"Bishop" Romney.

[Sallow]

If it meant getting obama out of office, Americans would vote for the Pope.

The ex-nazi? Ratzinger?

Not bloodly likely.

 

[Katzndogz]

The left intends a religious test to hold office and a vow to reject all religious belief.

Most conservatives would never vote for a Muslim or an atheist. That's a religious test.

The difference is, individuals are so far permitted to decide for themselves to apply a religious test or not. Democrats would replace that individual decision with the collective, imposed, and democrat decision.

 

[Papageorgio]

And Obama claimed that Wright was his mentor and it meant nothing, Romney is a politician, not anything else. He is like Obama, say anything to get elected.

 

[Si modo]

Whose butt are you up?

My own.

Are admitting a problem (your head is up your ass)?

....

Could be. More, my priorities are me.

.... (Is there a 12-step program for Conservatives?)

There should be one for both sides and their addiction to party.

 

[Sallow]

And Obama claimed that Wright was his mentor and it meant nothing, Romney is a politician, not anything else. He is like Obama, say anything to get elected.

You have a problem with Reverend Wright?

 

[Sallow]

The left intends a religious test to hold office and a vow to reject all religious belief.

Most conservatives would never vote for a Muslim or an atheist. That's a religious test.

The difference is, individuals are so far permitted to decide for themselves to apply a religious test or not. Democrats would replace that individual decision with the collective, imposed, and democrat decision.

As would Republicans.

It's called the General Election.

 

[Valerie]

Reporting from Belmont, Mass. — In a closely-knit Mormon congregation, Ronnie Catalano was a problem Mitt Romney wanted to solve.

As bishop — a position akin to priest or pastor — Romney presided over a fast-growing flock that included Catalano's wife, Sandy, a new convert. Ronnie, a cigarette smoking, wine-drinking Catholic, had accused Sandy of ruining their family by becoming Mormon. He tried to prevent her from attending church and from donating their money in the Mormon tradition of tithing.

Sandy was thinking of leaving her husband and moving to Utah with their two children, an anathema in a faith in which families come first and church leaders are encouraged to bring non-Mormon spouses of church members into the fold.



What followed, the Catalanos say, was an extended campaign of kindness and faith that went far beyond what Romney was obligated to do as bishop. Romney took the Catalanos under his wing. He called Ronnie to invite him to church events, gave him tasks such as manning a grill or setting up tables to make him feel included, invented jobs around the church when Ronnie was out of work. He referred Ronnie to passages in the Book of Mormon that spoke to the importance of families, and told the Catalanos that he was praying for them, and even losing sleep over them.

In 1991, after 11 years of persuasion, Ronnie Catalano converted to Mormonism. The 67-year-old Budweiser driver is now deeply involved in the church and has given up smoking and drinking, which he says saved his life because his father and brother both died of lung cancer.

"Mitt was the one who really stood out. He was always caring about my family, my wife, my children," Catalano said in a recent interview. "He taught me how to keep my family together."

"He saved us. He rescued us," added his wife.






OMFG..How awful!

You what stands out to me in that story? That the wife was a convert.

How is it possible for someone to take a look at Mormonism, read up on its invention, its various painfully implausible preposterous claims and premises and concoctions,

and say, hey, that makes a lot of sense,

I think I'll devote my life to believing that stuff!!

Seriously...

Don't ask me, I worship the coffee maker on Sunday mornings...



Seriously, it's a matter of being inspired to live your life with a certain meaningful purpose... Who's to judge? Family, faith and country..nothing wrong with that!





>


Mitt Romney:


...

"There are some for whom these commitments are not enough. They would prefer it if I would simply distance myself from my religion, say that it is more a tradition than my personal conviction, or disavow one or another of its precepts. That I will not do. I believe in my Mormon faith and I endeavor to live by it. My faith is the faith of my fathers - I will be true to them and to my beliefs.

"Some believe that such a confession of my faith will sink my candidacy. If they are right, so be it. But I think they underestimate the American people. Americans do not respect believers of convenience.

