Big article in the Boston Globe about religion and the heartland

[merbex]

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/03/29/for_family_religion_shapes_politics/

After reading it I've come to the conclusion that we are never going to reach people like this family. It was interesting that no mention was made of Terri Schiavo;it must have been in the works prior to that drama. Too bad the editors didn't see fit to hold on the article for questions in that area and reactions to polls

I am angered by their judgment of Kerry's religious beliefs and the husband's comment about Catholicism was amazing.

They came across as very smug in their insular little world, (patting themselves on their back for allowing their kids to attend public school)

The whole article depressed me

[sendero]

1. Like Mike Malloy says...

... there will always be 30% of the population who are beyond all hope. Best to ignore them, you cannot get their vote no matter what - their pea brains just can't process reality at all.

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. Actually, there is a way to reach out to them.

My in-laws are racist Christians. I don't know why I didn't notice before. Probably because I was being too polite and making excuses for them as the years went by. They worked hard to get their kids through private Catholic school and began taking jabs at me because I didn't. I heard comments like, "black students come to us and they don't even know anything about black history. We have to teach them about it." Their young son yelled, ewwww, the first time he saw a black contestant on a beauty contest. The oldest daughter dated redneck racists.

And now we come to the part where I actually answer the comment you made regarding not reaching the 30%. For the most part, it's true, but there are opportunities that come along that show the way to do it. The oldest, who had the private school education, was an academic slacker. The only job she could get once she graduated was a social worker. She had to work with young black children. Then she came away from that experience realizing that black people were people too! No kidding. That's what she came up with.

However, members from her family work at Lockheed, and soon she was in on the usual minority bashing in no time.

[thefloyd]

2. I will never understand why reporters only ask

these evangelicals about abortion and stem cell research. What about Jesus constantly helping the poor and republicans constantly cutting their programs.

[merbex]

7. I just clicked back to see who wrote this article - it was not done

by the Globe's religious reporter, Michael Paulson, I believe is his name.

Paulson wrote most of the articles about the pedophile crisis in the Catholic Church here in Boston. I wonder why he didn't write this article - unless he's moved on.

[Clark2008]

3. What is the deal with the fundies and Catholicism?

Like many evangelical congregations, Hope Church is nondenominational. Its members include former mainstream Protestants as well as one-time Catholics ''who now are Christians," Michael says. ''The Catholic religion? I'm not too sure that Jesus is a big, integral part of that. ~ from the article.

I mean, have these people never BEEN around a Catholic Church and seen the statues and portraits of Jesus EVERYWHERE, including on the Rosary? Do they not have a clue that Catholicism is the OLDEST Christian religion on record?
What stupidity.
I don't know if we can ever change the way these people think, because the very fact that they're fundies proves they're narrow-minded, but as a Catholic, who also grew up around Southern Baptist churches, I am concerned with the hatred being spewed by those who wouldn't know their ass from a hole in the ground.

[Ms Chicklet]

4. What a "moran"

Wasn't the Catholic Church was started by St. Peter, one of Jesus' apostles? It's the faith from which all Christianity came.

[Tracer]

8. I was amazed at that quote also!

Obviously, these people know absolutely nothing about Catholicism (and don't know much about anything else, either).

If they did, they would understand that the Bible (meaning the Old Testament) has virtually no place in Catholic beliefs. It's the New Testament of Jesus that is emphasized at all times.

Oh yes, once in a while we'll get a reading of one of the lovely psalms, but that's about it.

[Bridget Burke]

13. Check out the European Institute of Protestant Studies....

Here's a whole page on the Errors of Rome, compiled by the Rev. Ian Paisley:

www.ianpaisley.org/toc.asp?loc=rome

Paisley received an honorary degree from Bob Jones University--back when Strom Thurmond & George Wallace were also honored. His belief system is very similar to what the Dominionists and Christian Reconstructionists hold--based on a weird variant of Calvinism. The Catholic bishops & priests who work with these guys against abortion ought to realize that the movement REALLY hates Catholics.

[Wright Patman]

6. Way too much TV-watchin'

goin' on at that household. How can they still be addicted to the idiot box if "Hollywood" is demonic and distorting our true, Christian values upon which the nation was founded? ... blah, blah, blah.

And a poster of Ricky Williams in a teen girl's room? This is so disturbing on so many levels. A guest speaker at my local church declared to us that it is clear Ricky is demon-possessed because of his affinity for weed. I would place a < /sarcasm> here, but the speaker was serious. Half of what I hear at that place these days seems like inadvertent satire.

