Alabama is at it Again

[dv8nation.livejournal.com]

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/01/gov_bentleys_comments_on_relig.html


The newly minted governor of Alabama isn't feeling the love for non-Christians.

"'Now I will have to say that, if we don't have the same daddy, we're not brothers and sisters. So anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I'm telling you, you're not my brother and you're not my sister, and I want to be your brother."

The  usual backpeddling has already started with the gov's staff saying "he's the governor of all Alabamans." Other people are more skeptical. A Islamic leader in Alabama had this to say.

"Does it mean that those who according to him are not saved are less important than those who are saved?" Taufique said. "Does he want those of us who do not belong to the Christian faith to adopt his faith? That should be toned down. That's not what we need. If he means that, I hope he changes it. We don't want evangelical politicians. They can be whatever in their private life. I don't deny his right to believe the way he believes and I hope he does not deny me the right to believe the way that I believe."


What we have here is very clearly a guy who just doesn't get that the old way of thinking about religion in America doesn't work. The Jews aren't the only non-Christians with voting power and people converting faiths is at an all time high. No surprise that this is in a Bible Belt state. So the governor will get some flak but this will blow over and he'll be a hero to the religious right who'll hail him as a hero for taking a stand for Christians values.

If this was just a gaff it's a lucky one. If not it's a very shrewd move that could be big stepping stone in conservative circles.

Comments

[pastorlenny.livejournal.com]

Bad theology, meet bad politics.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Again, must go with Lenny here.

[mijopo.livejournal.com]

How could it be just a gaffe, though? He may regret that he said what he did, but pretty hard to ascribe this to a simple slip of the tongue.

That said, this attitude is pretty prevalent among US Christians, it's basically just what is meant by "sisters and brothers in Christ" in most circles, I think. This guy was just stupid enough to articulate it, I'm pretty sure he's not a rarity among Christian lawmakers in terms of holding this position, though.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

surveyor's marks I tell you!

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

It wouldn't work in California, but in Alabama, that sort of religion/office overlap plays just fine for the locals, sadly.

I think declarations like "I believe in magic stories!" should disqualify one for office but like windmills, politics does not work that way.

[rasilio.livejournal.com]

If it was a gaffe it was only in that he said what he truly believed.

Seriously can we split the US up already and let them create Jesusstan so we can stop being associated with idiots like this?

[paedraggaidin.livejournal.com]

That kind of sucks for all of us non-theocrat Christians in "Jesusstan."

The Governor has his doctrine all wrong...

[russj.livejournal.com]

The governor has his doctrine all wrong. We are all children of God.
But we only become children of Christ when we accept his grace.
I suspect the root of this problem is the non-scriptural idea that God and Christ are the same being.

"God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring."
(New Testament | Acts 17:24 - 28)

"Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand." (Old Testament | Isaiah 53:10)

Re: The Governor has his doctrine all wrong...

[gunslnger.livejournal.com]

This isn't the right forum for correcting your errors.

Re: The Governor has his doctrine all wrong...

[yahvah.livejournal.com]

And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth

I love that speech so much, and especially Paul's statement "in all things, I perceive you are too superstitious", but I never really noticed the specific statement I quoted from your quote. What a Christian nation the United States was to accept "no person" as not applying to Africans.

[dwer.livejournal.com]

It's funny, because the Christian God = the Jewish G-D = the Islamic Allah.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

If you talked to Jews they'd claim Christians are both polytheists and idol-worshipers, as well as bringing in the irrelevant concept of a mediator that Judaism doesn't need. If you said this to a Muslim he'd say the same thing and that Jews and Christians alike do not recognize that God sent Muhammad after Jesus, who was a mere man if the second Greatest prophet after Muhammad himself.

A Christian would note that the Jewish concept of God does not allow for the Trinity and that Jews do not accept Christ as God-Man Messiah, which has always been the sticking point between the two. Christians also these days are finally willing to accept that Jesus was in fact a Jew, as was the first generation or several in fact of Christians where Christianity was extremely more Jewish than it is now (where it's more of a Jewish-Hellenist-Imperial mishmash) Where Muslims accept everything of Jesus's life/career, from the virgin birth to miracles and ascension....except the literal crucifixion. Which of course is where Christians can't agree with Islam because Christ is not only God the Son but also was literally physically crucified on the Christ and resurrected.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

Oh. Another one. This one has power. Blech.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

He's scary, ain't he?

[gunslnger.livejournal.com]

Does it mean that those who according to him are not saved are less important than those who are saved?

No, it doesn't mean that. It means that the relationship is different in type, not importance.

[paedraggaidin.livejournal.com]

But you know the "onoz Christianazis!!" folks will never try to understand that....

Hey, wait, am I agreeing with you? :P

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Odd that I find a comment from you I both agree with and consider reasonable. ;P.

[paedraggaidin.livejournal.com]

Alright, I don't know. I mean, while I obviously disagree with the guy on some points, it's not really any different or more extreme than what various politicians (from both major parties and all parts of the U.S.) have been saying for decades. He's specifically talking about religion, his personal faith. Now, if he'd come out and said "y'all aren't my brothers and sisters in the political area, either, and non-Christians aren't gonna get social services or police protection in my Alabama!, of course, that would be bad. But is he saying that?

I wouldn't have voted for him were I an Alabaman, but I don't care what his personal religious beliefs are. I may disagree with them, but he has every right to them, even as an elected official. When he starts imposing religious standards as part of his political office, that's when I'll start yelling. I haven't seen him do that yet.

[reality-hammer.livejournal.com]

I'm sure he only thought he was inviting people to be "saved".

Hopefully someone on his staff has pointed out why that's not a proper stance for a public official to take.

[drcruel.livejournal.com]

Thank god for atheists.

[a-new-machine.livejournal.com]

Relevant (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYgRKgjoQ_0&feature=player_embedded)

[oportet.livejournal.com]

Not that I disagree with your point, or the points everyone above me made - but I'm still glad Riley is out. I know saying dumbshit probably translates into doing dumbshit, but for now - just let me pretend we aren't going down the same road here.

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

Since I'm already late getting out of here, and I can only hope for "Friday morning light" in traffic let me put it in a more benign manner.

To say that the God of the Jews, Christians, and Moslems, is the same God is actually (imo, and that of quite a number of thelogians)is actually only true if one postulates there is only one Supreme Deity, and each worships Him according to their own understanding.

[farchivist.livejournal.com]

Uh, welcome to the Deep South?
Hate to tell you, but this shit's normal-every-day-of-the-week kind of stuff down here in the 4 states that make the Southern Core. It goes right along with the mega-churches and prosperity gospel.

[dv8nation.livejournal.com]

I'm 1/2 Southern so this isn't really a surprise so much as it's surprising someone that high up on the totem pole would be be so open with those ideas on such a big stage where, unless he's a total fool, he knows he's going to catch some flak.