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Web Site With Speeches and Sermons From Palin's Former Church Shuts Down as Religious Views of Candidate Face Scrutiny
September 03, 2008 12:38 PM
Officials of Gov. Sarah Palin's former church, Wasilla Assembly of God, in Alaska, shut down part of their Web site Wednesday, stating that their server could not handle the higher-than-normal traffic.
The part of the Web site no longer functioning appears to be the section where the sermons of senior Pastor Ed Kalnins were available, including one from 2004 -- after Palin left the church -- where he suggested heaven wasn't necessarily in the cards for anyone who voted for Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
Also no longer available is the video of a speech Palin delivered in June at the graduation service for the church's School of Ministry.
"WasillaAG.net was never intended to handle the traffic it has received in the last few days," says a message on the church Web site. "Due to technical limitations, WasillaAG.net will be unavailable for the immediate future."
Palin attended Wasilla Assembly of God from her teenage years through 2002. She and her family now attend Wasilla Bible Church.
Srutiny of Palin, ever since she was named Sen. John McCain's vice presidential running mate last Friday, has brought attention to all aspects of her biography.
"We have had some inquires into Gov. Palin's beliefs," a statement from Wasilla Assembly of God reads. "We do know that Gov. Palin is a woman of integrity. She is a servant of the people, she is a strong leader. As for her personal beliefs, Gov. Palin is well able to speak for herself on those issues.
"As Alaskans, we are excited about our governor being selected as the nominee for vice president," the statement continues. "As residents of Wasilla, we are ecstatic about one of our own being thrust to the national forefront. However, as a church, it is not appropriate for us to endorse any one candidate over another."
The Book of First Timothy, the church says, "tells us pray for those in authority. This we will do, no matter who is elected. We wish the best to Gov. Palin, and Sen. McCain, as well as to Sen. Obama and Sen. Biden."
Some of the video of Palin speaking at the Wasilla Assembly of God commencement address was recently posted at the liberal Huffington Post.
The governor is shown speaking comfortably about her faith in Jesus Christ.
"It was so cool growing up in this church and getting saved here," the governor says, "getting baptized by Pastor (Paul) Riley."
Palin asked the congregation to "pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God. That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."
The Huffington Post described this as Palin "paint(ing) the current war in Iraq as a messianic affair in which the United States could act out the will of the Lord," which McCain-Palin spokesman Michael Goldfarb calls "a distortion of what she was saying."
"She very clearly was saying that she's praying for military men and women to do what's right," Goldfarb says. "Every religious American prays that what the U.S. is doing in Iraq is something that is a righteous act."
Religious Americans regularly pray that acts they take are the correct, or righteous ones, Goldfarb said, arguing that was what Palin meant by her remarks.
Palin's current church has also undergone scrutiny.
The Politico's Ben Smith reported that Palin was present for an Aug. 17 sermon by David Brickner, an activist for the missionary group "Jews for Jesus," considered quite controversial among many American Jews. The Anti-Defamation League of B'nai Brith has criticized Brickner for "targeting Jews for conversion with subterfuge and deception."
Brickner in his sermon described terrorist attacks on Israelis as part of "an ongoing reflection of the fact that there is judgment" by God of those who have not accepted Jesus as their savior.
"When Jesus was standing in that temple, He spoke that that judgment was coming, that there's a reality to the judgment of unbelief. ... Judgment is very real and we see it played out on the pages of the newspapers and on the television. It's very real."
Brickner described when his son Isaac recently "was in Jerusalem, he was there to witness some of that judgment, some of that conflict, when a Palestinian from East Jerusalem took a bulldozer and went plowing through a score of cars, killing numbers of people. Judgment -- you can't miss it. "
Goldfarb said that Brickner "was a guest at the church, who Gov. Palin did not know would be speaking, and she does not share the views he expressed. She and her family would not have been sitting in the pews of the church if those remarks were remotely typical."
Earlier this year, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., went through some tough questions about his now-former church, Trinity United Church of Christ, and his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who made many controversial comments from his pulpit. Faced with intense scrutiny of his church, pastor, and those offering guest sermons, Obama resigned from his church at the end of May.
"If the Obama campaign wants to have a debate about who was in church for what sermon," Goldfarb told ABC News, "that's not an argument we're going to shy away from."
-- jpt
September 3, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (222)
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The Repubs are a bunch of hypocrits. You all criticized everything that Obama stood for and did. However, I don't think you want to go down the path of dirty laundry. Keating 5, does that ring a bell, how about a spouse admitting she was addicted to pain killers, the recent lie about mother theresa wanting them to adopt, Giddy who is far more of a terrorist than Ayers could ever be, now that Palin has joined the ticket, the AIP ... didn't they applaud timothy mcvie...face it, you all have put out bull about Obama for over a year and now you want the media and the american people to be sympathetic....you must be out of your mind.
Posted by: JLove | Sep 3, 2008 10:40:31 PM
Doesn't Palin support a group that is seeking Alaska's succession from the United States? Sounds pretty anti-American to me.