Americans tire of those who would jettison their beliefs, even to gain the world.

"There is one fundamental question about which I often am asked. What do I believe about Jesus Christ? I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind. My church's beliefs about Christ may not all be the same as those of other faiths. Each religion has its own unique doctrines and history. These are not bases for criticism but rather a test of our tolerance. Religious tolerance would be a shallow principle indeed if it were reserved only for faiths with which we agree.

"There are some who would have a presidential candidate describe and explain his church's distinctive doctrines. To do so would enable the very religious test the founders prohibited in the Constitution. No candidate should become the spokesman for his faith. For if he becomes president he will need the prayers of the people of all faiths.

"I believe that every faith I have encountered draws its adherents closer to God. And in every faith I have come to know, there are features I wish were in my own: I love the profound ceremony of the Catholic Mass, the approachability of God in the prayers of the Evangelicals, the tenderness of spirit among the Pentecostals, the confident independence of the Lutherans, the ancient traditions of the Jews, unchanged through the ages, and the commitment to frequent prayer of the Muslims. As I travel across the country and see our towns and cities, I am always moved by the many houses of worship with their steeples, all pointing to heaven, reminding us of the source of life's blessings.

"It is important to recognize that while differences in theology exist between the churches in America, we share a common creed of moral convictions. And where the affairs of our nation are concerned, it's usually a sound rule to focus on the latter - on the great moral principles that urge us all on a common course. Whether it was the cause of abolition, or civil rights, or the right to life itself, no movement of conscience can succeed in America that cannot speak to the convictions of religious people.

"We separate church and state affairs in this country, and for good reason. No religion should dictate to the state nor should the state interfere with the free practice of religion. But in recent years, the notion of the separation of church and state has been taken by some well beyond its original meaning. They seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God. Religion is seen as merely a private affair with no place in public life. It is as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in America - the religion of secularism. They are wrong.

"The founders proscribed the establishment of a state religion, but they did not countenance the elimination of religion from the public square. We are a nation 'Under God' and in God, we do indeed trust.

"We should acknowledge the Creator as did the Founders - in ceremony and word. He should remain on our currency, in our pledge, in the teaching of our history, and during the holiday season, nativity scenes and menorahs should be welcome in our public places. Our greatness would not long endure without judges who respect the foundation of faith upon which our constitution rests. I will take care to separate the affairs of government from any religion, but I will not separate us from 'the God who gave us liberty.'

"Nor would I separate us from our religious heritage. Perhaps the most important question to ask a person of faith who seeks a political office, is this: does he share these American values: the equality of human kind, the obligation to serve one another, and a steadfast commitment to liberty?

"They are not unique to any one denomination. They belong to the great moral inheritance we hold in common. They are the firm ground on which Americans of different faiths meet and stand as a nation, united.

"We believe that every single human being is a child of God - we are all part of the human family. The conviction of the inherent and inalienable worth of every life is still the most revolutionary political proposition ever advanced. John Adams put it that we are 'thrown into the world all equal and alike.'

"The consequence of our common humanity is our responsibility to one another, to our fellow Americans foremost, but also to every child of God. It is an obligation which is fulfilled by Americans every day, here and across the globe, without regard to creed or race or nationality.

"Americans acknowledge that liberty is a gift of God, not an indulgence of government. No people in the history of the world have sacrificed as much for liberty. The lives of hundreds of thousands of America's sons and daughters were laid down during the last century to preserve freedom, for us and for freedom loving people throughout the world. America took nothing from that Century's terrible wars - no land from Germany or Japan or Korea; no treasure; no oath of fealty. America's resolve in the defense of liberty has been tested time and again. It has not been found wanting, nor must it ever be. America must never falter in holding high the banner of freedom.

"These American values, this great moral heritage, is shared and lived in my religion as it is in yours. I was taught in my home to honor God and love my neighbor. I saw my father march with Martin Luther King. I saw my parents provide compassionate care to others, in personal ways to people nearby, and in just as consequential ways in leading national volunteer movements. I am moved by the Lord's words: 'For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me...'

