Bernie's answer on faith. This is worth bookmarking. We should all live up to this.

[jillan]

Six days ahead of the New Hampshire primary, Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday night opened up about his personal life and background, telling voters at a televised town hall that faith is "a guiding principle in my life, absolutely it is.

"Everybody practices religion in a different way," Sanders, who is Jewish, said at the CNN town hall in Derry, New Hampshire. "I would not be here tonight, I would not be running for president, if I didn't have very strong religious and spiritual feelings."

He explained his spirituality this way:

"I believe that as a human being, the pain that one person feels -- if we have children who are hungry in America, elderly people who can't afford their prescription drugs -- that impacts you, and that impacts me....My spirituality is that we are all in this together."

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bernie-sanders-calls-faith-a-guiding-principle-in-my-life/

I couldn't agree more!!

[Ed Suspicious]

1. Thats one hell of a good answer to a potential trap question.

[winter is coming]

2. +1. It was direct, simple, and heart-felt.

And actually reminded we of a discussion last year from Sunday School, when we were looking at different religions.

[Ned_Devine]

16. How do you argue with that? It's my belief too

[valerief]

3. But what does that have to do with hordes of people giving you money because gawd says

you need a new Lear jet? Isn't that religion? Isn't that faith?

[WillyT]

4. For You...

[jillan]

8. ......

Thanks!

[UglyGreed]

5. Bernie represents

what I feel more than any other politician has in my life. More I learn about him the more comfortable I become.

[JudyM]

12. +1.

Full of heart and respect for all souls and the planet.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

22. It's called trust. I've never felt this way about any politician.

[demwing]

35. I think I'm hypnotized by your Anna K gif

I'm old enough to be her dad, but she's one brilliant, beautiful lady.

Can't. Stop. Watching.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

41. I have to see it every time I post.

I'm not complaining. I'm 61 and I swoon over her. Beauty and smarts is a deadly combination! I love Anna! 💔

[demwing]

42. To Anna!

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

43. Absofuckinglutely!

[Uncle Joe]

6. I thought that was one of the best answers of the night.

Thanks for the thread, jillan.

[Punkingal]

7. That was a beautiful answer.

[merrily]

9. He also said

From your source:

"I would not be here tonight, I would not be running for president, if I didn't have very strong religious and spiritual feelings."

and from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bernie-sanders-finally-answers-the-god-question/2016/01/26/83429390-bfb0-11e5-bcda-62a36b394160_story.html

"Sanders said he believes in God, though not necessarily in a traditional manner.

“I think everyone believes in God in their own ways,” he said. “To me, it means that all of us are connected, all of life is connected, and that we are all tied together.”

I want to be treated with dignity and respect, and I want other people to be treated with dignity and respect,” he said.

“I think it is important that a sense of morality be part of our politics.”

Clearly, his personal concept of God is very closely tied to his politics.

It's unfortunate, IMO, that we focus so much on a candidate's religion, when the Constitution specifies there shall be no religious test for any officeholder.

Worse, we seem to veer toward religious bigotry all too quickly. That is ironic, given admonitions against judging others in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

http://jackpineradicals.org/content.php?109-Democratic-Primary-2016-Will-religious-bigotry-work-this-time

[enigmatic]

10. Empathy.

That's what Bernie is talking about here. Jerry Falwell and The Moral Majority's Christianity made Empathy a weakness rather than a virtue. It's been spread far and wide due to the RW's media noise machine and co-opted by the Evangelicals in the DLC in the 90's.

[FailureToCommunicate]

25. Yes. It's simply empathy, wrapped around strong morality of the Golden Rule, with the

solid base of social good and social activism, tikkun olam.

[JudyM]

11. One of the npr programs was analyzing evangelicals' perspective on tRump. The question of his

gaffes with the plate and 2Corinthians and lack of real religious authenticity (via interviews with evangelicals in Iowa) came down to the bottom line that the evangelicals don't care that much about whether he is authentically religious... he is succeeding, rather, by tapping into the generalized anger they have and they like that he expresses it. I'm thinking, what kind of religion is that that is drawn to anger as a way of leading -and being- in the world?

[truthseeker1]

17. the same kind that draws them to rush, hannity, o'reilly, etc. etc. eom

[JudyM]

38. 'zactly!

[renate]

34. YES!

"what kind of religion is it that is drawn to anger"

Yes yes yes yes yes! Very well said!

[JudyM]

39. sad but true, eh?

[MisterP]

13. some pray for water and expect a river; others pray for water and keep walking until they find one

[R B Garr]

14. It sounded like he was copying Obama with that

answer. All of a sudden, he's a big Obama fan, too. What's up with that.

[cali]

32. Nope. That's how he has sounded for decades.

[R B Garr]

37. Yup, he phrased it like Obama did.

Who better to copy than the man in office after screwing up by bashing him too much. All of a sudden, he's a big Obama fan. Hmmm.

And how would you know what he sounds like in a national primary. He's never run before.

[cali]

40. No. He's my Senator. I've been to town halls and heard him

talk like this. Wrong as could be.

[Helen Borg]

15. He is a humanist!!!

[truthseeker1]

18. Exactly

These were my exact words while watching last night. I loved his answer.

[H2O Man]

19. It was powerful.

I thought it was the highlight of the night.

Recommended.

[First Speaker]

20. As a believing liberal Christian, I love this answer...

...we have had all sorts of religious beliefs among our presidents. From the Deism of the Founders, thru the Mystic Destiny of Lincoln, thru more-or-less standard mainstream Christian beliefs of FDR and Obama, thru Ike's vague, politically-convenient conversion after being elected, thru JFK's Catholicism, thru Nixon's "Quakerism", thru Carter's Born-Again Baptist faith...we've had the gamut. I don't give a damn, as long as you don't permit your beliefs to override the secular constitution of the United States, which I support 100%. Needless to say, that means that today's GOP--that bizarre, unholy combination of Fundamentalist savages and ultramontaine Catholics--is anathema to me. Sanders' response was deeply satisfying, because it was heartfelt, showed how his beliefs imbue his attitude towards life and politics, and said something good, to me, about who he is and what makes him tick...

[Warren DeMontague]

21. KICK AND REC

[ms liberty]

23. This was a great answer. I loved it. n/t

[SheilaT]

24. I myself have strong spiritual beliefs,

but they are not of the traditional sort. But my core underlying belief is that we are here to help each other out. I don't always live up to that, but I do try, and I'm pretty sure that sometimes I succeed.

[Blue Owl]

26. "We are all in this together..."

[Myrina]

27. would have preferred a response to the effect of

"My religious / spiritual beliefs are a private, personal matter and since we are a country who's constitution specifically calls out the separation of church and state, I will lead according to the Constitution & have nothing else to say on the matter."

[spooky3]

28. Me too, if it's true for him.

[kath]

30. Same here. IMO, questions about religion shouldn't even be asked. Ever.

[FrenchieCat]

29. It actually means that

His faith is not rooted in a God, which is why he didn't mention God in this question about his faith.
I don't think this would play well in the general election,
even if some Liberals don't care.

[californiabernin]

31. Love it. So authentic. n/t

[liberal_at_heart]

33. We have moved so far away from those Democratic principles of helping our fellow human.

I sure hope Bernie can help bring some of that back. We know the Republicans don't really care about other people. What is really sad is to see so many Democrats not care about other people. A lot of "I got mine, don't care if you got yours" attitude running through the Democratic party right now.

[CharlotteVale]

36. I'm an atheist, and I love this. Honest, compassionate, and pander-free.