Matthew Dowd

I continue to admire Matthew Dowd's ability to sift through all of the smoke and mirrors and "tools" and find meaning. Faith and politics should not be too separate things and as a society we should not be fearful to make that claim. Faith should direct politics. In the end it is not how much money you have nor the accolades and accomplishments you can boast; the measure of a meaningful life is the way you made people feel. Did you celebrate the individual authenticity and beauty in everyone you met? Did you treat them with gentleness and love and respect and not judgment? If you did then you followed the faith and love in your own heart and soul.
The hard part in politics is finding someone with deep faith combined with the strong, smart and practical core it takes to make things happen in a diverse representative democracy. Did someone say Dowd 2010?? I unfortunately have a feeling he is too smart for that.

There are so many refreshing and powerful statements in this piece I had to read it a few times just to let them soak in. I agree with Mr. Dowd. I think more often than not, faith is what guides our pen in the poll booth. Even further, it is what motivates us to get in the car and drive to the polling booth. So Dowd in 2010, huh? He has my vote.

Sorry, talk of "faith" from a man who helped sell George Bush, Iraq, torture rings hollow, to speak charitably. Though I have fallen away from the Catholic Church, they did have one thing right. There are some sins, Mr Dowd, for which the appropriate penance is not gauzy, maudlin public musings on vague notions of "faith", but rather sackcloth, ashes, and most pertinent here: Silence.

Mr. Dowd opens by noting that he prefers seeking forgiveness, rather than permission.

After reading this frightfully narrow-minded and misleading attempt at framing "Faith" as a political commodity, it is my hope that he obtains neither.

ABC, giving a soapboax to someone so commpromised is a terrible way to earn one's entertainment dollars.

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How about a national religion? Many born again types would love that.

Oh, Matt, welcome to the ranks. We're the people who were right all along, who spoke out against the war, against the politicization of faith (BTW Lynn sure sounds like a sockpuppet to me), against torture and shredding the Constitution, while you were helping Bush conceal his true agenda. You're disillusioned now that people have woken up to reality? Sorry, you go to the back of the line. Hey ABC, why don't you hire someone who gets it right once in a while?

I'm with Jim on this: the people who sold us George W. Bush have a LOT of forgiveness to request!

As for Governor Romney: I thought his speech was a disgrace.

According to a 2006 Harris poll of U.S. adults:

• 11% are “not sure whether or not there is a God”
• 6% are “somewhat certain that there is no God”
• 6% are “absolutely certain” that God does not exist

That is 23% of American adults (not 10%) -- and it corresponds to somewhat more than 50,000,000 Americans.

Many of these Americans have looked in their hearts -- looked hard -- and not heard God’s voice speaking to them, even in the quietest moments. Others find the sacred books of hundreds (or thousands) of years ago incompatible with what they have learned about the universe through science. Others are alienated by the ignorant and bullheaded certainty of the religious leaders they have heard in the public square. Still others are simply not sure.

But virtually all of them are good citizens, good Americans. They contribute to their communities. They teach their children values. They are honorable people. They do not become serial killers or child molesters because they cannot truthfully say they are people of faith.

There is no place for these fifty million citizens in Mitt Romney’s America. Mitt Romney stands before us and says that “freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom.” They do not. If that were true, the nations of Western Europe – with their cathedrals, “so grand... so empty” – would be tyrannies. As would Canada, where only 30% of citizens say religion is very important in their lives. As would Japan, where only 12% do. Mr. Romney knows his claim is demonstrably false, and chooses to lie.

For tens of millions of Americans, liberty includes the right to stand outside of Mr. Romney’s “symphony of faith,” respect its players and singers – and expect equal respect from them in return.

When John F. Kennedy spoke about religion in 1960, he said, “I believe in an America where religious intolerance will someday end — where all men and all churches are treated as equal — where every man has the same right to attend or NOT to attend the church of his choice.”

Even the aforementioned George W. Bush, who is second to no man in his readiness to publicly and loudly announce his faith, said this last year: “The United States of America must never lose sight of this beautiful principle: You can worship or not worship and you’re equally American. You’re equally American if you’re a Christian, Jew or Muslim, atheist, agnostic. We must never lose sight of that. That’s what distinguishes us from the Taliban.”

