God wants to know how you vote

[davidinalameda]

...A Southern Baptist leader says voters will answer to God someday for the ballots they cast in this year's elections. Dr. Richard Land, who heads the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, says his denomination will try to register an additional two-million voters for the November presidential election. Baptist Press says the Commission also is launching a website -- ivotevalues.com -- that will compare the candidates' positions on homosexual marriage, abortion, the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance and Ten Commandments displays in public places. Land is quoted as telling other Southern Baptist leaders that while they should not tell people how to vote, people should be told that "the Lord wants to talk to them about how they're going to vote, and the Lord is going to talk to them someday about how they voted."

Does anyone else find this just a wee bit disturbing?

[bluestateguy]

1. Take away their tax exemption

If they want to do this, fine, it's a free country, but they should not enjoy tax exemption for what is clearly partisan political activity.

[tom_paine]

5. In the Days of the Old Republic something like this would have happened

Of course, Imperial Amerika is a wholly different story.

[stopthegop]

7. take exemption away from black churches visited by dems also?

that would be consistent...

[SmileyBoy]

2. "If you vote for a Democrat, you will go STRAIGHT TO HELL!!!"

That's basically what he's saying, right???

[tom_paine]

3. Of course, so very reminiscent of Hitler's use of religion

People tend to conveniently forget that his idea of that Nazi Pagan Valhalla religion only came very late in things and that Hitler was a "Family Values" candidate using religious imagery in much the same way as the grandchildren of the man who laundered his money in America (Prescott Bush) uses it now.

But I am certain it's just a coincidence.

[bobbieinok]

4. surely they can no longer be tax exempt???

of course, who in the adm will take them off???

[F.Gordon]

17. The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is......

..not "technically" (wink) a part of the Church. They are a Washington based religious "watch-dog" and "lobby" group. They are 100% Political.

[eissa]

6. I don't get this at all

I have yet to hear in my 30+ years my priest bring up any political subject. For some strange reason, he only seems to discuss Biblical subjects. Strange.

[GreenPartyVoter]

8. God not only knows how I vote, He prompted me

to make a webpage about it. *lol*

[Mari333]

9. If you have a link to this send it to the IRS

name of the church, address, name of the organization, and send it to the ACLU also..this is a violation of the tax code and Pat Robertson lost his tax exemption with his christian coalition, so this guy should too...

[outinforce]

10. Let's Imagine This

Let's imagine a time when some people had to ride in the back of the bus. Let's also imagine that in that time, the same people that could not ride in the fornt of the bus also could not eat at certain lunch counters or vtoe in certain elections unless they paid a poll tax.

Now let's imagine that in certain Christian churches, sermons were given denouncing the laws which kept people in the back of the bus. Boycotts were organized in churches.

But the churches never said "Vote for this Candidate". They merely reminded people of what it was felt God commanded.

Would you have found the behavior of someone like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a bit disturbing?

[Skittles]

11. what about war? Bombing people based on lies?????

WHAT ABOUT *THAT* ???????????????

[jokerman93]

15. Bombing people based on lies? Didn't you get the memo?

Iraq is only the first battle in God's war for dominion of the world and his preparation for the rule of Christ the King.

The lies, the hypocracy, the mass murder and the profiteering will all be forgiven, because apparently God's boy Jeezuz isn't capable of coming to power through love. He needs his armies of lock-step, brainwashed imperialist murderers and bible thumping hate-voters. They shall be rewarded in paradise...

(Just like them godless terraists who hate Murka cuz of our freedumbs.)

[mac2]

12. And God will want to know why they allowed women and

children to die for oil and World Union?

Don't remembering God saying anything to support their agenda to take away people's rights.

This group of churches should have their tax exempt status removed since, they are getting involved in politics.

[Maeve]

13. I vote values, too

Values like tolerance, respect for others and their rights, freedom from unwarranted government intervention...and the SBC and I differ strongly on what we think God is trying to tell us.

God knows how I vote. And as near as I can tell, God is pretty cool with it.

[Touchdown]

14. God already knows how I vote...

...and it's none of the Southern Baptist's damn business!

[Scairp]

16. These goddamn fundies make me ill

They use God and religion as a club to beat people over the head with to try and frighten them into doing their bidding. Religion should not be used as a battering ram to impose one set of values on the rest of us. There is nothing Christian in using Christianity in this manner.