From the outside looking in, this family appears to have it all together, much like the household of Mary Kay LeTourneau's "true-blue conservative parents" 35 to 40 years ago. I hope we are not reading in 20 years about Mrs. Brittany being arrested in the back seat of a steamed-up car with one of her students.

[OneBlueSky]

9. sorry if this offends, but these people are brainwashed . . .

anyone who considers Bush "a godly man," and says things like "If it were a Jewish boy or a Muslim boy . . .we'd just have to let them know we don't approve" is an idiot . . . and a bigoted one at that . . . rather than looking for ways to pander to this fundy nonsense, Democrats should be calling it what it is -- the Christian Taliban . . .

[merbex]

10. This is where a religious reporter,one who knows his subject -

religion, in this case Christianity, could have asked better questions about what Jesus emphasized and make these people reconcile that to everything they stated in this article.

Ask them "What parts of the bible do you tend to rely on more than others?" for a start.

[ProgressiveDepot.com]

11. I try not to read this stuff

The fact that people can equate George W. Bush with the Bible when his whole M.O. is to steal from the poor and give to the rich is so sickening as to be beyond belief. I'm sure the people in that story are exceedingly nice and believe they are on the righteous path, but the lack of critical thinking is amazing.

The whole issue of "framing the debate" that Democrats talk about so much is basically saying that we need to trick people into voting for a better country and for their own self-interest. It IS depressing, which is why I generally try to avoid these articles. I live in Ohio, too, and I hate to think people see them as representing our state's views. The difference between Cleveland and Cincinnati is about 5 hours drive and the difference in mindset is night and day. (A generalization of course as I know hardcore Republicans in my neck of the woods and hardcore Dems down in Cincy.)

[harrison]

12. I get so conflicted about these folks. They are so

naive and unthinking and fearful. They don't believe in science until they are in the hospital watching that chemo drop into their veins and praying and hoping that the science works.

However, as impatient and tired as we get, we don't need to give up on these folks. You reach out to them by being rational and politely pointing out the inconsistencies in their thinking. However, like most humans they will only change when things get painful enough, i.e., loss of job, or the draft taking their kids.

As strange as it sounds, you have to almost see them as the mission field. You have to keep trying to make these folks understand.

[karynnj]

14. The article is depressing - I wish that it would have at least looked

at a cross section of people. If that family represents their whole community, I would have been interested in knowing if his rejection is specific to John Kerry. Would any Catholic be a problem? - the Catholic comment does lead to that. Or would any liberal, believing that gays are who they are, going to be perceived as not being religious?

What I read from this is that, that even if Kerry could prove that he attended mass every Sunday since he was in kindergarten, it would not have changed their view. Even if Kerry challenged Bush to a debate on the Bible and beat him as thoroughly as he did on debate 1, it wouldn't have mattered. The fact that he has raised two intelligent daughters who talk about serving their country, while Bush has the twins, doesn't matter. When pushed to do so, Kerry did speak about Jesus's call to help the poor, the infirm et AL on a daily basis, while Bush lies and invades coutries.

When they say they don't trust Kerry or think he's not religious, I think they mean he is not like them. He is not homophobic, anti-Catholic, anti-Muslim, and anti-Jewish. They long, from some of the comments, for a homogeneous culture where everyone is like them. Kerry represents a multicultural society that takes delight in all the different parts and it is a culture that threatens them. I bet some of them don't even like the Disney World "It's a small, small world" ride!

I think the xenophobic, "know nothing" strand of America has had a major resurgence possibly aggravated by 911. Any Democratic candidate would have spoken against Bush's unilateral approach, but Kerry may have been the most extreme counterpoint to Bush on this. Kerry, who spent time in his youth at least in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Norway,and who married Teresa, a foreigner who speaks many languages, is probably the most cosmopolitan candidate we're ever elected. His knowledge of the world and his commitment to international diplomacy are in contrast to Bush, who has nominated John Bolton for the UN, feels the US is not bound by international laws, and who when he ran in 2000 bragged (and lied - he actually did travel more and spent a summer in Scotland) about how little he traveled outside the US.

All this leads to the strange situation where they like the fact that Bush looks gauche with foreign leaders, Chaney dresses inappropriately at Auschwitz, Bush appoints a UN appointee who says the security council should have 1 member -us. We just look on horrified and remember how Presidential Kerry looked talking with the European and Middle Eastern leaders. Kerry was in his element speaking without a translator to Chirac - which is part of why the fundies hate him - he ready to be part of the larger world, he was brought up as a diplomat's son.