George W. Bush, uncharacteristically, said it perfectly. That is precisely what distinguishes us from the Taliban. John F. Kennedy, too, had it right. Mitt Romney has it wrong, and knows better, but prefers the worst sort of pandering to any form of courage.

Mega churches are jut big arenas for snake oil preachers who are multi-millionares. Driving around in luxury cars,living in muti-million dollar mansions,ski lodges in Vail,isn't the lifesyle that Jesus would condone,especially for so called men of the church. Mega churches are mega phony! They should not be tax exempt either.

If faith is so important to American Politics, then why is it so forbidden to ask specific questions about a candidates faith?

Yesterday, Mitt Romney, although claiming to be unwilling to "discuss theology", made sure to say that he "believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God", in order to pander to the most bigoted of Americans. If that's not a theological statement, then what is? And why can I not also ask him if he believes that a woman can only go to heaven if her husband takes her there (a Mormom belief) or why the Mormon church did not ordain a person of color until 1978?

This notion that our Founding Fathers somehow thought public displays of faith and a leader governing "from values informed by faith" was just A-OK is so much bull.

And Mr Dowd, your column is also so much bull. There is nothing "Christian" about torture, lying, rendition. And there is certainly nothing "Christian" about the behavior of George Bush and the Republican Party in the last 7 years.

If you want to say something about religious tolerance, you might want to write a column about the fact that an atheist could never be elected to national office or even a cabinet position. But a man who believes Jesus Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, IN KANSAS, is just perfectly sane. "Presidential" in fact.

Middle? Please. This is laughable (as usualy, ABC).

The BALD truth is that while it is common to appeal to voters' religion-based fears, there is now a religious requirement for public office in the United States. And that 90% figure? You can say that same thing about gambling, in its many forms; ie., by a very large margin US voters gamble, whether the lottery, bingo games or the office pool. It makes it no more relevant in choosing representatives for government and perhaps might even be Constitutionally preferred, since there isn't a GD amendment against using gambling as a test for a candidate.

Mr Dowd, please get out of any forum in which you are perceived to be 'middle' or a 'journalist.' We've got Joe Klein to kick around, after all.

(and yes, you may bring George S. with you, his appointment was just as absurd.)

Thanks, uh, that was great.

Do I leave the money on the dresser?

So, this is where one of the jumping rats landed. Let's hope all of the salesmen of our disastrous president do so well. God forbid these people are held accountable for the hatred, death and destruction they have made a part of all of our lives. Thanks, ABC.

This opening column is ominous. Proclamations like this:

More than 90 percent of American voters believe in God.

Equals this:
People rely on their spiritual foundation in decisions they make every day –- decisions ranging from whether they should change jobs, to the right medicine for their parents, to whether they should stay in a relationship, or to how one should treat the environment.
In truth, for the average voter, Faith is often a more important factor than any economic calculus.

Where is the proof of this? Their religion dictates their job over financial considerations? That sounds ridiculous. Your own job choices anecdotally indicate the improbability of that statement.

And this is just farce:

And the high importance that voters place on authenticity when choosing candidate has its roots in an individual voter’s spiritual underpinnings.

If this were true why would primary voters pick Bush over McCain? Or Reagan over Carter or Clinton over Dole. These candidates were not more authentic they created the perception they were more authentic.

I hope this election finally marginalizes this snakehandling nonsense.

Huzzah to all the other non-sock-puppet commenters heaping scorn on this ill-conceived and ill-intentioned screed. ABC, please note that this is the first and last time I'll stop by to read anything posted by this charlatan. And I came only to help bury Mr. Dowd, not praise him.

Puhleeze, this article makes me gag! Not unlike a flip-flopping wacky guy from Massachusetts.

Give me an atheist for president. Someone who doesn't believe that this world and life is just a stepping stone to a place where angels strum on harps or virgins are on standby to fulfill our afterlife sexual needs.

Give me someone who thinks this is the one shot he or she has to get it right, the one chance we all have to do right by others and the earth, and they'll have my vote.

But that probably won't happen in a world where Romney's horribly intolerant speech is seen as tolerant and where a hypocritical political hack who helped lead us into the most disgraceful episode in our nation's history is given a soapbox from which to croak his musings on goodness and faith.

Finally, someone with the courage to talk about faith and American politics, because if there's anything that we haven't tried over the last two (three?) decades, it's pandering to "people of faith".

At this point, I think it's pretty clear the Bush presidency has done much to destroy faith in America, by most measures, and I think it'll be a long time before the majority of people trust any national candidate who makes his faith so central. Part of the reason this happened was you, Mr. Dowd. You provided the flowery language Mr. Bush used time and time again to sell us on half-baked ideas and outright disasters, and there's only so long people can tolerate that dissonance before they start to wonder if anyone really means it, or if 95% of "faith this, God that" politicians are using religion as a way to hustle and excuse, too. Better to rebuild faith in America by taking it private.

The percentage of the population that are people of "faith", believing in something that can not be proven, is actually higher that Mr. Dowd's 90's once one includes the athiests, the faith of those that believe in the unproveable concept that there is no God, and whose creed is the "secular" society is best when there is no public evidence or discussion of religion, and when the airways are full of those that mock the religious as "crazy". All the candidates in both parties seem religious to some extent - from Hillary shunning publicity for her weekly bible study meetings and Mitt being an officer of his church, to those that attend regulary, to those that attend rarely, all seem respectful of the religious, and that includes those whose religion is athieism.

Mr. Dowd:

I present two quotations that can guide you through what is obviously a difficult time:

The first:
"When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

"But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."

The second:
"How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do"

I always get a good laugh at those who run around trying to downplay the differences between religions and up-play the importance of "faith". I'm so sure a Muslim or Buddhist candidate would have a real solid shot at winning the hearts and minds of fundamentalist Christian voters as long as he or she simply emphasized their "faith".

Here's how this ponzi scheme works. Pie-eyed pundits such as yourself spend the election cycle validating the opinion that it's so very important that a candidate talk about their religion. Right wingers then attack the religion of the Democratic candidate as somehow phony (see: Obama, Barack) while liberals do not criticize the hateful elements of right wing "religious" indoctrination (anti-gay, intolerant of other religions, etc.) for fear of being construed as "negative". If any liberals do bring those issues up, pundits such as yourself jump on the Democratic candidates and demand that they distance themselves from such negativity.

Heads Dems lose, tails Republicans win.

Please sell this tripe someplace else.

bcamarda's comment is a far better piece than Dowd's. It is more intelligent, more insightful, more based on actual facts and, indeed, better written as well. It is a stirring defense of TRUE tolerance, while Dowd's is a dumping of toxic sludge into the stream of our political discourse.

But what else would we expect from ABC, the network that gave us the twisted and lie filled propaganda piece "The Path to 9/11?"

It is borderline amusing to read some of these comments. Here is a quote from Dale Carnegie to chew on: "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain.. and most fools do."

We certainly wouldn't want to hear from the former adviser of the current two term president. I didn't vote for Bush and think he is a failed president, but Matthew Dowd knows what he's talking about. Good to see the moonbats are out early today.

We certainly wouldn't want to hear from the former adviser of the current two term president. I didn't vote for Bush and think he is a failed president, but Matthew Dowd knows what he's talking about. Good to see the moonbats are out early today.

"We certainly wouldn't want to hear from the former adviser of the current two term president. I didn't vote for Bush and think he is a failed president, but Matthew Dowd knows what he's talking about. Good to see the moonbats are out early today."

Uh huh. Because those two terms have been such a proud era in American history. And things have gone so well for our country. Matthew Dowd must indeed "know what he's talking about".

I wish I had faith that voters would elect a president whose only job was to uphold the Constitution. Keep the faith, baby, but keep it in churches where it belongs.

Dowd is not a "guy in the middle." It's too late for that. He is a Rovian opportunist who has cast his lot with GWBush and is now oh so shocked!, shocked! at what has been wrought. Columns like these are supposed to assuage his own sense of guilt for being an unindicted co-conspirator. Rea; penance would involve coming clean on voting fraud and deliberate lies from the Admin that he participated in.

