"We Need Candidates Who Are Really Religious" by Joan Chittister, OSB

http://ncrcafe.org/node/1296

SNIP

In the nation in which, they tell us, the last two elections were decided by Catholic and Evangelical Christians, the need to define what we mean when we say we're looking for a candidate with "religious" values is not an idle exercise. Given all our commitment to bible-quoting candidates, how do we stack up as a religious people against the religious principles we're told are essential to Christianity? The answers may make us all think again about what religion really means where politics are concerned.

If "feeding the hungry" is a basic, we're slipping, no matter how much we congratulate ourselves on our virtue. According to Bread for the World, a faith-based movement seeking justice for the world's hungry, over 35 million people -- including 12.4 million children -- live in hunger in the United States. They skip meals regularly or, when they eat, eat too little. Some of them go without food, the report says, for entire days. But hungry children develop more chronic illnesses, suffer more from anxiety and depression, and have more behavior problems than children who eat regularly. Those children we put in our institutions, call them social problems, and hire more police to keep them in line rather than feed them well.

If "clothing the naked" -- sending people into the world with dignity and propriety -- is a work of mercy, we will need legislators who are committed to spending money on education. With the amount of money we have spent on the war in Iraq -- over $449 billion -- we could have provided 21 million four-year college scholarships to young people whose parents are already strained to the financial break-point. That means, of course, that we need legislators who indicate a willingness to spend money on the intellectual future of this country. Then maybe, in the future, we wouldn't have so many wars.

If "giving drink to the thirsty" is a work of mercy, we could be doing something on a national level to save the water supply in this country. We would need legislators intent on controlling the global warming that is turning the southwest into a dust bowl and threatening to swamp property on the coastlands of the United States. We could be putting money into saving the water we have before water is no longer free and the poor cannot afford that either.

SNIP


(NOTE: For those who don't go to the link -- nowhere in the article does she mention the "fundies" -- Catholic or Christian -- favorite issues -- sex and abortion.)

this person bush, who we all know, those that count, stole two elections says he is very religious...look what he has done.

Started a war killing hundreds and hundreds of thousand innocent Iraqi
In that war we have had almost 4,000 of our innocent military killed.
In that war over 100,000 have been permanently maimed.

He has cut social programs to help the poor.
He has let thousands of Americans die in the Katrina hurricane by
not responding.

He has cut taxes and given corporate welfare to thousands of corporations.
He has let millions of good benefit, good paying jobs be oursourced.

Damn we can't afford to have another of these religious leaders now can we.

the post and don't stop with the title.

She is arguing that we need people with "real" Christian values -- like feeding the poor, etc. -- not false prophets like Bush.

WTF has "religion" got to do with leadership of ALL Americans?

I uncategorically reject this hypothesis that "religion" is needed in a POTUS. And, I mean no disrespect to any other DU-er (no matter of what faith...), but this is just bullshit. And, it makes me angry.

TC

It is written from one Christian to another, and the point is that Christians haven't been voting for people who support true values -- such as feeding the poor, etc. Why should this make you so angry?

in 2004. After Katrina, and the Iraqi occupation, and the taxcuts for the rich.... those are not "Christian" values. Are you willing to say they are?

And, what if the candidate running is a devout Wiccan, or a devout Muslim, or a devout Jew?????? ---- What about a devout ATHEIST???? Would this still apply? Just try and tell the electorate THAT!

Religion should be out of the mix ENTIRELY. What we need in a candidate is humanist values, a good heart, an intact soul and an intellect that allows for the freedom of thought it takes to rule an entire nation of people.

THAT'S the point I was making. And yes, I did read the article.

THAT's what makes me angry.

TC

values, according to Christians at least, and that if Christians practiced what they preached, they would be working to put those values into place. The OP is speaking to the same hypocrisy that bothers you.

It seems to me that your anger with the OP is misplaced.

Those bible-quoting rw candidates somehow never seem to quote Matthew 25: 31-40, do they? Listening to them, one would never know that the Book of Matthew even exists... or the rest of the Gospels, for that matter.

common misconception that in order to be a solid, stand-up human being, you must have religious values when indeed you do not.


Honest
Integrity
Dedicated
Loyal
Intelligent
Compassion




nope, didn't see any religion in any of those qualities.


-edit typo-

are trying to get the word out that if Christians practice what they preached, we wouldn't have had these last 8 years of Bush world? Because Catholics and Evangelicals wouldn't have given him their votes?

for those in whoreganized religions practicing what they preach.

As Lydia points out downthread, the call on DU for years has been for progressive Christians to have a word with their less-progressive fellows about the intersection of their politics and their religion. Here comes an example of exactly that happening...and someone is going to have a problem with it. :D

DAmned if we do....

etc....


Could there be another agenda? :)

I'm not so amused, though, just discouraged.

I'm just your friendly neighborhood contrarian agnostic. :)

In fact if a person has the above qualities AND also believes in invisible all powerful entities, I think that diminishes them over someone with just the values without the belief in invisible sky daddies.

Chittister is merely calling the religious to actually follow the tenets of their faith.

object if Dawkins or Hitchens were to say, "If we believe in making the best of our mortal lives since there's nothing afterwards, then we'd better put those ideals into action."

She's talking as a Christian to Christians,just as the atheists in R/T continually tell the religious posters that liberal Christians ought to.

As my grandmother's Old Country proverb says, "If you want to beat a dog, you can always find a stick," and some DUers have that attitude toward religion. (And no, I'm NOT feeling persecuted, so you don't have to start snarking about that...)

While their preachers continue to support the opposite (like Bush)?

Especially since a lot of conservative Catholics voted for Bush solely on the abortion issue?

I've seen Sister Joan interviewed by Bill Moyers, and what she says about the abortion issue is that the Catholic church hierarchy is "pro-birth, not pro-life," because they seem not to have problems with situations that kill people after they're already born.

I'll give massive credit to anyone that tries to get Christianity back to the principles of its founder.

But -- coming from a family full of %25ers who can't be reasoned with in any way at all -- I don't hold out much hope.

God's will like their pastor does.

I think overall they are a very progressive group.

with the Repubs because of environmental issues.

This is another area which concerns a growing number of Christians -- who consider people to be "stewards of the earth."

I'm hoping there are growing numbers of "faithful" who are beginning to see how the Repubs have let them down, despite all their talk about "values" and religion.

:hi:

Unless, of course, one is looking to bash religion for the sake of bashing religion.

:hi:

:thumbsup:

Maybe some DUers will want to send this to their more conservative Catholic friends and relatives.

But its good to know a man believes in something greater than himself (or herself). Pushing it on other people is not a good sign, however.

of anything being pushed on anyone, except a truly charitable attitude being pushed on the uncharitable?

I was making a seperate point entirely. I should have made that more clear.

I'm in a bad mood today....

Never mind...

The mind boggles to think of all the differences we'd see in this country if Joan is successful in waking up the sheeples.

He was explaining why he thought communism could work on a small scale like that, but that those situations don'e scale up well.

:hi:

I'd hope that would be more important to her than what particular beliefs they espoused.

Guess I shouldn't speak for her, but call it a hunch.

So she happened to be addressing other Catholics, calling them to practice what they preach.

But I'm sure, knowing other nuns like her, that she'd be happy to join with other people who share her values, whether they share her religious beliefs or not.