Towards Separation of Church and State

The words of a preacher being used to taint a politician makes me sad, almost as sad as priests prohibiting imperfect sinners from sharing in communion. Some of Obama's preacher's words I disagree with, some I don't. Some of the things I heard growing up in Republic First Baptist Church I strongly disagreed with, some I didn't. As I sit in the pews of church on Sunday, I don't always agree with my minister - I'm much more liberal.

I want to hear a little more Rev. Wright on Sunday mornings; I want to hear that if we are not feeding the poor then, like the goats in the parable in Matthew 25:33, we are doomed to eternal fire. My Southern Baptist church preached that Catholics, gays and folks visiting Disney were all going to hell, yet people stayed in the pews.

A few political/religious mixings I don't agree with:

Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) and Rev. John Hagee: If you live your life and don't confess your sins to God almighty through the authority of Christ and his blood, I'm going to say this very plainly, you're going straight to hell with a nonstop ticket.

Rev. John Hagee, who endorsed Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), and who allowed Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) to take the pulpit and who the Catholic League calls a "veteran bigot": "The Roman Catholic Church, which was supposed to carry the light of the gospel, plunged the world into the Dark Ages.... The Crusaders were a motley mob of thieves, rapists, robbers, and murderers whose sins had been forgiven by the pope in advance of the Crusade ....The brutal truth is that the Crusades were military campaigns of the Roman Catholic Church to gain control of Jerusalem from the Muslims and to punish the Jews as the alleged Christ killers on the road to and from Jerusalem."

Rev. Fred Phelps and ??: God Hates America. This is a profound theological statement that any God-fearing person will recognize as truth. America is on a path to sure destruction, and there is no remedy available to Her anymore.

Rev. Jerry Falwell & US Atty. John Ashcroft (R-MO) at a Regent Law School event: “Islam is a religion in which God requires you to send your son to die for Him. Christianity is a faith in which God sends his son to die for you.”

Rev. Jerry Falwell and Rev. Pat Robertson: Sept. 11th Terrorist attacks were caused by ". . . I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way -- all of them who have tried to secularize America -- I point the finger in their face and say "you helped this happen.""

That last little tid bit was on the 700 Club. Where's the lynching of the 700 Club along with Rev. Wright? How come that hate speech is still allowed on publicly owned airways? Where's the call to have Assembly of God veteran John Ashcroft run out of our country? Thank goodness for the 1st Amendment!

Obama is correct - race still divides our country and the most segregated hour in America is on Sunday morning. Preachers should preach the bible and to love your God and love your neighbor. Politicians should stick to public policy. While I cannot divorce my political views from my moral traditions (and the sheep/goat parable), I don't want my elected representatives equating religion to patriotism. If every word every preacher said was examined and thrust upon an elected representative, no one would be fit for public office.