Does ABC News have a Magic correspondent? I think they're missing a good bet.

Blue Moon makes a very good point. Will ABC also be hiring some Enron alumni to write about business and finance? I'm sure they know what they're talking about, too.

I have nothing against faith per se. What I do have a problem with is mixing faith or religion with politics and with government. It always disturbs me to hear people who forcefully argue that we are a "Christian Nation" because there are people of many faiths who are Americans so the assertion that we are a "Christian Nation" marginalizes and ignores people who are not Christians. What we are is a free nation where each of us has the right to worship or not worship as each of us sees fit. I feel that if people want to practice religion they have every right to do so, but what gets my back up is the people who feel if I do not practice a certain faith, a certain way and in a certain place of worship that somehow I am outside of the mainstream and not worthy of recognition or deserving of the same rights as they are. I do not care one wit what any candidate's faith or religion is, what is important to me as a voter is a candidate's integrity, honesty and the ability to get the job done. More evil has been done in the name of God by almost every organized religion that exists. People have used religion and God to do great harm to others who do not believe as they do. In this country we rant and scream about how the “Godless Muslims” are evil and barbaric and in the same breath we express that God is love and that we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Perhaps I am missing something, but I cannot reconcile preaching God’s love and screaming for someone’s blood because they happen to be of another faith or denomination. In the last presidential election the Republican Party used fear and hate in order to divide the nation and get elected so that they could satisfy the agenda of evangelical Christians and to abolish the right of women to have a choice regarding their bodies and to deny a whole segment of society, namely gay people, their full constitutional rights. I frequently hear from Christians that it is a sin to judge others, but these people of so called faith judge the rest of us by their own moral standards and seem to forget that in this country we all have the right to live as we see fit as long as we do no harm to others by doing so. Our founding fathers had the wisdom to prohibit the government to make laws respecting the establishment of religion and to prohibit laws that infringe on the free exercise of religion. It seems today that the trend is toward greater inclusion of religion in politics and government and I personally feel that this is dangerous and undesirable. In this country the practice of religion is everyone’s right but conversely it is also everyone’s right not to practice any religion should they so desire. I believe that we would all be better off if we kept religion in the churches and out of government and politics. Be religious if that is your desire but please do not force your beliefs or faith on me. Faith is a private matter and I believe that it ought to stay that way.

"People rely on their spiritual foundation in decisions they make every day –- decisions ranging from whether they should change jobs, to the right medicine for their parents, to whether they should stay in a relationship, or to how one should treat the environment. In truth, for the average voter, Faith is often a more important factor than any economic calculus."

That may be, but I would hope that the American people are honest -- to themselves, their fellow countrymen, and their country -- and set aside (temporarily) any "faith-based calculus" when it comes to choosing a president.

Romney, in his speech yesterday, made the same plea: "A person should not be elected because of his faith nor should he be rejected because of his faith."

To ABC: Please don't give this guy anymore space. He's an idiot. The most glaring of his errors and misconceptions is, to me, the mistaken notion that buddhists are theists. You would think that he would at least be able to get the particulars and the matters of fact straight.

I find it comical at how enraged so many loyal liberal readers of ABC News are at the sight of a moderate conservative's views on faith. They balk at the conjectured idea of "ABC, giving a soapboax to someone so compromised" instead of actually considering an idea different than their own. I think the true "narrow minded" individuals are not the ones who step back and observe, in such an unbiased manner as Matthew Dowd, the significance of faith in most American's lives but the individuals who are not able to respect the notion that some people view the world in a different manner than themselves.

According to a Harris poll published last December, only 73% of Americans profess a belief in a god. Where does your "more than 90%" come from? A significant and growing number of Americans make choices based on reason and logic rather than myth, and the government should respect the beliefs (or non-belief) of all citizens.

I appreciate Matthew's sincerity. His world view seems to encompass ALL human beings. So what if he at one point supported Bush? Who was to know the war in Iraq was in the forecast? At least Matthew has the courage to be publicly vulnerable. Only rare human beings risk that vulnerability, especially in the cut-throat political world.

Got faith? Such gibberish. You can always tell an old ad man, they see things in cool phrases. Sounds like guilt to me, which is the another name for religion.
For the love of god, we have become sheep.

Go back in the closet Matthew, its safe in there.

I don't have a problem with Romney or any other canddiate as long as they have a faith. I am tired of all the GD liberals who roll their eyes at the mention of God. I am a Democrat at heart. I believe in helping the poor and many of the programs which do so. I am 100 % against the war. But my party left me precisely because of all of you "eye-rollers" at the mention of God. GOD, GOD, GOD, GOD,--are you satisfied. And Merry Christmas---and I am proud to say that and if you don't like it-----TOUGH. I won't vote for Hillary and probably not any Democrat (although at heart I am one) because we'll go back to having to say Happy Holidays. The WHite House will have a Holiday Tree. The childrens's Christmas Party will be a Holiday Party. Think it's trivial or I'm trivial--need to get a life? We'll you all are the one's changing things. we don't want to offend anyone, right? The last thing I want to point out clearly to all of you eye rolling athiest/agnostics who will be at the Democratic Convention, I am sure--you all ain't gonna win. God ain't gonna be eliminated from the coins and the Pledge. Maybe for a minute we'll be sayin Happy Holidays---but overall--ya'll ain't gonna win--Deal with it or leave!

People should keep their faith to themselves. Many of us are disinterested in what fairy tales grown adults do or do not believe in.

Romney "you can not have freedom without faith"

Article VI, section 3, and states that:

“ ...no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."

I am an Atheist.

I am as patriotic as any american.

I am more moral than a list of the leaders of your mega-churches.

Screw you Mr. Dowd and Bishop Romney who would smear my patriotism because I will not join you and the Iranian Mullahs in putting 'god' before rationality and human rights.

A "christian" who advocates mass murder and tax cuts for the rich. WWJD indeed.

Stop masturbating to the Left Behind books, un-widen your stance, call Ted Haggard up for a party and leave us alone you worthless Pharisee.

Romney makes an appeal for hatred against "secularists" which is the same appeal evangelicals made when they persecuted his ancestors.

Matt,

If there was a just god, you'd already have herpes and terminal case of testicular cancer by now.

Welcome.

Treaty of Tripoli, Art. 11:

As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.
Signed by GEORGE WASHINGTON 1797.

Is "Jay" saying he has those diseases? Poor bitter and negative person..

To many people Dowd's column comes off as offensive incoherent gibberish, and they try to argue with it.

That is wrong. Such people are not the target audience of what is essentially a PR crafted marketing piece to stroke "people of faith" with exaggerations, even made up stuff, to hone the message that some politicians really care about them (other than their only real care about getting their vote).

I wish many "people of faith" would actually act on the tenants of their religion rather than buying into the Republican message that voting to help the rich somehow makes you a better person and is the best way to demonstrate your "faith".

Huckabee, only two days ago, claims that his rise in the polls, and I paraphrase quite closely, are due to the same forces that had a boy successfully distribute some loaves and a half dozen fish to a mountainside of people, and that there is no other possible explanation for it. Is this the acknowledgement of Faith that Dowd speaks of? Or is it magical thinking at its worst, and SHOULD this be what America finds so necessary in its political leaders?

The conviction that God intervenes actively in a political campaign, in one's nation's fate is what has lies at the root of far too many problems. Dowd may find the presence of faith in politics correct and comforting. I find it beyond cringe-worthy. Were Huckabee to be my President, no, I would not find that a good thing. He things God is annointing him man-king. Great. Been there. Not interested in doing it again.

After the last 6 years of having a devoutly born-again Christian in the White House who gave America the most morally bankrupt "leadership" this country has ever known, the idea that one jackass after another can STILL come along, clasp their hands together, call Jesus their "foundation", and THAT instills in a certain segment of the population "faith" in that candidate, speaks volumes to how dim-witted, easily manipulated, and repeatedly fooled such "value voters" are.

I want a president that's competent! Someone with an extraordinary mental capacity to do the job. Someone with exceptional analytical skills and above average intelligence. NONE of those traits will ever be found in George W Bush, his puppet-master Dick Cheney, or 90% or the current crop of 2008 candidates (including ALL of the GOP candidates)!