"My faith is grounded on these truths. You can witness them in Ann and my marriage and in our family. We are a long way from perfect and we have surely stumbled along the way, but our aspirations, our values, are the self-same as those from the other faiths that stand upon this common foundation. And these convictions will indeed inform my presidency.

"Today's generations of Americans have always known religious liberty. Perhaps we forget the long and arduous path our nation's forbearers took to achieve it. They came here from England to seek freedom of religion. But upon finding it for themselves, they at first denied it to others. Because of their diverse beliefs, Ann Hutchinson was exiled from Massachusetts Bay, a banished Roger Williams founded Rhode Island, and two centuries later, Brigham Young set out for the West. Americans were unable to accommodate their commitment to their own faith with an appreciation for the convictions of others to different faiths. In this, they were very much like those of the European nations they had left.

"It was in Philadelphia that our founding fathers defined a revolutionary vision of liberty, grounded on self evident truths about the equality of all, and the inalienable rights with which each is endowed by his Creator.

"We cherish these sacred rights, and secure them in our Constitutional order. Foremost do we protect religious liberty, not as a matter of policy but as a matter of right. There will be no established church, and we are guaranteed the free exercise of our religion.

"I'm not sure that we fully appreciate the profound implications of our tradition of religious liberty. I have visited many of the magnificent cathedrals in Europe. They are so inspired . so grand . so empty. Raised up over generations, long ago, so many of the cathedrals now stand as the postcard backdrop to societies just too busy or too 'enlightened' to venture inside and kneel in prayer. The establishment of state religions in Europe did no favor to Europe's churches. And though you will find many people of strong faith there, the churches themselves seem to be withering away.

"Infinitely worse is the other extreme, the creed of conversion by conquest: violent Jihad, murder as martyrdom... killing Christians, Jews, and Muslims with equal indifference. These radical Islamists do their preaching not by reason or example, but in the coercion of minds and the shedding of blood. We face no greater danger today than theocratic tyranny, and the boundless suffering these states and groups could inflict if given the chance.

The diversity of our cultural expression, and the vibrancy of our religious dialogue, has kept America in the forefront of civilized nations even as others regard religious freedom as something to be destroyed.

In such a world, we can be deeply thankful that we live in a land where reason and religion are friends and allies in the cause of liberty, joined against the evils and dangers of the day. And you can be certain of this: Any believer in religious freedom, any person who has knelt in prayer to the Almighty, has a friend and ally in me. And so it is for hundreds of millions of our countrymen: We do not insist on a single strain of religion — rather, we welcome our nation's symphony of faith.

Recall the early days of the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia, during the fall of 1774. With Boston occupied by British troops, there were rumors of imminent hostilities and fears of an impending war. In this time of peril, someone suggested that they pray. But there were objections. They were too divided in religious sentiments, what with Episcopalians and Quakers, Anabaptists and Congregationalists, Presbyterians and Catholics.

Then Sam Adams rose, and said he would hear a prayer from anyone of piety and good character, as long as they were a patriot. And so together they prayed, and together they fought, and together, by the grace of God, they founded this great nation.

In that spirit, let us give thanks to the divine author of liberty. And together, let us pray that this land may always be blessed with freedom's holy light.

God bless this great land, the United States of America.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16969460

 

[Inthemiddle]

Yep. Seems that he's a cleric. It's nothing all that new..that a cleric runs for public office. Heck, places like Iran are governed by clerics. And clerics have ran in past elections like Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson and Pat Robertson.

Mitt Romney, an active man of faith - Los Angeles Times

Romney, an active man of faith


The Republican presidential candidate doesn't talk much about his role in the Mormon Church, but he served as a bishop in a Boston-area church and presided over 12 congregations as stake president.


December 07, 2011|By Alana Semuels, Los Angeles Times


Reporting from Belmont, Mass. — In a closely-knit Mormon congregation, Ronnie Catalano was a problem Mitt Romney wanted to solve.

