Well, It Would Have Been A Good Religion Question. . .

[cbayer]

http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/sarahposner/6540/well,_it_would_have_been_a_good_religion_question._._._/

October 23, 2012 9:27am
Post by SARAH POSNER

This morning I did a word count on last night's debate transcript. Israel: mentioned over a dozen times by each candidate. Palestinians: once. Religion: zero. Religious: three times (all by Obama, in discussing "protecting religious minotiries and women" in the Muslim world).

Romney didn't mention religion or religious freedom, and he only mentioned women's rights once: "With the Arab Spring came a great deal of hope that there would be a change towards more moderation and opportunity for greater participation on the part of women and — and public life and in economic life in the Middle East."

Obviously, the rights of women and religious minorities are urgent, dire questions in many parts of the world. Yet given both candidates' repeated mentions of our ally Israel, there was a huge missed opportunity here: what about the rights of women and religious minorities in Israel?

Throughout the campaign, questions to the candidates on religion have been circumscribed by a needlessly narrow range of what pertinent questions are: abortion, particularly, or contraception, often framed as an issue of religious freedom. Religion questions are always pegged to the U.S. religious right's domestic policy agenda. Not that these aren't crucial issues facing America: the restriction of access to abortion, the enduring discussion of long-settled questions of the effectiveness and morality of using contraception, the exposure of retrograde views of national politicians about rape all deserve attention.

more at link

[trotsky]

1. Well, you yourself have established that there is a different standard when judging actions...

when the action is taken due to sincerely-held religious beliefs and traditions. So it's interesting to see your inconsistency.

[rebuke]

2. Separation of two topics..

Religion and Politics are like oil and water....they DON'T mix! They both stir a great deal of emotion. I stop reading any political banter the moment someone quotes the Bible as though it gives that person leverage with their argument or talking point. I add some more thoughts to ponder:

"When one person suffers from a delusion it is called insanity; when many people suffer from a delusion it is called religion."
- Robert Pirsig (1948-)

This led Billy Graham to criticize him for "sermonizing" about political issues that lacked a moral element. (Comment about Jerry Falwell when he gave his two cents worth from the pulpit on politics)

My personal favorite: "God, please save me from your followers!"
- Bumper Sticker

[cbayer]

3. While they don't mix well, they are still both at the table, as this author points

out so clearly.