2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumBernie's answer on faith. This is worth bookmarking. We should all live up to this.
Six days ahead of the New Hampshire primary, Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday night opened up about his personal life and background, telling voters at a televised town hall that faith is "a guiding principle in my life, absolutely it is.
"Everybody practices religion in a different way," Sanders, who is Jewish, said at the CNN town hall in Derry, New Hampshire. "I would not be here tonight, I would not be running for president, if I didn't have very strong religious and spiritual feelings."
He explained his spirituality this way:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bernie-sanders-calls-faith-a-guiding-principle-in-my-life/
I couldn't agree more!!
Ed Suspicious
(8,879 posts)winter is coming
(11,785 posts)And actually reminded we of a discussion last year from Sunday School, when we were looking at different religions.
Ned_Devine
(3,146 posts)valerief
(53,235 posts)you need a new Lear jet? Isn't that religion? Isn't that faith?
WillyT
(72,631 posts)UglyGreed
(7,661 posts)what I feel more than any other politician has in my life. More I learn about him the more comfortable I become.
Full of heart and respect for all souls and the planet.
Elmer S. E. Dump
(5,751 posts)demwing
(16,916 posts)I'm old enough to be her dad, but she's one brilliant, beautiful lady.
Can't. Stop. Watching.
Elmer S. E. Dump
(5,751 posts)I'm not complaining. I'm 61 and I swoon over her. Beauty and smarts is a deadly combination! I love Anna! 💔
demwing
(16,916 posts)Elmer S. E. Dump
(5,751 posts)Uncle Joe
(58,403 posts)Thanks for the thread, jillan.
Punkingal
(9,522 posts)merrily
(45,251 posts)From your source:
"I would not be here tonight, I would not be running for president, if I didn't have very strong religious and spiritual feelings."
and from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bernie-sanders-finally-answers-the-god-question/2016/01/26/83429390-bfb0-11e5-bcda-62a36b394160_story.html
"Sanders said he believes in God, though not necessarily in a traditional manner.
I think everyone believes in God in their own ways, he said. To me, it means that all of us are connected, all of life is connected, and that we are all tied together.
I want to be treated with dignity and respect, and I want other people to be treated with dignity and respect, he said.
I think it is important that a sense of morality be part of our politics.
Clearly, his personal concept of God is very closely tied to his politics.
It's unfortunate, IMO, that we focus so much on a candidate's religion, when the Constitution specifies there shall be no religious test for any officeholder.
Worse, we seem to veer toward religious bigotry all too quickly. That is ironic, given admonitions against judging others in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
http://jackpineradicals.org/content.php?109-Democratic-Primary-2016-Will-religious-bigotry-work-this-time
enigmatic
(15,021 posts)That's what Bernie is talking about here. Jerry Falwell and The Moral Majority's Christianity made Empathy a weakness rather than a virtue. It's been spread far and wide due to the RW's media noise machine and co-opted by the Evangelicals in the DLC in the 90's.
FailureToCommunicate
(14,020 posts)solid base of social good and social activism, tikkun olam.
JudyM
(29,265 posts)gaffes with the plate and 2Corinthians and lack of real religious authenticity (via interviews with evangelicals in Iowa) came down to the bottom line that the evangelicals don't care that much about whether he is authentically religious... he is succeeding, rather, by tapping into the generalized anger they have and they like that he expresses it. I'm thinking, what kind of religion is that that is drawn to anger as a way of leading -and being- in the world?
truthseeker1
(1,686 posts)JudyM
(29,265 posts)"what kind of religion is it that is drawn to anger"
Yes yes yes yes yes! Very well said!
JudyM
(29,265 posts)MisterP
(23,730 posts)R B Garr
(16,973 posts)answer. All of a sudden, he's a big Obama fan, too. What's up with that.
cali
(114,904 posts)R B Garr
(16,973 posts)Who better to copy than the man in office after screwing up by bashing him too much. All of a sudden, he's a big Obama fan. Hmmm.
And how would you know what he sounds like in a national primary. He's never run before.
cali
(114,904 posts)talk like this. Wrong as could be.
Helen Borg
(3,963 posts)truthseeker1
(1,686 posts)These were my exact words while watching last night. I loved his answer.
H2O Man
(73,592 posts)I thought it was the highlight of the night.
Recommended.
First Speaker
(4,858 posts)...we have had all sorts of religious beliefs among our presidents. From the Deism of the Founders, thru the Mystic Destiny of Lincoln, thru more-or-less standard mainstream Christian beliefs of FDR and Obama, thru Ike's vague, politically-convenient conversion after being elected, thru JFK's Catholicism, thru Nixon's "Quakerism", thru Carter's Born-Again Baptist faith...we've had the gamut. I don't give a damn, as long as you don't permit your beliefs to override the secular constitution of the United States, which I support 100%. Needless to say, that means that today's GOP--that bizarre, unholy combination of Fundamentalist savages and ultramontaine Catholics--is anathema to me. Sanders' response was deeply satisfying, because it was heartfelt, showed how his beliefs imbue his attitude towards life and politics, and said something good, to me, about who he is and what makes him tick...
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)ms liberty
(8,592 posts)SheilaT
(23,156 posts)but they are not of the traditional sort. But my core underlying belief is that we are here to help each other out. I don't always live up to that, but I do try, and I'm pretty sure that sometimes I succeed.
Blue Owl
(50,487 posts)Myrina
(12,296 posts)"My religious / spiritual beliefs are a private, personal matter and since we are a country who's constitution specifically calls out the separation of church and state, I will lead according to the Constitution & have nothing else to say on the matter."
spooky3
(34,467 posts)kath
(10,565 posts)FrenchieCat
(68,867 posts)His faith is not rooted in a God, which is why he didn't mention God in this question about his faith.
I don't think this would play well in the general election,
even if some Liberals don't care.
californiabernin
(421 posts)liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)I sure hope Bernie can help bring some of that back. We know the Republicans don't really care about other people. What is really sad is to see so many Democrats not care about other people. A lot of "I got mine, don't care if you got yours" attitude running through the Democratic party right now.