Rick Santorum under fire over ranting rightwing pastor

[trof]

Source: The Telegraph

Rick Santorum is facing some awkward questions after footage emerged of a radical evangelical preacher opening a campaign rally with calls for all non-Christians to “get out” of America. In the footage, filmed at the Greenwell Springs Baptist Church in Louisiana yesterday, Pastor Dennis Terry told a crowd that anyone who doesn’t worship God should leave the country, before calling on people to "stand up" against" gay people, liberals and women who have abortions.

“Listen to me. If you don’t love America, and you don’t like the way we do things, I’ve got one thing to say, get out!,” he said. “We don’t worship Buddha, we don’t worship Mohammed, we don’t worship Allah. We worship God. We worship God’s son Jesus Christ.”

To a rapturous applause, Pastor Terry continued: “As long as they continue to kill little babies in our mother’s womb, somebody’s got to take a stand and say it’s not right. God be merciful to us as a nation. As long as sexual perversion is becoming normalised, somebody needs to stand up and say God forgive us, God have mercy upon us.”

Republican contender Mr. Santorum was shown clapping approvingly in the background as the rightwing pastor delivered the ranting fire and brimstone address. He later received a personal blessing from the preacher who called on God's will to be done in the upcoming election.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-election/9154650/Rick-Santorum-under-fire-over-ranting-rightwing-pastor.html

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Video at link, if you can stomach it.

[rfranklin]

1. This is what I would call un "un-American actiivity"

This guy is in the same league as the ayatollahs and the Taliban--religiously insane.

[nxylas]

12. Yes and no

It's the old, old paradox - the freedoms offered by Enlightenment liberalism include the freedom to oppose everything that Enlightenment liberalism stands for. Perhaps the paradox is best expressed by the classic Onion headline "ACLU defends neo-Nazi's right to burn down ACLU headquarters".

[Cirque du So-What]

2. What a shame

that we must turn to the Torygraph for this story. In the obsequious lapdog corporate media of the good ol' US of A, a glance at my news agglomerator only shows that Li'l Ricky is backpedaling and denouncing this so-called 'man of God.'

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Plenty of American coverage

https://news.google.co.uk/news/story?gl=uk&pz=1&cf=all&ned=uk&hl=en&q=%22dennis+terry%22&ncl=duLyU-nS5lIjMdMzSswWd31gF6g2M

[Cirque du So-What]

9. There was 'coverage'

but it was all buried deep in the text. No US media report headlines suggested that Sanctimonium was 'under fire' for his association with the 'pastor' in question.

[Botany]

13. ABC is already giving Ricky cover

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/03/rick-santorum-doesnt-agree-with-louisiana-pastors-statement-about-non-christians-in-america/

Rick Santorum Disagrees With Pastor’s Statement About Non-Christians

Rick flat lied about not clapping because the video shows him clapping and standing

[Cirque du So-What]

15. Thanks for lending credence to my contention

that the US corporate media are nothing but lickspittle toadies for those with an (R) after their name.

[freshwest]

23. +1

[cleanhippie]

34. "So-called 'man of god'"?

What makes you this this pastor is not a genuine believer? Are his deeply held religious beliefs any less valid than another? If so, why?

[cleanhippie]

39. Then you haven't been paying attention.

GTFO is a tenet of very large, and vocal, majority of conservative christians in this country.

[geckosfeet]

3. Worship Buddha?

Whatever this guy may be, he is not a metaphysical scholar.

Professional ranter perhaps?

[freshwest]

21. He left out his own personal god, Mammon.

It would be helpful if these demagogues would come right out and say it. This is all about the money.

A supernatural being doesn't need tithes, offerings or political support. More hogwash for the gullible who choose to dine at the trough.

[Mopar151]

25. "The Lord I worship ain't short a' cash, mister!"

Paul "Bono" Hewson, from "Bullet the Blue Sky"

[freshwest]

26. Nor anyone to pass laws or go to war for them!

[duhneece]

42. Yup, they worship profit, in the name of 'free market'

If you can make profits screwing & lying to others who are more vulnerable, maybe less knowledgeable, then their values say, "good for them."

They have no relationship with Divine Love God.

[freshwest]

46. If they did, they'd never dare to attack others. If they believed what they were selling, they'd

Know their own holy book condemns them and knows what they're about. The old 'blind guides' verse could be added to this, but there are so many. They call Obama the 'anti-Christ,' which is ridiculous. Considering they'd nail Jesus, who was homeless, partner to sinners and tax collectors, giving food and health care to the poor to the cross immediately. Unbelievable and a disgrace to all.