Posted by: Mr. Wonderful | Sep 3, 2008 10:26:12 PM
Doesn't Palin support a group that is seeking Alaska's succession from the United States? Sounds pretty anti-American to me.
Posted by: Mr. Wonderful | Sep 3, 2008 10:26:12 PM
Republicans turning our country into the laughing stock of the world again? I can't say I'm too surprised ...
Posted by: New Amsterdam | Sep 3, 2008 10:19:51 PM
Who said that "Obama is a leader sent from God" Nancy Pelosi
Posted by: mklc | Sep 3, 2008 10:06:45 PM
They need to wait 18 months before reporting any former church to be fair
Posted by: james | Sep 3, 2008 8:00:41 PM
OxyCon wrote:
"Seriously, this MUST be getting on some people's nerves down at McCain Central."
Actually, it's the panicky talking heads in the MSM that had a nerve struck dead on by Sarah Palin!
Posted by: In earnest in mid-America | Sep 3, 2008 7:58:43 PM
Sarah Palin's longtime pastor, Pastor Kalnins, said that "Jesus operated from a position of war mode."
Anyone who so blatantly misunderstands and misrepresents the words of Jesus is scary and deluded and dangerous.
And by the way, how many thousands of civilians, including children, have been killed in the Iraq war? Many Republicans think that's OK. But Jesus would not have been OK with that, no matter what.
Posted by: Jen | Sep 3, 2008 7:57:42 PM
Clearly McCain did not properly vet Palin. McCain is running a pretty incompetent campaign.
Posted by: Salvatore | Sep 3, 2008 7:54:22 PM
It's going to be a little harder now playing the Reverend Wright card after these comments come out and get scrutinized by the media.
Posted by: Mike | Sep 3, 2008 7:42:27 PM
Sarah Palin's daughter's pregnancy is "a private matter," we've been told. But ladies, if you get raped or are a victim of incest and become pregnant, Sarah Palin does not want that to be a private matter for you. She believes the government has the right to tell you exactly what to do.
Sarah Palin is going to make the decision for you -- you're having that baby. No exceptions. Even if your health or your life are threatened. Meanwhile, lay off her daughter's pregnancy... "That's a private matter."
Posted by: Chris | Sep 3, 2008 7:31:28 PM
We cannot judge Obama by what his church said while he was a member but we can judge by what her church said after she left. Just some more Liberal hypocracy!
Posted by: Mark Tuttle | Sep 3, 2008 7:29:42 PM
Obama's ahead in the polls again --- woohoo!! And I'm not surprised. McCain's choice of VP has left a lot of people questioning his judgment. She seems like a really wonderful lady, it's true, but to put her in a position where she could be RUNNING THE COUNTRY if McCain croaks is just IRRESPONSIBLE.
He definitely did not put the country first with that choice, and we can all see it.
Posted by: Gillian | Sep 3, 2008 7:24:33 PM
Does this mean that the Democrats are putting the Reverend Wright back on the table?
It sure sounds like it.
This is as tactically stupid as harping on the (now discredited) slur that Palin's 4 month old baby is really her daughter's child ("it's the time-line, people!) or hypocritically yammering about Palin’s 17 year old daughter getting pregnant outside of marriage ("We are only for 'family values' when it suits).
Dumb, Dumb, Dumb.
Posted by: Stephen Gianelli | Sep 3, 2008 6:43:45 PM
Those posting the lie that military members are giving 6-to-1 are posting B.S. on the order of "Baghdad Bob's" report on the defeat of American in the initial stages of Iraqi Freedom. I know, I'm around the military (Navy and Marines) every day. McCain is their man by about a 20-to-1 advantage.
Posted by: meandog | Sep 3, 2008 6:41:15 PM
I've never heard anything like this out of Jews for Jesus in general or out of David Brickner in particular. I would want to see confirmation of the alleged comments before believing that they have been reliably represented here. I have a suspicion that we are getting a whole lot of spin rather than fact.
Posted by: Mark P. | Sep 3, 2008 6:32:18 PM
What is one the site that is worse then we're doing Gods work in Iraq that's bad enough so can you imagine what their hiding by shutting it down !!!!!!
Posted by: Dennis Fort Myers Fl | Sep 3, 2008 6:21:20 PM
daniel n-
Using anecdotal evidence and/or lying about your multiple friends overseas doesn't quite measure up to responsible surveys. Troops deployed overseas have donated to Obama 6 to 1 when compared to McCain.
Posted by: NRC012 | Sep 3, 2008 6:14:17 PM
Since the money question came up when are we going to see her tax returns and where her charitable contributions (if any) go?
Posted by: bhciapol | Sep 3, 2008 6:13:28 PM
Palin tried to fire Wasilla's librarian because she wouldn't get rid of books in the library Palin said offended some residents.
Lots of things will have to be scrubbed about her and the Republicans don't have time. They should have googled her first.
Intraders are betting her nomination will be withdrawn. Just went from 12.7 to 14.2 in the last hour.
Posted by: cincyr | Sep 3, 2008 6:13:27 PM
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