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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsJimmy Carter on his Faith-Filled Presidency
In what ways did faith impact your presidency?
I've always been fully committed to separation of church and state. I didn't permit worship services in the White House as had been done earlier. I was careful not ever to promote my own Christianity as superior in America to other religions, because I feel all religious believers should be treated carefully. At the same time, there's no way I could ever separate my Christian belief from my obligations as a naval officer, as a governor or as President, or from my work now. I can't say my commitments as President were free of my beliefs. We worship the Prince of Peace, and one of the key elements of my life as President in challenging times was to keep our country peaceful. I was able to deal with challenges without launching a missile or dropping a bomb. My commitment to peace was an aspect of my Christian faith. Also, basic human rights are obviously compatible with the teachings of Jesus Christ, and I made human rights a foundation of foreign policy.
You wrote that you made every effort to keep a pledge that you would not lie. "Still, I was not able to keep 100 percent of my campaign promises," you said. Did you have disappointments or regrets about your presidency?
When you're campaigning, you don't really have an awareness of the limitations of a President in dealing with Congress. Sometimes I made promises, but I had four years instead of an anticipated eight years. I never did violate my promise to tell the truth. I've been asked if there was ever any incompatibility between my duties as President and my duties as a Christian. There was one thing that bothered me and that was the issue of abortion. I've never believed Jesus Christ would approve of abortion except when the mother's life is in danger or as a result of incest or rape. Of course, the Supreme Court ruled differently. Within the ruling, I tried to minimize abortion as best I could. On the issue of abortion my beliefs are contradictory to what the Supreme Court ruled.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/januaryweb-only/interview-jimmy-carter.html
I guess if DU had existed in Carter's era he would have been subjected to considerable derision for this.
djean111
(14,255 posts)I was able to deal with challenges without launching a missile or dropping a bomb. My commitment to peace was an aspect of my Christian faith.
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)Except for funding and arming Afghan insurgents against the government (Operation Cyclone), fomenting a civil war which then led into the US proxy war against the USSR via the mujahadeen
And of course giving refuge to a brutal, murderous dictator from Iran after spending a whole administration passing CIA training to SAVAK.
Technically no missiles fired or bombs dropped, I guess.
djean111
(14,255 posts)Whisp
(24,096 posts)Carter is a decent and honest man and he takes his bible's messages the way I am sure a Jesus would approve of. Using faith and the bible just to drum up some votes is dishonest and is more like what the righwing does than a democrat should do.
Belonging to some secret power group with an evil intent and history is not the kind of stuff Carter is about.
amandabeech
(9,893 posts)I have no doubt that there would have been considerable discussion.
I was raised Methodist, like Hillary Clinton, but fell away very quickly after I went away to college and did not have a Mom dragging me out of bed every Sunday. The people I know who are religious are a mixed bunch from crazies to genuinely good people. But now I have questions as to where Hillary fits on that spectrum.
Hillary's faith seems genuine, and I cannot fault her for that. However, I find her association with the "Family" or the "Fellowship" more troubling. It seems that those groups have very conservative religious ideas that would seem to be much more in line with the Republicans than the Democrats or other progressives.
It would take a lot for me to not vote Democatic in any election, so I can't say that I will not vote for Clinton should she become the Democatic nominee.
However, it would make me, and I suspect quite a few people here, more comfortable with my vote if she explained her association with this group or groups. For what reasons did she join? Why did she not become active in a moderate or progressive Methodist or other Protestant church in the DC area of which I am quite certain there are a few? There is a very strong Unitarian Universalist presence here in the DC area and I have known a few people who were raised Protestant who have become involved very happily. Is she still involved? Why? Could her joining have been political, which wouldn't be a crime. Really, what I'm looking for is a sign that the former Sec. of State isn't one of the religious "crazies" that I met in my local church or not. Carter clearly wasn't crazy. Neither is Elizabeth Warren. But I have to wonder about Hillary.
onehandle
(51,122 posts)He collected all of our science and history books and replaced them with the Bible.
History's Greatest Monster!
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