[Arkana]

45. In the words of Josh Lyman, Bartlet's deputy COS:

"Lady, the God you pray to is too busy being indicted for tax fraud."

[freshwest]

56. Ah, okay, West Wing reference. Plain talking, there.

[geckosfeet]

55. And Buddha was human. A monk. Not a deity.

[freshwest]

57. Oh, don't tell him. He was on a roll there, wasn't he? Good catch, there.

[exboyfil]

4. So does bringing Santorum up in front of the church

and giving him a blessing constitute an endorsement from the pulpit. Interesting question that the church might want to ask themselves when the IRS comes calling.

Churches have no business endorsing candidates of course - any churches. In the addition to jeopardizing the tax exempt status, it is divisive for the church as well.

[freshwest]

54. Since preachers have run for office, the line seems to have disappeared.

First one was Pat Robertson, I think. Then Jesse Jackson ran for office, too. I voted for him, not because of religion, but for human rights. The pastor Sanctorum was visiting was the worst of the genre I've ever seen, much like the Koran burner.

[wildeyed]

5. Just about everything that guy said was a fabrication.

And his stupid congregations is all excited and happy to be lied to as long as it means they get to feel victimized and hate some more. Really sad.

[Plucketeer]

64. HIs "flock" all knows

they're ROTTEN inside, and they're hoping Father Firebrand can cxonvince "God" to look the other way since they're in that fancy church and applauding!

[CanonRay]

7. Every democrat and independent should see this.

Kick, kick, and kick again.

[Lucky Luciano]

17. Haha!!! I wonder how many of the whacked Freepers are

...saying, "we gotta make sure all republicans see this!!"

[Botany]

8. Rick, "I wasn't clapping"

But the video showed Rick standing and clapping.

The sad thing is that about 20% of America will see this trash and
say that is what I having been talking about .... USA USA USA

[BlueJazz]

10. I wish to hell (excuse the pun), we would start enforcing that "Church and State" thing.

When people start that crap, I tell them..
"We tried that Church/State thing once in our world...It was called the dark ages"

[freshwest]

22. Best answer, but if they don't know history, the Ayatollah Khomeini or Taliban are current examples.

[JanMichael]

11. *sigh* There is a simple explanation for this...I wish the press would do a little more digging:

Santorum accidentally went to the set of "TruBlood" while they were filming. The guy really said "and God hates Fangs!" This reporter probably doesn't have Netflix, or HBO.

[Roland99]

14. Praise Jay-zus!

[peace frog]

16. Don't let the cowardly worm hid from this!

Florg this story everywhere you can, all social media should be swamped with it. People need to know what a dangerous theocrat Santorum is.

[marble falls]

18. Its way past time to the fork into it, the meat is falling off the bones.

[freshwest]

19. Actually, I'm not able to stomach it so I'm having trouble with threads on this. Thanks for the text

[SemperEadem]

20. he is also going to have explain his embrace of Opus Dei

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/rick-santorums-journey-to-devout-catholicism-view-of-religion-in-governance/2012/03/16/gIQAj4NzNS_story.html?hpid=z2


He's running for pastor in chief, not commander in chief.

In January 2002, prominent Catholics from around the world gathered in Rome to celebrate the Spanish priest who founded one of the church’s most conservative and devout groups, Opus Dei.

The event drew cardinals, bishops and other powerful Vatican officials. And among those invited to speak was a future presidential candidate: Rick Santorum, whose faith had become so essential to his politics that on federal documents he listed the trip, paid for by an Opus Dei foundation, as part of his official duties as a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania.

In a speech at the gathering, Santorum embraced the ideas of Opus Dei founder Josemaria Escriva, who had urged ordinary Catholics to bring an almost priestly devotion to Catholic principles in every realm of life and work.

During Senate debates about abortion, Santorum told the audience in Rome, he hears Escriva telling him that “it is not true that there is opposition between being a good Catholic and serving civil society faithfully.” In his public fight to uphold “absolute truths,” Santorum said, “blessed Josemaria guides my way.”

[olegramps]

29. It should also be noted that Opus Dei fully supported the Fascist Franco. Several were on his staff

[sarcasmo]

24. The modern day christian spirt on full display, thanks Dennis Terry.

[LynneSin]

28. There is nothing Christian about what that man is doing

That pastor is a Paulist - he preaches the way Paul worked in the bible, a man who had nothing to do with Jesus other than the first person to misinterpret what Jesus did.

