Jeffress calls Romney a "Cult Follower," endorses Perry

[Sandy]

http://blog.chron.com/rickperry/2011/10 ... is-a-cult/

Pastors of First Baptist Church of Dallas have a long history of making endorsements of candidates for public office, particularly the Presidency. Criswell invited Gerald Ford to the pulpit when he was running against fellow Southern Baptist Jimmy Carter. Now Robert Jeffress has declared that Mit Romney is a "cult follower" because he is a Mormon, and has publicly endorsed Rick Perry.

Perry is a member of a United Methodist congregation, and while Southern Baptists haven't officially declared Methodists to be a cult, I don't know very many conservative Southern Baptists who don't think Methodists are hopelessly lost in their liberalism. But for political purposes, in order to not appear to be elevating politics over Christian faith, Baptist leaders associated with the religious right wing of the GOP have had to support a couple of Methodists who haven't exactly kept the pews warm in church. Prior to this run for the White House, there's little evidence that Rick Perry spent much time in church since his Vacation Bible School days. In fact, it doesn't appear that he's as interested in church, except where it can advance his political career, as his predecessor in the governor's office was.

I don't disagree with Jeffress with regard to his view of Mormonism. It is a cult. And I wouldn't vote for anyone for public office who has accepted its principles and practices its precepts. But when a pastor endorses a candidate, and declares another a "cult follower," using the influence of his pulpit and leadership of a large congregation, he is taking the focus of his church and ministry off Christ and placing it on politics.

[Tim Bonney]

[Haruo]

What's Cain's religious affiliation? I think an Obama-Cain race would be wonderful to watch, the race card withdrawn from the deck (except for the potential of a truly race-based white third party), it would be quite something. All Cain needs to pull it (the nomination, I mean, not the election) off, I think, is a few billion dollars of somebody else's money.

[Dave Roberts]

Actually, this does sound like Criswell in 1960 with his anti-Catholic diatribes during the Kennedy run for the White House. Evidently Jeffress sees this as his model for criticizing Romney.

[Hal Eaton]

It's been said before (and a time or two by me) that any man's (or woman's) religious affiliation ought not be questioned (first premise)- - - until that person's prospective influence or effect on my own life becomes a possibility.

(Second premise) If the possible influence on me becomes a reality, then I might well question whether that religious commitment is the product of childhood up-bringing, and whether adulthood should give the adherent second thoughts concerning the background, origin, psychology, practicality, theology, and, of course, electability concerns of the faith he/she clings to. (Does this apply to Bachman, Palin, Huckaby, etc.? Of course.) (Except, of course, those with whom I agree.)

I voiced the same considerations when JFK was on the political scene, and willingly repeat them now.

With regard to Bro. Jeffress, he has had his few minutes of fame, and chose, like many of his fellows, to brag about the "largest Protestant denomination" as indicative of support of his public claim that another faith qualifies as a "cult" -- a typical four-letter word that offers many definitions, and a variety of repercussions . . .

Christianity is certainy not a "cult," but we rely for assurance of that fact only on our numerical superiority.

Is Fred Phelps leader of a "cult?"

IMO, TIC (if you please)

[Sandy]

I have said it before, here, and will say it again. A candidate's religious beliefs should be considered as part of who they are and how they would handle the office they are seeking. The evidence for that is simply observing the effect it has had on every individual office holder in any position anywhere. It is impossible to separate faith from personal identity. And that has nothing to do with the constitutional principle of separation of church and state. That principle is based on the state as an entity, and it does not require individuals who serve it as elected officials to set aside their faith in order to do so. If you believe in God, and have a personal faith in Christ, you're very likely not going to undertake making decisions without praying about them, and seeking an answer to the prayer first. Voters have a right to know that.

Likewise, there are many Mormons who are serving in office, and the degree to which their faith affects their service is observable. Like anything else of this nature, the degree to which it is visible varies, but it is definitely there. A lot of Romney's economic position is the result of his Mormon faith and belief that Mormons are chosen and favored by God, and are entitled to prosperity that other "gentiles" don't receive because they don't honor God the same way. It generates some beliefs that are similar to dominionists, and I would also hesitate before voting for someone who held those views.

Jeffress is right when it comes to Mormon beliefs. He's done his homework. But as far as openly endorsing another candidate, I think that takes away from the message of the church, and it mixes in content that doesn't belong there. It's also a little bit inconsistent to declare Romney a member of a cult, but to endorse Perry, whose involvement in the Christian faith can be characterized, by observation, as marginal at best, and which he didn't really verbalize until he decided to run for the White House.

And yes, both Hillary Clinton and George W. Bush were Methodists, like Perry. Bush joined the Methodist church because he married a Methodist, and his record of involvement in the church was minimal at best. With Clinton, her attendance and involvement in churches can be traced, and her husband followed her into Methodist congregations when his fellow Baptists got testy with his politics.

[Haruo]

[KeithE]

Seems that Jeffress was not the only one dissing Romney for being Mormon. , from the American Family Assocoation, also dissed Romney's presidential bid for his faith at the "Values Voters Summit".
.

Of course, Romney's religion has stole the headlines from the Summitt as opposed to:

Paul 37% of votes,
Cain 23%
Santorum 16%
Perry 8%
Bachmann 8%
Romney 4%
Gingrich 3%

[Stephen Fox]

I have several links postings there to rd.org and other discussions.

Sandy took to one in particular and had exquisite response there.

[Chris]

[Chris]

[Stephen Fox]

I wouldn't be surprised if Diarmaid MacCulloch's magisterial Christianity is not on Ole Dad's must read list by March of 2012

[ET]

[Stephen Fox]

http://www.abpnews.com/content/view/6848/9/

[Stephen Fox]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/us/po ... =2&_r=1&hp

Would be interesting to see how Jeffress navigates the column above

[KeithE]