As far as the president being a Christain; a TRUE Christian would NEVER EVER get elected! Someone who was opposed to ALL war (as Jesus would be), against ALL capital punishment (as Jesus would be), and devouting his energies entirely to helping our poorest NOT our richest (as Jesus would be be) not only would it be a miracle, it would be impossible! Honestly, does anyone seriously believe that if Jesus of Nazareth returned he would be embraced with open arms and loved by the American Christian movement? The same pious folks that regail us with their "strong religious faith", particularly on the Republican side, would, if Jesus returned, most likely send him to Gitmo as a terrorist, strip him naked, torture him, and eventually kill him.

No more hand-clasping, cross-wearing, cynical morons, exploiting the man who died on the cross over 2000 years ago please! Just a competent leader for this country!

It's amazing to me how those in the world who have no faith and preach acceptance of everyone, are unable themselves to accept those of us who chose to believe what we choose. For those who truly have faith, their beliefs are not part of a fairy tale that makes them feel better, it is a part of who they are. Thus, why should one, who makes the decision to walk this path, be criticized for having faith? Just as a lack of faith influences one's decisions, so does a possession of faith as well. Call faith what you may, but respect those who choose to live what they believe.

Lynn the sockpuppet is baaack...

I find the biography on Mr Dowd slightly (and intentionally) misleading. Mr. Dowd left any bi-partisan or democratic positions almost 2 decades ago. It is disingenuous to imply he is some what bi-partisan -ie 'A Man in the Middle'. If that description were put to Mr. Dowds long time co-strategist Mr. Rove , it would be laughable.

In reality, Mr. Dowd has had a much reported 'change of heart' in regards to the role he has played in the radical policies, war mongering and win at all costs politics he and Mr. Rove so heartily engineered over the last 10 years with George Bush.

Perhaps this conversion is true - conveniently made after he has made an assumed millions with media buying commissions off of the Presidents campaigns. Or perhaps, sensing the bad karma that must be circling back to him, with his son being shipped to Iraq and the fate of Lee Atwater flashing in his mind, he finally realizes that the damage he has done to this county and our political process will not spare him either.

It is too bad for all of us that Mr. Dowd's conscience has caught up to him when it is too late to do anything except get a high paid blogger job.

Dowd is no more "middle" than Rove but equally as wrong!

Romney blew it with the little play on words: "Freedom required religion, just as religion requires freedom." Perhaps what he MEANT to say was:
"Real freedom requires that religion is tolerated right alone with non-religious beliefs and practices. We are wrapping up 8 years of a guy who thinks he talks to Jesus and that Jesus talks back. Mohammed didn't tether his winged horse as he ascended to heaven to meet Allah. Horses don't fly. Your deceased father does not come back as a cow. Cows are not holy. The Pope is not infallible. He's a human being - nothing more. Mary is not appearing on tree stumps. Mary is dead. Get over it. Jewish people are not "God's chosen people." We're all equal. God did not find it necessary to impregnate his own mother in order to be born so that he might be sacrificed in order to forgive Eve because another creature he created - in the form of a serpent -talked her into eating an apple. This is the VERY LAST THING WE NEED IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

Romney blew it with the little play on words: "Freedom required religion, just as religion requires freedom." Perhaps what he MEANT to say was:
"Real freedom requires that religion is tolerated right alone with non-religious beliefs and practices. We are wrapping up 8 years of a guy who thinks he talks to Jesus and that Jesus talks back. Mohammed didn't tether his winged horse as he ascended to heaven to meet Allah. Horses don't fly. Your deceased father does not come back as a cow. Cows are not holy. The Pope is not infallible. He's a human being - nothing more. Mary is not appearing on tree stumps. Mary is dead. Get over it. Jewish people are not "God's chosen people." We're all equal. God did not find it necessary to impregnate his own mother in order to be born so that he might be sacrificed in order to forgive Eve because another creature he created - in the form of a serpent -talked her into eating an apple. This is the VERY LAST THING WE NEED IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

RonR: VERY WELL STATED! We might also mention that blowing yourself up and taking as many "infidels" with you is not gonna get you 72 virgins or a better life. It's going to get you dead. Relgion KILLS. Open up any history book including current ones and you'll find out for yourself. THANK YOU!

ignoreland - It's so easy to criticize. I'm certain you must have something more meaningful to add to the conversation, don't you?