[snooper2]

43. There is nothing "Normal" about what the man is doing..

He's talking about various mythologies and stating how his reading of the night-time story he chooses to follow is right and should be heeded.

I wish folks like this would get more airtime (it helps our numbers LOL )

[LynneSin]

27. Oh lordie, he makes Jeremiah Wright look like a Saint.

This is a small glimpse of what America would look like if Dick Santorum is elected as president. What's scary is that about 30% of the country want us to be like that too.

Makes me wish sometimes we could give these people their own state so they can have what they want and leave the rest of us alone.

[JanMichael]

31. yep...it's scary as hell

I can't even imagine.

[olegramps]

30. If he gets the nomination, this will be a "God sent" gift.

[LynneSin]

33. If he gets the nomination this will be God's gift to Obama

Pretty much handing him a 2nd term

[Jester Messiah]

32. This I don't get...

"He later received a personal blessing from the preacher who called on God's will to be done in the upcoming election."

If their god is real, isn't everything that happens necessarily his will? If they struggle against the status quo, aren't they basically rebelling against their god's will?

I know, I know... can't expect sense from these backwards-assed monkeys, but couldn't they at least be consistent?

[Jackpine Radical]

35. I think the Christians rationalized their way around that one

many years ago.

Something like, God is omnipotent and omniscient, but He doesn't interfere in certain human affairs because to do so would be to take our free will from us. Nevertheless, He sometimes answers prayers if he feels like it.

I'm reminded of Ambrose Bierce's definition of pray: "To ask that the laws of the universe be annulled in behalf of a single petitioner confessedly unworthy."

[tdb63]

36. He applauded

You don't applaud someone when you don't agree with what they just said.

[newspeak]

38. I'm trying to get my head around

"kill babies in OUR mother's wombs." so, does that mean the mothers belong to us? mothers are brood mares; instead of women with rights over their bodies? Because it's not "OUR mothers"-we don't belong to you, mister.

[LynneSin]

40. Might I suggest stop trying 'to get my head around' this?

Your head will explode before you can make sense of right-wing rhetoric.

[LongTomH]

60. "Mothers are brood mares; instead of women with rights over their bodies!"

That's exactly what the Religious Right and the GOP are saying! Don't for a nanosecond believe they mean anything else!

[Iliyah]

44. Isn't JESUS the son of GOD?

God is Jesus' father? Well that is what I was taught.

[NICO9000]

52. Somewhere, Jesus is weeping

Seriously, when is he gonna come down here and smack these assholes upside the head?

[AsahinaKimi]

53. "We don’t worship Buddha, we don’t worship Mohammed, we don’t worship Allah. We worship God. ..."

Who is this BIG FREAKING "WE" he is talking about? He is the Intolerable moron. Maybe he should leave if he can't stand the fact this country was built on diversity.

[roman7]

58. he isnt a christain hes a right wing nut case

going back to 1950 on womens rights isnt enough now the right wing haters want to return to puritan 1500`s where if you were sick or poor meant that god didnt love you. these people how claim to not like things (shoved down their throats)have swallowed the lie that to be rich and greedy is being christian.

[tanyev]

59. So....does he think God's will was not done in the 2008 election?

Maybe his God has really bad ADD.

[Swede Atlanta]

61. What a bunch of bull..........

No one is preventing a Christian child from praying in school or in a public place PRIVATELY but you cannot do so in a way publicly that may infringe on the rights of a non-believer or non-Christian to witness and by proxy be party to that prayer.

I don't know where it says in the Bible that marriage is between a man and a woman when the man or woman are created BY GOD with same-sex orientation.

This pastor is a tool and one that firmly belongs tucked away in some rural community of the south where family trees don't fork, there are no dental plans and knuckles drag on the ground.

[lolly]

63. Actually, you can pray publically as much as you want to

That's why we have preachers on streetcorners with hand-lettered signs.

And kids can pray in school all they want.

But the government can't sanction the prayers, pay for them, or make them a part of the school's official program.

[Blue_Tires]

62. What he said was worse than Jeremiah Wright

But thanks to the media, this story will be squelched and forgotten in two weeks, while EVERYONE still knows who Wright is four years later...

[Marrah_G]

65. Disgusting