religious right, socialism
DENVER (AP) — Conservative evangelical leader James Dobson has resigned as chairman of Focus on the Family but will continue to play a prominent role at the organization he founded more than three decades ago, The Associated Press has learned.
Dobson notified the board of his decision Wednesday, and the 950 employees of the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based ministry were informed Friday morning at a weekly worship service, said Jim Daly, the group’s president and chief executive officer.
Continue reading “Dobson resigns as chairman of Focus on the Family”
Tags: focus on the family, God, james dobson, Jim Daly, politics, religion, religious right
The East Anglian Daily Times reports on Dr. Lee Marsden, Lecturer in Politics at the University of East Anglia, whose new book, For God’s Sake, “argues that the religious core values of Middle America have potentially disastrous consequences for both the United States and the planet.”
Continue reading “Former UK Pentecostal pastor: Christian right a threat to world peace”
Tags: Christianity, Dominionism, God, Lee marsden, pentecostalism, politics, religion, religious right, word of faith
