Keeping Religious Zealots Out of Power

[_KimberlyAnn]

The recent posts by Gaz have made me realize, in a way that I hadn't before, the importance of keeping religious zealots out of positions of power--both civil and ecclesiastical.

Personally, I never want a man who can't wait for the day homosexuals get their throats slit to be in any position of authority. He shouldn't even be watching toddlers in the church nursery, in my opinion. Heaven forbid he or other religious fanatics like him gain any type of political power.

And, the danger isn't only from fanatical Mormons who may believe like Gaz. There are dangerous Christian Reconstructionists lurking, planning for the day they can establish Old Testament penal codes as the basis of our criminal justice system.

There are groups of Christians so fanatically pro-Israel that they nearly worship Israel as a nation. I don't think such believers can be trusted to make reasonable and objective policy decisions re: the Middle East.

Fanatical Muslims gaining a political majority is, to my mind, a real danger.

I certainly plan to consider the religious convictions of anyone--from the folks running for school board to Presidential candidates--before casting my vote.

Hopefully, religious zealots will remain on the fringe of society. Moderate and reasonable religious men and women should take care to condemn religious fanaticism where they find it, lest such grotesque and disfigured beliefs become the norm.

KA

[_Boaz & Lidia]

Good points.

With this demonstration of crazy ideas from zealous Mormons pining for the fulfillment of Mormon prophecies and such, I wonder if McCain would be wise to not choose a Mormon for VP?

Imagine McCain winning the election and Mitt as his VP. I am afraid there are Mormon nutjobs who might take it upon themselves to expedite the placement of the Mormon VP into the office of President.

[_GoodK]

It's scary to think that we live in a country where the president has to claim some sort of religious affiliation if he/she wants to even be considered a serious candidate. :

A 1999 Gallup poll conducted to determine Americans' willingness to tolerate a Jewish president (Joseph Lieberman was the Democratic candidate for Vice President at the time). Here are the percentages of people saying they would refuse to vote for "a generally well-qualified person for president" on the basis of some characteristic; in parenthesis are the figures for earlier years:

Catholic: 4% (1937: 30%)
Black: 5% (1958: 63%, 1987: 21%)
Jewish: 6% (1937: 47%)
Baptist: 6%
Woman: 8%
Mormon: 17%
Muslim: 38%
Gay: 37% (1978: 74%)
Atheist: 48%

the numbers of born-again Christians who regard the impact of these groups as negative:

Islam: 71%
Buddhism: 76%
Scientology: 81%
Atheism: 92%

the numbers of non-Christians who view the impact of the same groups as negative:

Islam: 24%
Buddhism: 22%
Scientology: 30%
Atheism: 50%

[_christopher]

Below is a snippet from a piece that was written in 2006 regarding Romney's potential run. I hold myself to be a fairly conservative Christian, yet agree with this (and your, KA,) ideas.


"Nor is it chauvinistic to say that certain religious views should be deal breakers in and of themselves. There are millions of religious Americans who would never vote for an atheist for president, because they believe that faith is necessary to lead the country. Others, myself included, would not, under most imaginable circumstances, vote for a fanatic or fundamentalist—a Hassidic Jew who regards Rabbi Menachem Schneerson as the Messiah, a Christian literalist who thinks that the Earth is less than 7,000 years old, or a Scientologist who thinks it is haunted by the souls of space aliens sent by the evil lord Xenu. Such views are disqualifying because they're dogmatic, irrational, and absurd. By holding them, someone indicates a basic failure to think for himself or see the world as it is.

By the same token, I wouldn't vote for someone who truly believed in the founding whoppers of Mormonism. The LDS church holds that Joseph Smith, directed by the angel Moroni, unearthed a book of golden plates buried in a hillside in Western New York in 1827. The plates were inscribed in "reformed" Egyptian hieroglyphics—a nonexistent version of the ancient language that had yet to be decoded. If you don't know the story, it's worth spending some time with Fawn Brodie's wonderful biography No Man Knows My History. Smith was able to dictate his "translation" of the Book of Mormon first by looking through diamond-encrusted decoder glasses and then by burying his face in a hat with a brown rock at the bottom of it. He was an obvious con man. Romney has every right to believe in con men, but I want to know if he does, and if so, I don't want him running the country. "


Chris <><

[_richardMdBorn]

TThere are dangerous Christian Reconstructionists lurking, planning for the day they can establish Old Testament penal codes as the basis of our criminal justice system.

There may be a few thousand folks like this. They're no threat.

Fanatical Muslims gaining a political majority is, to my mind, a real danger.

They're a threat even as a small minority given current attitudes towards terrorism.

[_asbestosman]

I wonder if McCain would be wise to not choose a Mormon for VP?

He would be wise not to choose Mitt as VP regardless.

[_gramps]

Hear! Hear!

Thanks for the post. Exactly my feelings.

People ought to read Sam Harris very carefully.

[_guy sajer]

Below is a snippet from a piece that was written in 2006 regarding Romney's potential run. I hold myself to be a fairly conservative Christian, yet agree with this (and your, KA,) ideas.


"Nor is it chauvinistic to say that certain religious views should be deal breakers in and of themselves. There are millions of religious Americans who would never vote for an atheist for president, because they believe that faith is necessary to lead the country. Others, myself included, would not, under most imaginable circumstances, vote for a fanatic or fundamentalist—a Hassidic Jew who regards Rabbi Menachem Schneerson as the Messiah, a Christian literalist who thinks that the Earth is less than 7,000 years old, or a Scientologist who thinks it is haunted by the souls of space aliens sent by the evil lord Xenu. Such views are disqualifying because they're dogmatic, irrational, and absurd. By holding them, someone indicates a basic failure to think for himself or see the world as it is.

By the same token, I wouldn't vote for someone who truly believed in the founding whoppers of Mormonism. The LDS church holds that Joseph Smith, directed by the angel Moroni, unearthed a book of golden plates buried in a hillside in Western New York in 1827. The plates were inscribed in "reformed" Egyptian hieroglyphics—a nonexistent version of the ancient language that had yet to be decoded. If you don't know the story, it's worth spending some time with Fawn Brodie's wonderful biography No Man Knows My History. Smith was able to dictate his "translation" of the Book of Mormon first by looking through diamond-encrusted decoder glasses and then by burying his face in a hat with a brown rock at the bottom of it. He was an obvious con man. Romney has every right to believe in con men, but I want to know if he does, and if so, I don't want him running the country. "


Chris <><

Why is faith in an invisible white-bearded dude in the sky a pre-requisite to run this or any other country?

Seriously, though, what are the presumed ill-effects of an atheist in power?

[_beastie]

Seriously, though, what are the presumed ill-effects of an atheist in power?

God would get really, really, really mad at the citizens of the US if they elected an atheist, which, with his sensitive ego, would be the equivalent of a slap in the face. Hence, he would remove his protective arm and let the terrorists kill us all.

You know, kind of like what he would do if we let gays marry.

You may think I'm exaggerating and/or joking - I live in the Bible Belt. I'm not exaggerating or joking.

[_KimberlyAnn]

Below is a snippet from a piece that was written in 2006 regarding Romney's potential run. I hold myself to be a fairly conservative Christian, yet agree with this (and your, KA,) ideas.

Thanks, Christopher.

I'm not an atheist. I think there are wonderful, faithful religious men and women who do or would do a fine job in political office. I'm thankful they're willing to do what I have no desire to do: be involved in politics.

My main objection is to religious zealots of any stripe. I fear their intolerance.

KA