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Power, pop, and probings from ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper
Jake Tapper is ABC News' Senior White House Correspondent based in the network's Washington bureau. He writes about politics and popular culture and covers a range of national stories.
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Mitt & Moroni
December 07, 2007 8:55 PM
Because I know this blog has at least one atheist reader (I'm talking to you, DKNY), here's an interesting take on the Mitt Romney faith speech from the inimitable atheist Christopher Hitchens, author of God Is Not Great.
It's quite a skeptical take, so recent LDS readers would do well to avoid reading further in this post.
Writes Hitch of Mitt: "Would he expect a Scientologist to be able to avoid questions about L. Ron Hubbard? Does the governor of Massachusetts who publicly tried for mob applause by demanding that we "double Guantanamo" (whatever that meant) add that the detainees must not be asked what branch of Islam they favor? If an atheist was running against him, would Romney make nothing of the fact? His stupid unease on this point is shown by his demagogic attack on the straw man "religion of secularism," when, actually, his main and most cynical critic is a moon-faced true believer and anti-Darwin pulpit-puncher from Arkansas who doesn't seem to know the difference between being born again and born yesterday."
Anyway, enjoy. To this blog's Jewish readers, Happy Hanukkah. To all others -- have a great weekend!
-- jt
December 7, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (5)
Funny I remember all the major wars were started by countries trying to do away with the law of God! Nazis, Communism are the perfect examples they wanted to follow the law of man.
Posted by: spock | Dec 11, 2007 3:55:31 PM
phillygirl64 - First this country was founded on Judeo-Christian Beliefs. There is no clause in the Constitution that say Separation of Church and State!
The Founding fathers were following faith when they found us.
Romney was not talking about Mormon, he was talking about Faith, each person should have faith.
Posted by: spock | Dec 11, 2007 3:29:30 PM
Happy holidays to you and yours, Jake!
Policy should be influenced by faith? Whose faith? Which faith? Does the word 'Taliban' mean anything to you? and what do you know about the LDS position on Israel? and what difference does it make where Jesus (btw, there is only one Jesus; the Mormons don't have their own) lands at the 2nd Coming?
History shows that much of the horror we humans have visited on each other has been due to religion...some moral compass anchor, inded
the Founding Fathers would be horrified if they were alive today...as Jefferson purportedly said, 'What should I care if my neighbor worships one God, many gods, or no God?' or as the LDS Articles of Faith puts it - We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
Posted by: phillygirl64 | Dec 8, 2007 2:06:40 PM
Policy should be influenced by faith. Otherwise, you have no moral anchor.
Even if you don't think it should, how can it not be? If Mitt Romney believes the Mormon Jesus will return to Independence, MO how can that NOT affect his Mid-East policy about Israel? In his theology, Israel is chopped liver. He is the true Jew.
A man's personal relationship with his god does matter. You wouldn't want Ahmadinejad for President, would you?
Not every god is the right god. And in this country, you get to vote for the god you want.
Posted by: mish | Dec 8, 2007 1:07:12 PM
"Skeptical" is an understatement.
I didn't hear or read the speech, but I generally agree with the idea that a public profession of faith is not an invitation of scrutiny of that individual's personal relationship with g-d. Is policy influenced by faith? Probably, in spite of Romney's protestations. But ask about the policy, and not about the individual's relationship with g-d. Ditto for all of an individual's personal affairs.
Posted by: cordelia525 | Dec 8, 2007 9:51:35 AM
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