Clark: Jew, Baptist, Catholic

To start out I am a Clark supporter and Catholic...well a C&E Catholic (Christmas and Easter).

Anyway does anybody think that the combination of Clark having Jewish ancestry and Catholic faith will have any media attention?

I mean I know Joe L. is the super Jew (just kidding, Orthodox) and no one has said anything. I'm just wondering that if he should get the nomination would the media make a big deal?

I guess the RNC hasn't faxed that one out yet.

beliefs, particularly when coupled with his conversion to the Democratic party so late in life. But I don't think most people think that way.

He didn't keep switching religions because he's indecisive. He was raised a Southern Baptist. He converted to Catholicism to marry his wife (I believe it's his wife's religion). When he reached his twenties, he discovered his birth father, who died when he was four and his mother remarried, was Jewish. So it's not exactly like he's hopscotching across religions because he doesn't know what to believe and is uncertain.

But the fact that he's been part of all three means he has a unique perspective on religion and can relate to people of different faiths. That's a bonus for his campaign when he targets different constituencies. And you can see how being from three religions has influenced his stance on religion. On a radio talkshow, he expressed that he is a firm proponent of the separation of Church and State, unlike Bush and the religious right, because he believes in religious diversity and religious freedom. And he's a Catholic who is pro-choice to boot!

Clark can't call himself a Jew, because it's not his mother,
but he could qualify for Israeli citizenship.

...but them some DUers gotta bash DEMS no matter what...

see post #6 - a post with FACTS, not negative suggestions.

Pentecostal beginning at age 6, then Southern Baptist, then atheist, then Messianic Jew, then Presbyterian, have considered becoming Catholic. It's all the same to me. I don't think going from belief in Yahweh to belief in Yahweh will be construed as a Clark flip-flop.

hehe, just kidding. Is he currently a practicing catholic?

but both are Catholic. How that works out I don't know.

Religious nutbars are a big part of the reason that Bush is in office now. I heard so much "Bush is a Christian man" that it made me want to puke.

We're not electing a pastor, we're electing a president. I personally think all the religious backgrounds have no place in discussing the pros or cons of a candidate. If anything 4 years of Bush should help us realize we should pay less attention to the candidates' religion, and more attention to the candidates' actual issues.

So, to answer the question in a word... no. I hope no one even mentions his religion, because it doesn't make a bit of difference.

As a devout Catholic and a Marianist, I don't give a rat's behind if he is/was/will be a Jew, Catholic, Baptist, Bhuddist, Shintoist, etc. . I had thought that Kennedy put this ridiculous non-issue to rest in 1960! :grr:

Judaism is a matrilineal religion; if your mother is a Jew, you a born a Jew. If your father is a Jew married to a Gentile, you are not a Jew at birth and have to undergo conversion. Judaism is not a taint that is carried by blood, but a religion and culture passed by tradition.

The more stories I see about so-and-so having a Jewish relative or ancestor, that more I wonder why it's considered newsworthy, and if having just one Jewish grandparent is still enough to get on the train.

He may not be a practicing Jew, but his mixed religious heritage allows him to connect with people from different religious walks of life. And this mixed heritage is a cornerstone for why he supports religious tolerance/diversity and a STRONG separation of Church and State.

As for your definition of a Jew, I am aware that it's a matrilineal heritage. But do you know if having a Jewish father would make him eligible for "Jewishness" with respect to that Israeli law of that any Jewish person is automatically eligible for citizenship? Or am I mistaken on the exact circumstances of those laws? But the strict definition of a Jew really has no negative bearing on his campaign. If anything, having a mixed heritage allows him to connect with more people.

Here's an example from another thread that illustrates how he can (and has) used his mixed heritage to connect to Jewish people.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=393462&mesg_id=393902&page=

The Jewish community in that article didn't seem to mind that only his father was Jewish, and that he came from a line of Rabbis. They still seemed to consider him Jewish, or at least a partly Jewish.

Those first five years are just about the only "connection" he has with Judaism.

Ooooy... you people are mishugane.

"Those first five years are just about the only "connection" he has with Judaism."

Eventhough he hasn't converted back to his father's Judaism faith, I think he's tried to reconnect with his roots by staying in touch with his birth father's side of the family after he grew up and discovered his past. So even if he's not strictly a "Jew", he has family that are and he understands their concerns.

Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Judaism all follow the Levitical laws, and Israel changed its Law of Return a few years ago to follow them. I might not even qualify, as under those laws I am a mamzer!*

I don't get why having a Jewish parent means he has "mixed heritage" as though Jews are some exotic non-American specimen. Since his father was married to a Gentile, that's a pretty good indication that his father was non-observant, and his 'lifestyle' was no more exotic or remarkable than a non-observant Gentile's. His father died when he was 5, which is sad, and his mother remarried and brought him up as a Christian. Clark may be ethnically half Ashkenazic or Sephardic, but (unless he converted some time) was never Jewish.

My quibble isn't that his dad was a Jew; my quibble that the news reports either deal him a backhanded compliment about his 'exotic' ancestry (there have been Jews in America for at least 400 years) or imply that he's not quite something due to his father's Jewish blood.

*On edit: Clark's father is from the same group (Ka'han) as I am, and the same rules may apply (Ka'hans can only marry non-divorced virgins).

I wasn't very clear on all the rules regarding the Law of Return.

But I think the "compliment" part is that it's a political bonus in that he can use that to break the ice with a Jewish audience and they'd likely be more receptive. Just as he could use his Southern Baptist upbringing and Catholic conversion to relate to those two groups. See the article linked that described how he approached one Jewish community. He might not be considered a "Jew" but he can say he came from a long line for Rabbis. And it appears he's tried to stay connected with his roots over the years, by getting in touch with his birth father side of the family.

It's the priestly class (descendents of Aaron).

Maybe it's because I mostly know Reform Jews, but the idea that one has to prove one's Jewish links to other Jews to discuss anything is well, weird.

I'm not criticizing Clark at all - just the strange media interest in his 'exotic' Jewish ancestry.

Any Jew is eligible to return to Israel...

There are two ways to qualify as a Jew:


Have a Jewish mother

or

Convert

Since Judaism is a matrilineal religion having a Jewish father does not automatically make you Jewish and qualify you for "return"...

.

is the fact that he takes a strong stance on separation of Church and State. After all these stupid "faith-based initiatives" Bush has tried to shove through, we need someone who will stand up for separation of Church and state. As long as he'll fight to keep religion out of government, I don't really care if he's religious, agnostic, or atheist.

(Disclaimer: I'm agnostic.)

you hit it on the head