And John James, it is NEVER too late to make a change for the better. Most people are too afraid to do it, but not Mr. Dowd.

I think Mr. Dowd's detractors are terribly jealous - and maybe even a little afraid of -his authenticity...

He has the guts to put his ideas out there and open himself up to criticism. He is trying to find the common denominator that links all of us together, which surely is the only hope we have for a better world.

Mimi what guts would it take to trumpet the true vision shared by 90% of his fellow countrymen.

This is hogwash and your rhetoric is right in line with it.

"When faith is discussed in politics, the discussion often defaults to an examination of the Religious Right or evangelicalism. However, this focus misses the bigger picture, as those much-discussed groups represent only a fraction of faith in America..."

This is either wholly disingenuous or wholly ignorant. It doesn't matter what percent the religious Right or evangelicals represent in the population, the fact is they are constantly trying to increase their role in politics so their religious beliefs can change the political landscape and push their religious beleifs on other people. As Bill Moyer's says of Regent University (Pat Robertson's college): "Their website boasted that 150 of the university's students have worked in the Bush administration since 2001". This kind of consolidation of power should be sending up warning signals to every single American, whether they're religious or not.

Dowd's post is why news stations should know better than to hire this sort of person.

If the Founding Fathers were smart enough to separate church and state why shouldn't the media be smart enough not to see that they are being manipulated to supercede that eminently sensible procedure by agendized religious zealots.

Before I go any further, I am a church-goer, and proud of it. I also treasure the separation of Church and state and see no reason for it to be anything but what it was intended.

So, where did this 90 percent believe in God statistic come from, exactly?

I could write blogs saying that 90 percent of America believes in The Tooth Fairy and not cite any one, either.

The vast majority of Americans don't attend mega-churches and don't like being told from the pulpit who to vote for.

Even Jesus happened to say that thing about rendering unto Caesar, so I can easily count Him in my camp.

I asm extremely disappointed in ABC being anachronisticly unwise enough to buy into this out-dated nonsense.

Evangelicals may be a slice of America , but so are nudists. And neither of their reasons should have anything to do with voting.

Let me remind us all that Thomas Jefferson was at the very least an agnostic, if not an outright atheist.
And who knows or cares about the rest of the two-score presidents who understood that publicly being religious has been shown repeatedly and relentlessly over the past eight years to be the last refuge of the craven.

gala

Dowd's post is why news stations should know better than to hire this sort of person.

If the Founding Fathers were smart enough to separate church and state why shouldn't the media be smart enough not to see that they are being manipulated to supercede that eminently sensible procedure by agendized religious zealots.

Before I go any further, I am a church-goer, and proud of it. I also treasure the separation of Church and state and see no reason for it to be anything but what it was intended.

So, where did this 90 percent believe in God statistic come from, exactly?

I could write blogs saying that 90 percent of America believes in The Tooth Fairy and not cite any one, either.

The vast majority of Americans don't attend mega-churches and don't like being told from the pulpit who to vote for.

Even Jesus happened to say that thing about rendering unto Caesar, so I can easily count Him in my camp.

I asm extremely disappointed in ABC being anachronisticly unwise enough to buy into this out-dated nonsense.

Evangelicals may be a slice of America , but so are nudists. And neither of their reasons should have anything to do with voting.

Let me remind us all that Thomas Jefferson was at the very least an agnostic, if not an outright atheist.
And who knows or cares about the rest of the two-score presidents who understood that publicly being religious has been shown repeatedly and relentlessly over the past eight years to be the last refuge of the craven.

gala

I am willing to wager a large sum of money that all of you critical, intensely mean and negative "bloggers" have an incredibly low self-esteem and sense of worth. Instead of getting out there and doing something to better yourself and contribute to the world- you spend your time in a dark room on a keyboard finding inventive and callous ways to attempt to bring others down to your level of misery and self-loathing. I challenge you all to add anything of value to this conversation instead of narrow-minded bitterness. This was my first and will be my last waste of time reading through these offensive comments. I will stick to reading Dowd's posts only.
Here is my addition- "to err is human, to forgive divine"
I am off to interact with others and do my part in bringing light and happiness through acceptance and validation of those around me.
Oh, and I forgive all of you- I hope you forgive yourselves.

Jesus would disavow almost everything most GOP candidates stand for: helping the rich,screwing the poor,corporate welfare,warmongering,etc. Jesus would have supported Ron Paul no doubt. He also would have whipped Bush and Cheney but good for all the evil things they have done.

What a load of crap.

There were no athiests or non religious believers when people flee from England to this land in order to seek the freedom to worship God our Father in Heaven freely.Sorry to all the anti religion.

That's just beautiful, Mr. Dowd. I mean, I remember just a little while ago when you were doing victory laps after the 2000 and 2004 elections crowing about how beautifully the strategy of polarizing the Republican base against the rest of the country by demonizing your opponents worked.

You remember that strategy, Mr. Dowd. You gave a whole lot of interviews taking credit for thinking it up for Karl Rove.

Who knew back then americans were all a big homogenous mass of faithy sameness after all?

You're a disgrace, Mr. Dowd.

Jesus would have many serious problems with Dowd,who talks out of both sides of his mouth. Jesus knows he's another lying Bush cronie. All the BS spin in the world won't change that. And you people who say: don't critize,that's what this country was founded on. Wake up and stop supporting fake Christians,and Mea-churches that are mega phony!

Problem is, government is for EVERYONE, not just Catholics, or Babtists. Government should protect all people's rights, even athiests. I am devoted to Christ, but, I don't MAKE others live by my rules, and I don't want to be associated with people that PUSH faith on others as a REQUIREMENT!Live and Let Live. PS- I saw a posting I really liked, "religion" is in the business of "forgiving", but, Government is the business of atonement. In other words, If someone rapes a child, then finds "GOD", it is the business of Religion to forgive him, but, the Government should still punish him, even if it goes against your view of "forgiveness".

Organized religion, whether it be any form of Christianity, Islam or Judaism has been and continues to be one of the most destructive forces man has ever created. It has been and continues to be an acceptable justification for genocide, torture and murder. I am staggered to see religion becoming one of the most pivotal topics of this presidential campaign, where each candidate is vying to prove their piety is stronger than their competitor’s and is should be considered one of their strongest factors. Godliness should not be a characteristic in anyone’s decision as to who is most capable of guiding our country in the years to come. We need someone who is open minded, intelligent, rational and truly compassionate. History should have taught us by now that these factors are not tied to anyone’s religious convictions, rather religion blinds people to reality and enables them to selectively believe in that which they feel their god would approve.

I am an atheist. To hear you say,

"Though timing for this post was Mitt Romney's speech Thursday morning on faith in America (who by the way gave a wonderful speech on diversity of religion..."

just rips at my side. I think if 100% of america believed in God, I'd say that this speech was good but to disavow atheists as american is in itself unamerican. I think that 10% of america would disagree with you on this quote. Maybe you really don't care about that.

Faith is for suckers. I'm sad to say I used to be one.

Faith is for suckers. I'm sad to say I used to be one. Even as a Mormon though, I could see that Mitt Romney was a sleezebag.

Even as a Mormon though, I could see that Mitt Romney was a sleezebag.

I agree saddly with Matthew Dowd. i find that relidion and politics have become so entwined in American politics it will be the undoing of this great country. So many of you have forgotten that our ancesters who first set foot on these shores did so to escape religious persecutions. It was their wise ness that established a seperation of Church and State clause in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Today we seek to destroy this freedom with what God says and what is evil by what we believe he said is. I do not want a Christian President, Im Anglican, nor a Jewish President nor a Buddist nor a Islamic one either. I want an American that will defend this nation and serve it in ITS BEST INTERESTS, not of greedy interest groups, not so called `Christians' the have your rights repealed because it suits them. I do not want to awaken one mourning a find out I have to be a Methodist or leave. It is best that `CHURCH & STATE'` remain seperate.