As bishop — a position akin to priest or pastor — Romney presided over a fast-growing flock that included Catalano's wife, Sandy, a new convert. Ronnie, a cigarette smoking, wine-drinking Catholic, had accused Sandy of ruining their family by becoming Mormon. He tried to prevent her from attending church and from donating their money in the Mormon tradition of tithing.

Personally? I wouldn't vote for a cleric..no matter what the party.

But that's just me..I hate theocracy.

Just because someone serves in whatever role in their church does not mean they are going to govern based on religion. I'm an ordained minister myself. If I ever ran for, and were elected to, public office, I would adamantly maintain a religiously neutral attitude in the execution of my job duties.

 

[Sallow]

Yep. Seems that he's a cleric. It's nothing all that new..that a cleric runs for public office. Heck, places like Iran are governed by clerics. And clerics have ran in past elections like Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson and Pat Robertson.

Mitt Romney, an active man of faith - Los Angeles Times

Romney, an active man of faith


The Republican presidential candidate doesn't talk much about his role in the Mormon Church, but he served as a bishop in a Boston-area church and presided over 12 congregations as stake president.


December 07, 2011|By Alana Semuels, Los Angeles Times


Reporting from Belmont, Mass. — In a closely-knit Mormon congregation, Ronnie Catalano was a problem Mitt Romney wanted to solve.

As bishop — a position akin to priest or pastor — Romney presided over a fast-growing flock that included Catalano's wife, Sandy, a new convert. Ronnie, a cigarette smoking, wine-drinking Catholic, had accused Sandy of ruining their family by becoming Mormon. He tried to prevent her from attending church and from donating their money in the Mormon tradition of tithing.

Personally? I wouldn't vote for a cleric..no matter what the party.

But that's just me..I hate theocracy.

Just because someone serves in whatever role in their church does not mean they are going to govern based on religion. I'm an ordained minister myself. If I ever ran for, and were elected to, public office, I would adamantly maintain a religiously neutral attitude in the execution of my job duties.

If I found out you were a cleric of any type..I would never vote for you.

Just one of my little prejudices..I guess. I don't mind someone worshipping a certain way...but clerics have to big a connection to religion.

 

[Si modo]

Yep. Seems that he's a cleric. It's nothing all that new..that a cleric runs for public office. Heck, places like Iran are governed by clerics. And clerics have ran in past elections like Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson and Pat Robertson.

Mitt Romney, an active man of faith - Los Angeles Times



Personally? I wouldn't vote for a cleric..no matter what the party.

But that's just me..I hate theocracy.

Just because someone serves in whatever role in their church does not mean they are going to govern based on religion. I'm an ordained minister myself. If I ever ran for, and were elected to, public office, I would adamantly maintain a religiously neutral attitude in the execution of my job duties.

If I found out you were a cleric of any type..I would never vote for you.

Just one of my little prejudices..I guess. I don't mind someone worshipping a certain way...but clerics have to big a connection to religion.

Oh?

Then we can assume that you are considering Romney, right? Because, he is not a cleric, so your mind can be open, right?

 

[Inthemiddle]

Yep. Seems that he's a cleric. It's nothing all that new..that a cleric runs for public office. Heck, places like Iran are governed by clerics. And clerics have ran in past elections like Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson and Pat Robertson.

Mitt Romney, an active man of faith - Los Angeles Times



Personally? I wouldn't vote for a cleric..no matter what the party.

But that's just me..I hate theocracy.

Just because someone serves in whatever role in their church does not mean they are going to govern based on religion. I'm an ordained minister myself. If I ever ran for, and were elected to, public office, I would adamantly maintain a religiously neutral attitude in the execution of my job duties.

If I found out you were a cleric of any type..I would never vote for you.

Just one of my little prejudices..I guess. I don't mind someone worshipping a certain way...but clerics have to big a connection to religion.

How is that any better than some wing nut who simply refuses to vote for anyone other than a theocrat?

 

[California Girl]

If it meant getting obama out of office, Americans would vote for the Pope.

The ex-nazi? Ratzinger?

Not bloodly likely.

Repeating lies does not make them true, Swallow. No matter how much you want it to, it doesn't.

