Santorum: Satan is Systematically Destroying America (audio link, transcript)

[NAO]

Santorum: Satan is Systematically Destroying America
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/santorum-satan-systematically-destroying-america

excerpt:

This is not a political war at all. This is not a cultural war. This is a spiritual war. And the Father of Lies has his sights on what you would think the Father of Lies would have his sights on: a good, decent, powerful, influential country - the United States of America. If you were Satan, who would you attack in this day and age? There is no one else to go after other than the United States and that has been the case now for almost two hundred years, once America's preeminence was sown by our great Founding Fathers...

And so what we saw this domino effect, once the colleges fell and those who were being education in our institutions, the next was the church. Now you’d say, ‘wait, the Catholic Church’? No. We all know that this country was founded on a Judeo-Christian ethic but the Judeo-Christian ethic was a Protestant Judeo-Christian ethic, sure the Catholics had some influence, but this was a Protestant country and the Protestant ethic, mainstream, mainline Protestantism, and of course we look at the shape of mainline Protestantism in this country and it is in shambles, it is gone from the world of Christianity as I see it. So they attacked mainline Protestantism, they attacked the Church, and what better way to go after smart people who also believe they’re pious to use both vanity and pride to also go after the Church.

[Tx4obama]

1. Audio below

[DesertFlower]

2. he's nuts.

[flakey_foont]

4. beyond nuts

[DesertFlower]

6. wonder if he saw the movie

"the devil's advocate" when at the end al pacino (satan) says "you must admit i owned the 20th century".

[Denninmi]

3. Well, let's see, who do we know who just loves the Republican Party?

Could it be Satan?

[NAO]

5. Exactly. Maybe Dana Carvey will consider doing

Santorum/Church Lady parodies, in the spirit of the Sarah Palin/Tina Fey bits.

[provis99]

7. hey Rick, calling Protestantism Satanic

ain't going to win you the fundamentalist vote...

[Douglas Carpenter]

13. I think he was referring to the "liberal" wing of Protestants represented by the mainstream historic

Protestant churches like Anglicans or the more liberal wing of Presbyterians or even Methodist. On this fundamentalist Protestants would totally agree. In fact it sounds very much like a fundamentalist Protestant screed.

[provis99]

25. fundamentalists think they are the mainline church,

the liberal churches are "extremist".

The fools won't know Santorum is talking about the liberals, and not them.

[Redstate Bluegirl]

8. Rick's favorite Restaurant

With emphasis on rant:

[mysuzuki2]

9. If Satan truly wanted to destroy America he would join the republican

party and run for president. Wait ... you don't think ..? nah couldn't be. But maybe, it would explain a lot!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

10. Santorum = sanitarium

[Ebadlun]

11. Rupert Murdoch

is the father of lies.

[Douglas Carpenter]

12. in hardline fundamentalist Protestant circles this would not be an unusual belief

It's part of the "Jesus is coming soon" mantra.

for a Roman Catholic like Santorum who is a former U.S. Senator representing a historically Democratic industrial northeastern state - it is more than a bit odd.

[renie408]

19. And how large a voting block do we think hardline fundamentalist Protestants represent?

15...20 people, tops?

Look, I live in fundie central and this kind of talk is going to make even people here nervous.

[Douglas Carpenter]

20. about 40% believe in the literal Adam and Eve story - I would surmise that at least half of those

would qualify as hardline fundamentalist. They are of course a minority of the general population. But they are the sort that tends to vote in mass and they tend to make for loyal foot soldiers for the religious right - the kind of people who drag all their friends, relatives and neighbors to the polls. In the general election this talk would still tend to hurt Santorum as most people would find it too extreme even by Evangelical standards. In the race the Republican nomination it may very well help him in an era where social conservatives including hardline fundamentalist play a leading roll.

[renie408]

21. Its easy to answer poll questions. It's HARD to actually be a hard core fundamentalist.

A HARD CORE fundamentalist not only talks the talk (in tongues, no less), they walk the walk (usually in an ankle length skirt if they are female). I live in South Carolina. I know A LOT of Sunday Christians. I know many people who question evolution, but only a few who will say that it isn't true. I know plenty of people who will tell you they believe in the Bible, but personally don't know any that take it literally.

I agree about the hard core being hard core voters, too and about needing to sound hard core to win the Republican nomination. But I would be willing to bet that if it got down to brass tacks, Rick Santorum scares those Sunday Christians just as much as he scares me. Because he takes it just a tad too far even for them. People don't like to be messed with and Rick Santorum is just itching to mess with us. ALL of us. Even Sunday Christians who tell a pollster that they believe in the Adam and Eve story can see that.

[Douglas Carpenter]

22. oh I agree that in final analysis he will scare even most Evangelicals

After all - even the typical Assemblies of God or Church of the Nazarene church goers really don’t want to make waves. Very few are actually looking for a fight. Here we have Rick Santorum openly challenging the Christian faith of the President of the United States and even alleging that the President’s support for prenatal care is some kind of ungodly-satanic conspiracy. I’m sure they have heard that kind of talk before - but from one of those loony preachers who was just passing through - never from a leading contender for a major party’s nomination for President of the United States. This is completely unprecedented – at least in modern times. This is far more extreme than anything Sarah Palin ever said. I just hope that crazy Ricky (who does after all look just like a Fundamentalist youth pastor) doesn’t scare them too much until after he secures the Republican nomination. I shall pray earnestly for his overwhelming victory in the upcoming Michigan primary with many more to follow.

[NAO]

24. the type of fundamentalism I was raised as

believed the bible was literal (young earth creation), salvation by grace through faith (no works), immersion baptism (no sprinkling) and definitely no speaking in tongues (it was a gift in apostolic times to jump-start Christianity).

Definitions of fundamentalism differ, but I think it's safe to say those who:

1) believe in creationism and

2) believe the rapture is coming and

3) believe the bible is the literal word of god

can be safely classed as fundamentalists. That is about 40% of US citizens if polls are to be believed.

[HopeHoops]

14. Oh bullshit. He doesn't even MENTION Ralph Reed.

[whistler162]

16. Dang you mean Satan isn't Ralph's nickname?

[HopeHoops]

23. I used to simply refer to him as "the Anti-Christ". There are too many of those to count.

[GeorgeGist]

15. In God We Trust

:sarchasm:

[tfrey1225]

17. The sad part is

something like this only stands to make him MORE popular with the lunatics who own the GOP.

[grantcart]

18. this is the kind of shit we have to keep quiet until after Romney is out.

So all you Republican lurkers, forget you saw this.


Santorum is a really smart guy and we are really afraid to face him.