Ok, I got to say it: Rick Warren. What did you expect?

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

Rick Warren is a fundagelical mega-church minister and a tireless self-promoter. He has spent a lot of time and money to make the media and a lot of our credulous fellow citizens believe he offers an alternative to the dour-faced scolds that work his side of the street. Oh sure, he has his rap down pat and he serves his medicine with a spoonful of sugar, as befits the new kinder, gentler face of fundagelicaltude, but where did guys like him get the juice that has allowed them to move out of the snake-handling circuit to their own satellite uplinks? From the repukes, that's where. Just read the history of the auctioning of low-power UHF TV licenses under Reagan. That's where they got their power, as the auction was totally rigged in their favor.

Of course, the game was rigged in McCain's favor. What did you expect? Fairness? An even playing field? Honesty? I mean, now, Warren would have us all believe that it was all out of his control.

C'mon, folks. We aren't going to get a fair shake out of Rick Warren and his ilk. They are a wholly-owned subsidiary of the RNC, and exist to make fringe-right philosophies seem mainstream and to give those philosophies a veneer of moderation.

We have to stop with the magical thinking. So does Obama's handlers. We will receive no fairness from the Rick Warrens of the world. Just deception and lies, as befits those of The Pharisee Class.

[DesertFlower]

1. IMO obama is much more christian

than McCain.

my granddaughter is a born again christian. she watched and said McCain is a liar. she didn't like the way he took control and kept bringing up his days as a POW.

she is a democrat. she said if a republican said what she wanted to hear she would vote for him. i said "then he would be a democrat".

[Stand and Fight]

2. My bullshit meter repeatedly goes off with this guy...

I don't know if he was lying or not, but I have serious reservations about his sincerity and forthrightness.

[Beregond2]

3. Who cares?

If McCain were replaced with an audioanimatronic robot with a direct feed to Karl Rove, he would still come off like a jackass after Obama, which he did. As for the people who are going to vote for McCain anyway, well, nothing will change their minds, so where was the risk? It was a win for Obama, and that's all that matters.

[DesertFlower]

4. some people have not decided yet.

my granddaughter's husband is one of them. he likes obama, but he has a problem with pro-choice and civil unions. my 8 year old great granddaughter told her dad she wouldn't love him anymore if he doesn't vote for obama. that kid has my genes.

[Naturyl]

5. Yeah, agreed. I never buy into these Pharisee types at all.

This guy is plenty rich and Jesus is quite clear about the spiritual status of the rich. It's God or Mammon, and you can't serve both, for you will love one and hate the other. Guess which one Rick Warren loves? Rick and his pal McCain had both better hope that getting a camel through the eye of a needle is easier than it looks...

For the record, I'm an agnostic, but I do value certain spiritual principles. Jesus had it right on the money issue and the hypocrisy issue, both of which hit the right wing hard.

[madguy]

6. Back off on Rick Warren

Look, the guy most likely votes Repub because of the abortion issue. But, as a born-again, evangelical Christian who has NEVER voted for a Repub in my life and would like to see W, Dickie, Rove and the whole lot of them brought up on war crimes, I have a pretty good nose for the genuine guys of faith and the powerbangers/moneylickers like Dobson, Robertson, Falwell and that whole crowd. Rick Warren is more genuine and heartfelt and truly seeks to do God's will.

Yeah, he may take McLame at his word that he didn't cheat, but that doesn't mean he was part of the setup. Warren has built bridges to the AIDS community, winning over many of the hardest, most atheistic leaders there. He has a vision for the world that is real, heartfelt and possible. He may be naive at a certain level, but he is NOT one of the bad ones.

As a Christian, I can tell you that nearly all of the harm that is done to the Kingdom is done by the many who call themselves Christians - those of the like of the Falwells, Robertsons,Dobsons, TBN wackos, etc who have completely corrupted souls - not from the so-called enemies of Christianity, nor from the anti-Christian thinkers and philosophers - the Bertrand Russells, even guys like Hitchens and Bill Maher. No, it's from those who, in God's name, hate. And that is what makes it so hard for the true believers. So don't tar all who proclaim Christ with the same brush.

By the way, there is no question that Obama is the genuine article - a Christian, and McSame is just a pretender.

[cynatnite]

8. Warren lied...

Cone of Silence was crap and he was biased against Obama from the beginning.

He raked in millions on his stupid book and this christianity forum was an example of his growing influence.. He has money and power. That's what he's about.

Now, if you want to defend that hypocritical piece of shit go right ahead. People like this is why my respect for christians continues to evaporate.

[malaise]

10. Since when are lying and Christian values such great

bedfellows. Wake up and study the contradictions.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

11. Nope. Cannae do that, laddie.

I have no problem, generally, with those who feel that they have been bathed in the blood of The Lamb, born again, and have a personal relationship with their saviour. No problem, until they use it all as a springboard to temporal power and riches beyond enumeration.

Let me put it in terms you can understand: Rick Warren has been engaging in false witness. He has been doing so to cover his own ass and his reputation. His actions of the past may well have given him the veneer of "a new way for fundagelicals" but his actions in this have stripped this veneer away. You can know them by their words, but their deeds are a far more reliable indicator of their intentions in these times.

To put it simply: Rick Warren has an agenda and his deeds and words show that his agenda and his actions strongly favor the repukes. No other conclusion is possible, if you look at this whole incident dispassionately.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

13. Fuck Rick Warren

and fuck the dipshits who like Rick Warren.

[DesertFlower]

14. i'm an atheist,

but i respect people's right to worship as they please. i thought rick warren did a good job. i don't know much about the man, but he seemed okay to me and hubby. he was quite refreshing after seeing falwell, robertson, et al.


BTW. my granddaugher is a born again christian. she's also a democrat.

[AspenRose]

15. As a fellow Christian I believe

he's seriously damaged his credibility. The more he talks, the more he sounds guilty and complicit. And if he is, he should repent. YMMV.

[Monk06]

7. So Barack lost 20,000 votes in Orange county. So what. Warren is considered new agey by Fundies.

He's a loser who published a Christian themed
personal motivation book. He made a lot of money
and fooled a lot of so called Christians. End of
story.

[NNN0LHI]

9. I didn't expect Obama to go genuflect in the alter of this guy spreading the woo woo

I was pretty disappointed.

Now if he can manage to get elected by doing this all will be forgiven.

Don

[Neshanic]

12. Watch it, this could be teleported to the "religiosity forum" as my missives are that say the same.