 

[California Girl]

Yep. Seems that he's a cleric. It's nothing all that new..that a cleric runs for public office. Heck, places like Iran are governed by clerics. And clerics have ran in past elections like Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson and Pat Robertson.

Mitt Romney, an active man of faith - Los Angeles Times



Personally? I wouldn't vote for a cleric..no matter what the party.

But that's just me..I hate theocracy.

Just because someone serves in whatever role in their church does not mean they are going to govern based on religion. I'm an ordained minister myself. If I ever ran for, and were elected to, public office, I would adamantly maintain a religiously neutral attitude in the execution of my job duties.

If I found out you were a cleric of any type..I would never vote for you.

Just one of my little prejudices..I guess. I don't mind someone worshipping a certain way...but clerics have to big a connection to religion.

I would vote for whoever is best suited to run our nation, regardless of race, color or creed.

I suspect that makes me wiser and more logical than you.

 

[Papageorgio]

And Obama claimed that Wright was his mentor and it meant nothing, Romney is a politician, not anything else. He is like Obama, say anything to get elected.

You have a problem with Reverend Wright?

No issue with him, but he was the mentor of our current President. our current President said he listened to Wright every night, and went to his church every Sunday, cajoled with Wright outside the church, sounds like he was trained in the religious teachings of Wright, sort of like a cleric, but then again maybe Obama wasn't smart enough to become a cleric.

 

[Papageorgio]

Just because someone serves in whatever role in their church does not mean they are going to govern based on religion. I'm an ordained minister myself. If I ever ran for, and were elected to, public office, I would adamantly maintain a religiously neutral attitude in the execution of my job duties.

If I found out you were a cleric of any type..I would never vote for you.

Just one of my little prejudices..I guess. I don't mind someone worshipping a certain way...but clerics have to big a connection to religion.

I would vote for whoever is best suited to run our nation, regardless of race, color or creed.

I suspect that makes me wiser and more logical than you.

You seem more tolerant and open minded than most of the narrow minded bigots of the left.

 

[Ernie S.]

And Obama claimed that Wright was his mentor and it meant nothing, Romney is a politician, not anything else. He is like Obama, say anything to get elected.

You have a problem with Reverend Wright?

No issue with him, but he was the mentor of our current President. our current President said he listened to Wright every night, and went to his church every Sunday, cajoled with Wright outside the church, sounds like he was trained in the religious teachings of Wright, sort of like a cleric, but then again maybe Obama wasn't smart enough to become a cleric.

Kind of like Gore?

 

[Si modo]

If it meant getting obama out of office, Americans would vote for the Pope.

The ex-nazi? Ratzinger?

Not bloodly likely.

I thought the left swears up and down that Soros is not a Nazi.

 

[whitehall]

There was a time when a person's religious beliefs were a private matter. Hell, the left even said that Clinton's sexual adventures were his own business. Nothing is sacred to the hate filled anti-Christians these days. With the help of the tax exempt Media Matters and Huffington the left will continue to attack and ridicule a (republican) candidate's religious beliefs so we might as well get used to it.

 

[Sallow]

If it meant getting obama out of office, Americans would vote for the Pope.

The ex-nazi? Ratzinger?

Not bloodly likely.

Repeating lies does not make them true, Swallow. No matter how much you want it to, it doesn't.

What lies, Nazi Bitch?

Sand gettin ya today? Sandy?

Following his 14th birthday in 1941, Ratzinger was conscripted into the Hitler Youth

Pope Benedict XVI - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Sallow]

If it meant getting obama out of office, Americans would vote for the Pope.

The ex-nazi? Ratzinger?

Not bloodly likely.

I thought the left swears up and down that Soros is not a Nazi.

Basically..because he wasn't.

Soros was thirteen years old in March 1944 when Nazi Germany occupied Hungary.[14] Soros took a job with the Jewish Council,[10] which had been established during the Nazi occupation of Hungary, to carry out Nazi and Hungarian government anti-Jewish measures.
George Soros - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia